Friday’s high school basketball rewind: Scores, schedule, how Sweet 16 fared
The high school basketball season began Friday night for N.C. High School Athletic Association schools, while the state’s private schools (and public/charter schools that don’t have football teams) continue their seasons.
Scroll down for complete coverage from a busy Friday night, and a look at what’s to come.
West Mecklenburg snaps 26-game losing streak
West Mecklenburg beat Berry, 72-61, on Friday to end a 26-game losing streak.
The Hawks had won won since beat Harding, 62-41, in a conference tournament game on Feb. 26, 2024. The Hawks lost, 73-48, to Chambers the next day in the conference tournament to end the 2023-24 season.
West Mecklenburg was 0-25 in the 2024-25 season.
In Friday’s season-opener, Josiah Bridges had 22 poitns, Nasir White had 15 and RJ Grier 11 for the Hawks.
The Charlotte Observer basketball preview
Get a complete look at Charlotte-area high school basketball, with preseason regional and statewide rankings, conference previews and predictions, 10 burning questions about the season and our preseason All-Observer teams.
SATURDAY’S KEY GAME
(Boys) Providence Day vs. Gaston Christian, in Phenom Hoops Tip-Off Event at Davidson Day, around 4:30 p.m. — After facing Davidson Day on Friday night, Providence Day comes back for a meeting with another NCISAA state championship contender. Gaston Day won 25 games last season and returns its starting backcourt, with 6-3 Kendall Southern and 6-1 Cameron Newman (17.5 points a game). For Providence Day, this is another chance to work its new players into game action.
SATURDAY’S CHARLOTTE-AREA SCHEDULE
(Unless otherwise noted, all matchups are girls-boys doubleheaders, with girls’ games at 6 p.m. and boys’ games following)
Phenom Hoops Tip-Off
(at Davidson Day)
(boys)
Hopewell vs. Mallard Creek, noon
Chambers vs. Forsyth Country Day, 1:30 p.m.
Combine Academy vs. Phoenix Montessori, 3 p.m.
Providence Day vs. Gaston Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Concord Academy vs. Winston-Salem Christian, 6 p.m.
Davidson Day vs. Christ School, 7:30 p.m.
Nonconference
Asheville School at SouthLake Christian, 1 p.m.
Cabarrus Stallions at Chatham Home School (girls), 4 p.m.
Legacy Prep at Charlotte Country Day, 1:30 p.m.
Victory Christian at Jackson Day (boys), 6 p.m.
Winston-Salem Christian at Concord Academy (boys), 6:30 p.m.
Friday’s #BIG5 top performers
Caroline Clark, Weddington girls: Clark had 22 points, seven rebounds and five steals in a 60-36 win over Cox Mill.
Ben Houpt, South Mecklenburg: The senior guard had a team-high 24 points in a 74-57 win over rival Ardrey Kell.
Jaelia Littlejohn, North Gaston girls: Littlejohn had 37 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and five assists in a 66-19 win over East Gaston.
My’Asia Young, Mallard Creek girls: In a 66-26 win over Rocky River, Young had a solid all-around game, with 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Justin Whitfield, Davidson Day: In a 72-54 win over Providence Day, in a battle of preseason top 5 Sweet 16 teams, Whitfield had 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Friday’s girls’ box scores
(Includes Observer Sweet 16 rankings)
WINSTON-SALEM CHRISTIAN NATIONAL 72, CANNON SCHOOL 39 Records: Cannon 2-2; Winston Salem Christian National 3-0
NO. 3 MALLARD CREEK 66, ROCKY RIVER 26
Mallard Creek 23 29 10 4 — 66
Rocky River 11 7 4 4 — 26
MALLARD CREEK 66 — Jazmeen Stone 18, Kiara Anderson 16, My’Asia Young 10, Hobbs 7, Easterling 4, Karpeh 5, Faison 3, Odoms 1
Notable: Mallard Creek senior Jazmeen Stone led the Mavericks with 18 points. Senior My’Asia Young finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Senior Kiara Anderson finished with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Records: Mallard Creek 1-0 overall, League 0-0
NO. 8 CONCORD ACADEMY 71, CARMEL CHRISTIAN 24
Concord Academy 22 20 10 19 — 71
Carmel Christian 0 6 10 8 — 24
CONCORD ACADEMY 71 — Jada Powell 15, Janiyah Fomond 13, Victorian Collins 11, Ava McDermott 10, Quinn Hicks 9, Taylor Smith 8, Kinley Rosebure 5
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 24 — Leah Miller 12, Scarlett Krause 10, Lilly Browne 2
Notable: Concord Academy (3-1) plays next on Nov. 18 at Providence Day; Carmel Christian (0-2) plays next on Nov. 18 vs. Gaston Day
NO. 10 ARDREY KELL 73, NO. 13 SOUTH MECK 68
Ardrey Kell 14 22 13 14 10 — 73
South Meck 16 13 21 13 5 — 68
ARDREY KELL 73 — Imani Shelton 27, Autumn Washington 26, Layla Mapp 12, Veal 4, Adarkwah 2, Keenan 2, Turner 2
SOUTH MECK 68 — Chloe Cleophat 18, Hensley 15, Arrington 10
Notable: Imani Shelton had an explosive offensive performance and a dominant defensive presence, finishing with a career-high 27 points, plus eight rebounds, for Ardrey Kell. Autumn Washington added 26 points and eight rebounds, making a statement as she returns to close out her senior year. Chloe Cleophat had 18 points and 13 rebounds for South Meck.
Records: Ardrey Kell 1-0; South Meck 0-1
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 63, GARINGER 21
Ballantyne Ridge 15 15 17 16 — 63
Garinger 6 7 4 4 — 21
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 63 — Kaiya Dodson 18, Caitlyn Glahn 7, Nataliyah Agbewali 7, Jaela Brown 6, Natanyah Chando 5, Madi Franklin 4, Elise Dodds 4, Sara Simko 4, Eden Aklilu 3, Giana Love 2
GARINGER 21 — Marisa 7, Kayla 5, Angie 4 Record: Ballantyne Ridge 1-0
NORTH GASTON 66, EAST GASTON 19
North Gaston 18 24 16 8 — 66
EAST GASTON 9 3 7 0 — 19
NORTH GASTON 66 — Jaelia Littlejohn 37, Ranya Watkins 11, Symonds 7, Thomas 4, Robinson 2
Records: North Gaston 1-0; East Gaston 0-1
WEDDINGTON 60, COX MILL 36
WEDDINGTON 60 — Caroline Clark 22, Myra Ukwu 12, Lucy Piper 9
Notable: Caroline Clark 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals
Friday’s boys’ box scores
NO. 2 DAVIDSON DAY 72, NO. 5 PROVIDENCE DAY 54
DAVIDSON DAY 72 — Justyn Whiefield 20, Sherod McCormick 16, Whiteside 3, Nick Arnold 10, Peck 8, Will Stevens 15
PROVIDENCE DAY 54 — Zeke Battier 11, Haynes 8, Scruitsky 6, Columbus Parker 14, Bradley 4, Stokes 3, Myers 2, Williams 5
NO. 9 CONCORD ACADEMY 76, CARMEL CHRISTIAN 56
Concord Academy 20 20 18 18 — 76
Carmel Christian 12 9 17 18 — 56
CONCORD ACADEMY 76 — Lincoln Raper 20, James Minlend 17, Mata Vidakovic 13, Jonas Agyeman 12, Modou Ndiaye 6, Romain Boyer 5, Cruz Miller 3
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 56 — Logan Johnson 19, James Wood 8, Hunter Gerould 7, Jesh Gutierrez 6, Noah Noch 5, Jordan Buzzard 4, Myles Vicks 4, Jayden Griffin 2
Notable: Concord Academy (4-0) next game 11/15 vs Winston Salem Christian (@ Davidson Day - Phenom TipOff) Carmel Christian (0-4) plays next on Nov. 18 vs. Gaston Day
NO. 12 SOUTH MECKLENBURG 71, ARDREY KELL 57
Ardrey Kell 15 10 17 15 — 57
South Meck 13 16 19 23 — 71
ARDREY KELL 57 — Braden Suggs 18, Matthew Craft 14, Donnie Jones 5, Jayden Washington 5, Dylan Morrison 4, Cole Stankavage 4, Ethan Gramaglia 4, Ben Burhans 3
SOUTH MECK 71 — Foster 6, Houpt 24, Yett 10, Davis 2, Page 5, Parker 6, Gatehouse 18 Records: Ardrey Kell 0-1; South Meck 1-0
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 65, GARINGER 63
Notable: Ballantyne Ridge opened the second season in school history with a close win. Jimmy Neubauer had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolves, while AJ Sanner added 16 points and Cam Sapon chipped in with 8 points. Garinger’s Aaron Lawler scored a game high 35 points shooting 19 of 23 from the free line. Garinger: 20 10 12 21 — 63) Ballantyne Ridge: 21 17 10 17 — 65
COMBINE ACADEMY 74, AMBASSADOR CHRISTIAN 69
AMBASSADOR 69 — Moore 6, King 6, Dixon 8, Kelly 9, Pryor 2, Jeremiah Franklin 13, Brown 8
COMBINE 74 — Jeremy Davis 26, Chilton 8, Freddy Lyalione 16, Elhadji Diallo 17, Dickerson 4
Liberty Prep- 8 7 10 8 — 33
Hickory Grove- 21 18 13 9 — 63
LIBERTY PREP 33 — Braxton Turner 16, K Ward 8, Wallace 7, B Ward 2
HICKORY GROVE 63 — Tristan Nelson 13, Caleb Nelson 13, Bradley 8, Kiser 7, Branham 6, Morrow Jr 5, Milo Jr 4, Massey 3, Washington 2
Records: Liberty Prep 1-1; Hickory Grove 1-0
Notes: Hickory Grove next plays Nov. 18 vs. GCAA
HARDING 70, EAST MECKLENBURG 59
East Meck 10 19 15 15 — 59
Harding 17 15 16 22 — 70 EAST MECK 59 — Nixon Wright 12, Zavion Funderburk 11, Braylen Caldwell 11, Thompson 6, Ramirez Toro 5, Puttman 4, Peterkin 3
HARDING 70 — King 24, Nas 17, Dj 12, Zy 6, Rell 6, Breland 4, Dre 1
LINCOLNTON 71, CORVIAN 61
Lincolnton 13 11 19 28 — 71
Corvian 14 4 12 27 — 61 LINCOLNTON 71 — Josiah Guyton 24, Zymarion Jackson 13, Bradyn Bass 12, Charlie Foster 8, Cameron Smith 8, Tucker Robinette 6 Records: Lincolnton (1-0); Corvian (0-1) Next Game: Lincolnton will host Hough High School at home Friday 11-21-25
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 75, SPARTANBURG DAY 57 Westminster Catawba 19 17 27 12 — 75
Spartanburg Day 14 8 14 21 — 57 WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 75 — Terence Guess III 20, Ryder Henderson 16, Gannon Parker 16, Josiah Fleming 10, MJ Littlejohn 6, D. Quinn 5, Spatola 2
SPARTANBURG DAY 57 — Hyde 3, Smith 5, Williams 2, Barr 6, Taylor 2, Cleland 6, Deuce Williams 25, Henderson 8 Records: Westminster Catawba 3-0; Spartanburg Day 0-1 Notable: Terence Guess III had 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Gannon Parker had 16 points, 8 assists and 5 steals. They both have scored in double figures in all three games for Westminster Catawba.
Thursday’s girls’ box scores
CONCORD ACADEMY 62, CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 48
CCDS 8 16 14 9 — 48
Concord Academy 14 14 22 12 — 62
COUNTRY DAY 48 — Sam Vanderhave 23, Starnes 7, Nelson 5, Turner 4, Bharti 4, Liles 3, Hill 2
Records: CCDS 0-1; CA 2-1
GASTON DAY 57, LEE PARK PREP 42
Gaston Day 17 18 16 6 — 57
Lee Park Prep 9 4 16 13 — 42
GASTON DAY 57 — McKenna Brown 28, Paula Mattern 21, Chaney Thompson 5, Lauren Basanez 2, Audrey McCoy 1
LEE PARK PREP 42 — V. Nigro 24, B Currie 8, H Bagwell 6, J Avellano 2, K Morales 2
Records: GDS 3-0; Lee Park Prep 0-1
Notable: Spartans move to 3-0 for the first time since the 2020 season, and will host Hickory Christian at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Gaston Day.
PROVIDENCE DAY 50, VICTORY CHRISTIAN 46
Providence Day 10 13 13 14 — 50
Victory Christian 8 6 19 13 — 46
PROVIDENCE DAY 50 — Ginny Anne Dumont 18 Layla Clark 13 Updyke 6 Carson 3 Ramsden 4 O’Malley 6
VICTORY CHRISTIAN 46 — Aylin Villarreal 17 Erika Fernanda 10 Johnson 5 Yearwood 6 Lee 8
Record Providence Day 1-0
Notable: Aylin Villarreal had a career-high 17 points for Victory Christian.
QUEEN’S GRANT 54, CARMEL CHRISTIAN 27
Queens Grant 33 2 14 5 — 54
Carmel Christian 5 9 8 5 — 27
QUEENS GRANT 54 — Malone Hicks 12. Misa Garris 12, Za’Mya Bynum 11, Smith 6, Allison 5, Pearman 2, Chisholm 2, Haywood 2, Wilson 2
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 27 — Leah Miller 15, Krause 9, Campbell 6, Stewart 3
Records: Queens Grant 4-0; Carmel Christian 0-1
Thursday’s boys’ box scores
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 60, CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 59
Charlotte Country Day 19 5 25 10 — 59
Metrolina 11 19 11 19 — 60
COUNTRY DAY 59 — Hunter Blythe 16, Emery Roberts 13, Joe Youakim 13, Peter Richardson 8, Nolan Lowery 6, Ben Harker 2, Hobs Mulford 1 METROLINA CHRISTIAN 60 — Rickey Torrence 29, Tyler Gadd 20, Wilson 7, Reeder 6
Notable: Sophomore Malachi Wilson made the winning layup with two seconds left for Metrolina
QUEEN’S GRANT 62, CARMEL CHRISTIAN 52
Carmel 13 19 9 11 — 52
QGHS 14 9 18 21 — 62
QGHS 62 — Preston Scott 19, Bobby Montgomery 14, Mekhi Allen 17, DeBerry 4, McSweeney 8
CCS 52 — James Wood 16, Vicks 9, Haggerty 8, Griffin 7, Buzzard 6, Johnson 2, Gutierrez 2, Noch 2
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 5:30 AM.