Saturday’s basketball rewind: Independence outlasts New Hanover at East-West Challenge
The Independence boys basketball team held on to defeat New Hanover 58-54 on Saturday night at Hopewell High School to pick up its third consecutive win and improve to 6-2 on the season.
The matchup was one of the feature games at the East-West Challenge, that matched up western NC teams against eastern counterparts, the format used for the NC state finals.
New Hanover lost to North Mecklenburg in the past two NCHSAA 4A state championship games.
With under a minute to go holding onto a 55-54 lead, the Patriots broke New Hanover’s full-court press and found Laurence Black wide open for an easy layup to make it 57-54.
The Wildcats had several open looks from behind the arc to tie the game at 57 apiece, but couldn’t convert as Independence’s defense held firm. New Hanover fouled to preserve time, and the Patriots kept them in the game by going 1 for 6 from the free-throw line in the final minute.
Christian Jones made the lone foul shot with less than 10 seconds remaining to give Independence a two-possession lead, sealing the Patriots’ victory.
Jones led the way with a team-high 18 points for Independence, Black put up 15 points and Dylan McFarland tossed in a dozen points while Lusemo Macharia (seven points), Sawyer Fike (three) and King Rhodes (three) all contributed as well.
Independence (6-2) returns to action Tuesday night as it takes on Myers Park at 7:30 p.m.
— Garrett Cote
Quick links
West Charlotte tops Panther Creek at East-West Challenge
Get coverage of NCHSAA football championships
Friday’s boys’ rewind: Butler off to best start since 2018
Friday’s girls’ rewind: Moss lead Butler to big win
Photo galleries
Saturday’s #BIG5 girls’ top performers
Victorian Collins, Concord Academy: In a 47-42 win over Hickory Ridge at the Ish Smith Classic, Collins had 13 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and two steals.
Oshauna Holland, Stuart Cramer: Holland, a Wake Forest recruit and The Observer’s preseason regional player of the year, had a game-high 35 points in a 57-43 win over East Lincoln.
Lenise Joseph, North Mecklenburg: In a 50-44 win over eastern power Terry Sanford of Fayetteville, North finished on a 10-2 run to win. Joseph, The Observer’s preseason Mecklenburg County player of the year, had 27 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Myajah Nix, Central Cabarrus: In a 39-37 win over Butler, Nix had 17 rebounds, eight points, plus a block, an assist and a steal.
Marlee Whitten, Providence: In a 75-63 win over West Charlotte at the Myers Park Classic, Whitten had 11 ponts, nine rebounds and made all seven of her free-throw attempts.
Saturday’s #BIG boys’ top performers
Kanari Caldwell, West Cabarrus: In a 57-56 win over Mount Pleasant at the Ish Smith Showcase, Caldwell finished with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Kingston Henry, Harding: In a 55-30 win over Britt at the East-West Challenge at Hopewell, Henry, a senior guard, had game-high 26 points.
Cameron Newman, Gaston Christian: Newman had 23 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in an 80-65 win over Hickory at the Phenom Hoops 828 Showcase.
Ashton Pierce, North Mecklenburg: Pierce had 38 points in an 81-60 win over Byrnes (SC) at the FCA I85 Battleground tournament.
Jack Siegel, Charlotte Catholic: In a 66-54 win over Charlotte Country Day, Siegel, a senior guard, had a game-high 25 points.
Saturday’s girls’ box scores
CENTRAL CABARRUS 39, BUTLER 37
Central Cabarrus 11 9 8 11 — 39
Butler 14 10 4 9 — 37
CENTRAL CABARRUS 39 — Felecity Arévalo 12, Duncan 9, Nix 9, Rouse 2, Pickett 6, Moss 1
BUTLER 37 — Joy Darie 11, Moss 8, Campbell 7, Wesley 7, Deese 4
Notable: Central Cabarrus defeated Butler in a rematch at the Ish Smith Challenge 39-37. Central was led by Felecity Arévalo with 12 points. Central is back in action Friday vs. Olympic.
CONCORD ACADEMY 47, HICKORY RIDGE 42
CONCORD ACADEMY 47 — Brower 3, Hicks 2, Victoria Collins 13, Fomond 2, Smith 4, Justice Alexander 13, Powell 9
HICKORY RIDGE 42 — Cranford 9, Hamilton 3, Ma-Kaela Gidney 17, Ritter 4, Johnson 7, Duley 2
NORTH MECKLENBURG 50, TERRY SANFORD 44
North Meck 14 10 12 14— 50
Sanford 6 7 12 19 — 44
NORTH MECK 50 — Mobley 6, Newton 2, Jones 2, Lacy 3, Morgan Knox 10, Lenise Joseph 27
SANFORD 44 — Carswell2, Jaidiah Blake 16, Reddick 8, Brown 7, Harrington 6, Wilkerson 5
PROVIDENCE 75 WEST CHARLOTTE 63
Providence 24 23 17 11 — 75
West Charlotte 22 8 16 16 — 63
PROVIDENCE 75 — A. Detenber 18, A. Fillnow 24, J. Skinner 3, M. Whitten 11, E. Fuller 13, E. Stafford 2, C. Broadway 4
WEST CHARLOTTE 63 —C. Stitt 14, K. Grier 14, H. McLeod 4, P. Reaves 11, M Ginn 6, C. Truesdale 4, B. Mouheie 8, N. Marshall 1 Records: Providence 5-3; West Charlotte 6-2
Notable: For Providence, Marlee Whitten pulled down nine rebounds and went 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. Teammate Emma Fuller had six rebounds, four blocks and two steals.
STUART CRAMER 57, EAST LINCOLN 43
East Lincoln 15 7 10 11 — 43
Cramer 14 16 17 10 — 57
EAST LINCOLN 43 — Brooklyn Miller 13, Reagan Baldwin 10, Pethel 8, Montanari 5, Matz 5, Dann 2
CRAMER 57 — Oshauna Holland 35, Amasia McDowell 10, U. McDowell 6, Humphrey 4, Black 2
Records: Cramer 7-0, 2-0; East Lincoln 4-1, 2-0
WINSTON-SALEM CHRISTIAN 43, VICTORY CHRISTIAN 32
VCCS 9 6 9 8 — 32
WSCS 8 14 8 13 — 43
VICTORY 32 — Tesfay 9, Villarreal 8
Records: VCCS 6-9
Saturday’s boys’ box scores
CANNON SCHOOL 82, CENTRAL CABARRUS 76
CENTRAL CABARRUS 76 — Parker Watkins 31, Lowry 4, Dexter Montague 12, Hayden 1, Julius Pickett 10, Vaughn 8, Watkins 5, Edwards 2
CANNON SCHOOL 82 — Sean Nix 35, Breezault 1, Steinor 7, DJ Rogers 22, Underwood 2, Lowry 7, Weaks 8
CARSON 61, MALLARD CREEK 52
CARSON 61 — Jacob Mills 28, Krider 3, Drew Neve 10, CP Perry 20
MALLARD CREEK 52 — Roberson 8, Hayes 9, Elijah Shonaganie 13, Cardwell 3, Moats 4, Clark 2, Lajalin Overton 11
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 66, CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 54
Country Day 21 10 12 11 — 54
Catholic 15 7 20 24 — 66
COUNTRY DAY 54 — Hunter Blyte 14, Lowery 6, Richardson 8, Roberts 7, Mulford 4, Jojo Youakim 15
CATHOLIC 66 — Siegel 25, Jordan 18, Kapsiak 12, Woeste 6, McKinstry 5
CHAMBERS 57, MILLBROOK 47
Chambers 10 20 11 16 — 57
Millbrook 10 10 16 9 — 47
CHAMBERS 57 — Z. White 20, L. Jackson 11, T. Pryor 10, E. Grier 8, C. Gill 6, M. Curtis 2
MILLBROOK 47 — J. Conti 19, M. Kuppinen 12, G. Johns 12, M. Bridges 3, J. Briggs 2
CONCORD ACADEMY 93, DORMAN 52
Concord Academy 33 19 24 17 — 93
Dorman 8 20 8 16 — 52
CONCORD ACADEMY 93 — Romain Boyer 17, Jonas Agyeman 15, Lincoln Raper 15, James Minlend 15, Tyzhir Dyer 12, Brylee Austin 9, Mata Vidakovic 4, Cruz Miller 2, Jordan Pierce 2, Modou Ndiaye 2
DORMAN 52 — Aaden Bruton-Smith 14, Jaden Johnson 11, Will Bush 10, Carter Williams 5, Daishon Watkins-Hymes 4, Gabe Daniels 3, Kameron Smith 2, Peden Breazeale 2, Luke Henry 1 Notable: Concord Academy (13-1) next game 12/20 @ Southern Durham; Dorman (6-1) next game 12/16 vs Boiling Springs
HARDING 55, JACK BRITT 30
Harding 13 9 18 15 — 55
Britt 6 6 12 6 — 30
HARDING 55 — K Henry 26, D Caviness 19, S. Caviness 5, Cherry 4, Carter 2, Cornelius 2, Evans 2
BRITT 30 — D. Mitchell 10, Williams 6, Felder 5, Mitchell 3, Holsey 3, Busi 3
HICKORY RIDGE 87, CONCORD 41
HICKORY RIDGE 87 — E. Birkemeier 4, Hill 7, Frazier 4, Winters 4, Davis 2, Durant 3, S. Birkemeier 9, Raymone Cameron 11, Cayden Banks 10, Pighet 2, Gidney 9, Thompson 2, Wall 2, Travien Williams 16
CONCORD 41 — Farias 3, Lawson Childress 10, Hester 3, Beckford 5, DJ Sandford 11, Brown 4, Weatherspoon 2
INDEPENDENCE 58, NEW HANOVER 54
Independence 16 15 11 16 — 58
New Hanover 10 14 14 16 — 54
INDEPENDENCE 58 — C. Jones 20, L. Black 14, D. McFarland 10, L. Macharia 7, K. Rhodes 3, S. Fike 3.
NEW HANOVER 54 — K. Brown 23, J.McGhee 11, Q. Waddell 10, K. Witherspoon 4, N. Ballard 4, D. Forton 2.
MIDDLE CREEK 59, CORVIAN 49
Middle Creek 12 22 11 14 — 59
Corvian 6 12 11 20 — 49
MIDDLE CREEK 59 — Daniels 19, Hill 13, Thomas 6, Shaffer 4, Lam 3
CORVIAN 49 — Gray 13, Hinnant 12, Spalding 12, Edwards 3, Lee 2, Cook 2
NORTH MECKLENBURG 81, BYRNES (SC) 60
North Meck 15 21 20 23 — 81
Byrnes 18 15 10 15 — 60
NORTH MECK 81 — Lindsay 8, Lewandowski2, Estwick 2, Exzavier Young 14, Ashton Pierce 38, Davis 3, Oates 2, Alex White 12
BYRNES 60 — McClintock 12, Fowler 12, Singh 21, Hack 3, McDowell 4, Leverett 6
WEST CABARRUS 57, MOUNT PLEASANT 56
WEST CABARRUS 57 — Watson-Rice 9, Jones 9, Anderson 3, McCree 3, Alexander 3, Cauthen 8, Haynes 6, Kanari Caldwell 13
MOUNT PLEASANT 56 — Barringer 9, Smith 8, Cooper Perkins 24, Glenn 2, Carnes 2, Allred 9
Notable: Mount Pleasant’s Cooper Perkins scored his 1,000th career point.
WEST CHARLOTTE 67, PANTHER CREEK 65
West Charlotte 17 15 26 9 — 67
Panther Creek 19 9 21 13 — 65
WEST CHARLOTTE 67 — K. Coleman 21, C. Womack 21, A. Pressley 16, J. Wade 5, M. Cross 2, S. Johnson 2.
PANTHER CREEK 65 — Z. Puckett 28, S. Mitchell 10, K. Smith 9, C. Hill 8, K. Dixie 3, E. Carpenter 3.
Saturday’s scoreboard
East-West Challenge (boys)
(at Hopewell High)
Middle Creek 59, Corvian Community 49
Harding 55, Jack Britt 30
Chambers 57, Millbrook 47
Independence 58, New Hanover 54
West Charlotte 67, Panther Creek 65
Myers Park Classic (girls)
Providence 75, West Charlotte 63
Myers Park vs. Palisades, late
Lake Norman 65, Ardrey Kell 63
Ish Smith Showcase
(at Central Cabarrus High)
(boys) West Cabarrus 57, Mount Pleasant 56
(girls) Central Cabarrus 39, Butler 37
(girls) Concord Academy 47, Hickory Ridge 42
(girls) North Mecklenburg 50, Terry Sanford 44
(boys) Jesse Carson 61, Mallard Creek 52
(boys) Hickory Ridge 87, Concord 41
(boys) Cannon School 82, Central Cabarrus 78
828 Showcase
(at Maiden High)
(girls) Stuart Cramer 57, East Lincoln 43
(boys) East Rutherford 71, East Lincoln 64
(boys) Gaston Christian 80, Hickory 65
(girls) Maiden 60, West Cabarrus 44
(boys) Fort Mill (SC) 81, Maiden 46
She Got Game Classic (girls)
(at St. James School, Washington)
(games involving area teams)
Newport News (VA) Menchville 45, Mallard Creek 37
Central Pointe Christian 71, Cannon School 56
I-85 Showcase (boys)
(at Franklin County, GA, High)
(games involving area teams)
North Mecklenburg 81, Duncan (SC) Byrnes 60
Concord Academy 93, Roebuck (SC) Dorman 52
Nonconference
Ambassador Christian vs. Knoxville (TN) Webb, in Turkey Hardwood Classic at Webb High, late
Charlotte Catholic 68, Charlotte Country Day 54
Davidson Day 85, Gray Collegiate (SC) 46
T.C. Roberson 62, Pine Lake Prep 42
Winston-Salem Christian girls 43, Victory Christian 32
This story was originally published December 13, 2025 at 9:01 PM.
