Prep boys’ rewind: South Meck rolls Ballantyne Ridge; Hough upsets No. 3 North Meck
Nothing like a non-conference game against a rival school two miles away to perk up a team with high expectations.
On Friday night, that team was the South Mecklenburg boys high school basketball team.
The Sabres rolled to a 75-52 win over a second-year Ballantyne Ridge team with several former South Mecklenburg players.
For the Sabres, the contest increased their winning streak to a modest two games in a season in which they had started 5-9 against a daunting schedule.
“I wasn’t afraid to schedule tough teams,” Sabres head coach Christopher McDonald said of his team’s non-league slate. “We’ve faced some adversity by losing a few of them, but I also knew it would prepare us for conference play.”
South Mecklenburg (7-9) returns to Greater Charlotte 7A/8A Conference play next week, and wins like Friday’s give McDonald hope for the future.
“There’s still high expectations and our goal is to pick up two conference wins next week and be 3-1 in the league and 9-9 overall heading into the Myers Park game,” McDonald said of next week’s games at Hough (Tuesday) and Garinger (Friday) and the Jan. 27 home matchup with longtime rival Myers Park.
On Friday, McDonald’s team took care of the Wolves, whose student body comprised 600 former South Mecklenburg students and students from other nearby schools when it opened last year.
That included former Sabres basketball players Bryce Ellerbe, Ayden Sanner, Brandon Quick and Jalen King.
“I hated to see them go,” McDonald said. “So I’m sure it was a little personal for them and some of my guys.”
South Mecklenburg seniors Jim Gatehouse (19 points), Ben Houpt (17) and Reason Foster (11) led their team in scoring as Houpt moved within seven of 1,000 career points and Gatehouse closed within 169 points.
Ballantyne Ridge (8-8) led only briefly in the first three minutes before the Sabres closed out the first quarter on a 19-6 surge to take a 21-11 lead. The Wolves would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Cameron Sapon had 12 points to lead Ballantyne Ridge.
Quick links
Friday’s girls’ rewind: South Meck girls roll
Independence’s DJ McFadden hired as football coach at West Charlotte
Chambers football coach, former Panther Captain Munnerlyn gets new job
Hough upsets No. 3 North Meck on the road
In Huntersville, Hough upset North Meck 58-56 and handed the No. 3 Vikings their first home loss since the 2022-23 season. Hough’s Justin Funderburk made two free throws in the final seconds for the winning margin.
The Huskies improved to 11-3 under first-year coach Beau Maye, a former Hough player. The Huskies, who began the year 0-2, are now 11-1 in their past 12 games with a five-game win streak.
On Friday, Hough’s Tre Ratliff led all scorers with 28 points, six rebounds and three steals. Christian Coleman added seven points and 12 rebounds.
North Meck was led by senior Ashton Pierce’s 18 points.
Friday’s boys’ roundup
CISAA
Cannon School 84, Charlotte Latin 64: The host Cougars (9-10, 2-0) outscored the Hawks (13-6, 1-1) 32-19 in the third quarter, erasing a 34-28 halftime deficit.
Covenant Day 59, Charlotte Christian 58
No. 8 Providence Day 78, Charlotte Country Day 59: Zeke Battier scored 18 points and Dylan Bradley added 16 for the Chargers (14-5, 2-0). Emory Roberts had a game-high 24 points for the Buccaneers (10-11, 0-2).
GREATER METRO 6A/7A
Cox Mill 62, A.L. Brown 51: The visiting Wonders (2-13, 0-6) got within 54-51 in the closing minutes, but Cox Mill (5-9, 1-5) made six free throws down the stretch.
Hickory Ridge 86, Harding 71
Olympic 64, Berry Academy 51
NORTH PIEDMONT 6A/7A
Davie County 80, Statesville 63
No. 13 Mooresville 85, North Iredell 50: The Blue Devils (13-2, 2-0) routed the Warriors, as Nolan Ericson scored 17 points. Christian Wilson (15 points) and Jordan Walton (11 points, eight assists) also had big games.
SOUTHERN CAROLINA 6A/7A
No. 11 Charlotte Catholic 81, Cuthbertson 52: Joseph Kapsiak’s 18 points led the Cougars (14-3, 5-0) past the host Cavaliers (11-7, 2-3). Mack Jordan and Jack Siegel each added 16 for the Cougars. Gavin Malone and Braylen Cheek each scored 10 for Cuthbertson.
No. 12 Marvin Ridge 71, Sun Valley 62 (OT)
BIG SOUTH 5A/6A
Ashbrook 85, Forestview 60
Crest 82, North Gaston 41
South Point 75, Kings Mountain 72
ROCKY RIVER 4A/5A
Forest Hills 78, Anson County 59: The host Yellow Jackets (11-6, 4-1) trailed 30-29 at halftime but outscored the Bearcats (11-5, 3-3) by a 31-16 margin in the third quarter. Amari Melton led the Jackets with 31 points, and Truth Rorie added 20.
SOUTH PIEDMONT 4A/5A
Concord 72, No. 10 Jay M. Robinson 64: The Spiders (8-7, 3-3) handed the Bulldogs (11-3, 4-2) their second loss of the week. Concord’s Kyzen Coleman had 25 points and 12 rebounds, for his sixth double-double of the season. Teammate Jayden Beyan scored 18 points. Roger Walton had 19 for Robinson.
Jesse Carson 63, Northwest Cabarrus 38: Justin Gonder was the bright spot for the Trojans, scoring 20 points.
Salisbury 71, East Rowan 56
West Rowan 78, South Rowan 69
WESTERN FOOTHILLS 4A/5A
No. 14 East Lincoln 81, Newton-Conover 40: Jaxon Dollar’s 24 points carried the Mustangs (14-2, 9-0) to a road victory. Davis Beam added a career-high 14 points, and Christian Atkins scored 13. Newton-Conover fell to 8-9, 3-6.
Fred T. Foard 64, West Iredell 58
Hickory 96, Bunker Hill 64
METROLINA ATHLETIC
No. 1 Concord Academy 60, Westminster Catawba 44: The Observer’s top-ranked boys’ team rolled, behind 24 points from James Minland and 13 from Mata Vidakovic. Westminster Catawba (14-9, 1-5) led 22-20 at the half, but the Eagles outscored them 15-9 in the third quarter and pulled away.
No. 6 Gaston Christian 58, Gaston Day 55: The visiting Eagles (21-4, 5-1) took over first place from the Spartans (12-8, 4-1).
Metrolina Christian 63, Hickory Grove Christian 47: Malachi Wilson scored 20 points, Tyler Gadd added 18, and Rickey Torrence scored 17 for the Warriors (8-8, 3-3). Caleb Nelson led Hickory Grove (11-7, 1-4) with 17 points.
CATAWBA SHORES 2A/3A/4A
Community School of Davidson 69, Langtree Charter 53
Lake Norman Charter 52, Bradford Prep 44
Lincoln Charter 77, Christ the King 50
Pine Lake Prep 51, Corvian Community 43
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 2A/3A/4A
Burns 75, Stuart Cramer 70: Brayden Fortenberry had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Kaeden Dye added 14 for the Storm (7-7, 4-4) in a losing effort to first-place Burns (8-6, 8-1).
Cherryville 87, West Lincoln 77
Lincolnton 81, Bessemer City 77: Josiah Guyton poured in 40 points for the host Wolves (10-5, 6-2). The Yellow Jackets fell to 8-7, 6-2.
YADKIN VALLEY 2A/3A
North Stanly 55, North Rowan 54
Union Academy 39, South Stanly 29
CATAWBA RIVER 1A/2A/3A
Carolina International 56, Sugar Creek Charter 44
Piedmont Community Charter 60, Thomas Jefferson Academy 52
No. 2 Queen’s Grant Charter 69, Jackson Day 35: The visiting Stallions (19-3, 9-0) outscored the Mariners (11-8, 6-3) 24-6 in the second quarter, breaking open a close game.
FOOTHILLS ATHLETIC
North Hills Christian 66, Statesville Christian 60
NONCONFERENCE
Hough 58, North Mecklenburg 56
Myers Park 79, Palisades 54
South Charlotte Thunder 77, Cabarrus Stallions 64
South Mecklenburg 75, Ballantyne Ridge 52
SouthLake Christian 71, Carolina Day 59
Friday’s boys’ #BIG5 top performers
Kyzen Coleman, Concord: Coleman had a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season, as the Spiders upset No. 10 JM Robinson Friday.
Josiah Guyton, Lincolnton: Guyton had 40 points in an 81-77 win over Bessemer City.
Amari Melton, Forest Hills: In a 78-59 win over Anson County, Melton had a game-high 31 points.
James Minlend, Concord Academy: Minlend had a game-high 24 points in a 60-44 win over Westminster Catawba.
Tre Ratliff, Hough: Ratliff had 28 points, six rebounds and three steals in a 58-56 win over North Meck.
Friday’s boys’ box scores
(Includes Observer Sweet 16 ranking)
NO. 1 CONCORD ACADEMY 60, WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 44
Concord Academy 7 13 15 25 — 60
Westminster Catawba 10 12 9 13 — 44
CONCORD ACADEMY 60 — James Minlend 24, Mata Vidakovic 13, Jonas Agyeman 10, Brylee Austin 3, Lincoln Raper 3, Romain Boyer 3, Cruz Miller 2, Mandrake Lewis Jr 2
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 44 — Gannon Parker 16, Ryder Henderson 15, MJ Littlejohn 13
Records: Concord Academy (20-2) next plays Jan. 20 at Gaston Christian; Westminster Catawba (14-9) next plays Jan. 20 at Southlake Christian.
NO. 2 QUEEN’S GRANT 69, JACKSON DAY 35
QGHS 17 24 19 9 — 69
JDS 12 6 10 7— 35
QGHS 69 — Montgomery 6, Mekhi Allen 18, Chase Smith 16, DeBerry 6, Scott 8, McSweeney 4, White 6, Jackson 5
JDS 35 — Lewis 13, Thomas 3, Ross 4, Davis 2, Hector Davis 2, Boakye 4, Lee 2, Herrera 2
HOUGH 58, NO. 3 NORTH MECKLENBURG 56
Hough 18 16 8 16 — 58
North Meck 18 8 15 15 — 56
HOUGH 58 — Tre Ratliff 28, Spear 7, Coleman 7, Slusher 5, Byers 4, Beshears 4, Funderburk 3
NORTH MECK 56 — Ashton Pierce 18, Wilson Estwick 18, Lindsay 9, Lewandowski 3, Young 2, Gary 2, White 2
Records: Hough 11-3 North Meck 12-3
Notable: Hough was led by Tre Ratliff with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, followed by Christian Coleman’s 7 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Funderburk sealed the game at the foul line in the final seconds, handing North Meck its first home loss since the 2022-23 season.
NO. 8 PROVIDENCE DAY 78, COUNTRY DAY 59
Providence Day 16 22 24 16 — 78
Country Day 11 8 19 21 — 59
PROVIDENCE DAY 78 — Zeke Battier 18, Dylan Bradley 16, C Parker 11, Haynes 9, Scruitsky 6, Brancieri 5, Stokes 5, Tyree-Rodriguez 5, Williams 3
COUNTRY DAY 59 — Emory Roberts 24, Nolan Lowery 14, Blythe 9, Spruill 6, Zouzoulas 4, Mulford 2
Records: Providence Day 14-5, Country Day 10-11
Notable: Providence Day improved to 14-5 on the season with a convincing win over Country Day. The Chargers were led by Zeke Battier with 18 points, while Dylan Bradley added 16 and Columbus Parker chipped in 11. Country Day was led by Emory Roberts’ 24 points, with Nolan Lowery contributing 14. Providence Day hosts Cannon on Tuesday.
CONCORD 72, NO. 10 JM ROBINSON 64
Concord 17 14 19 22 — 72
Robinson 15 13 16 20 — 64
CONCORD 72 — Kyzen Coleman 25, Jayden Beyan 18, DJ Sandford 13, Jabari Byrd 8, Tyrel Weatherspoon 4, Antonio Brown 3, Taheer Jackson 1
ROBINSON 64 — Roger Walton 19, Jamell Reid 15, EJ Rateliffe Jr. 8, Noah Speller 7, Macen Campbell 3, Geoffrey Stowe 3, Kaedyn Dunbar 1, CJ Miranda 1 Records: Concord 8-7 (3-3 SPC), Robinson 11-3 (4-2 SPC)
Notable: Kyzen Coleman led all scorers with 25 points but also pulled down 12 rebounds for his 6th double-double of the season. Next up for the Spiders is a SPC road matchup at East Rowan next Tuesday and Robinson will host Northwest Cabarrus.
NO. 11 CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 81, CUTHBERTSON 52
Catholic 21 23 21 16 — 81
Cuthbertson 15 10 12 14 — 52
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 81 — Mack Jordan 16, Jack Siegel 16, Joseph Kapsiak 18, Trey Houser 9
CUTHBERTSON 52 — Gavin Malone 10, Braylen Cheek 10, Grady Webb 9, Ethan Nelson 7, Jared Ward 5, Noah Nickerson 4
Records: Catholic 14-3; Cuthbertson 11-7
NO. 13 MOORESVILLE 85, NORTH IREDELL 50
Mooresville 29 26 21 9 — 85
North Iredell 17 9 15 9 — 50
MOORESVILLE 85 — Nolan Ericson 17, Christian Wilson 15, Qua Bailey 14, Eian Bailey 12, Jordan Walton 11, Tyler Morrison 4, Braelen Ross 4, Carson Schaen 3, Taurean McKinnon 3, Logan Holmes 2
Notable: Qua Bailey had 2 steals. Walton had 8 assists and 4 steals. Schaen had 6 assists and 3 steals. McKinnon had 5 rebounds and 4 steals.
Record: Mooresville 13-2
NO. 14 EAST LINCOLN 81, NEWTON-CONOVER 40
East Lincoln 27 22 12 20 — 81
Newton-Conover 13 8 8 11 — 40
EAST LINCOLN 81 -- Christian Atkins 13, Gavin Heaberlin 7, Davis Beam 14, Jaxon Dollar 24, Brayden Miller 9, Gaige Ikard 8, Parker Frisk 2, Josh Beam 2, Brandon Bolinger 2
NEWTON-CONOVER 40 — Lineberger 8, Geddes 14, Mitchell 5, Pope 2, Robison 4, Derr 7
Records: East Lincoln 14-2, 9-0, Newton-Conover 8-9, 3-6
Notable: East Lincoln led Newton-Conover 49-21 at halftime and continued to play well in the second half to defeat the Red Devils by a score of 81-40 in the Western Foothills 4A/5A game played Friday night in Conover. East Lincoln had three players in double figures led by junior, Jaxon Dollar, who had 24 points, while junior, Davis Beam had a career-high 14 points, followed by seniorChristian Atkins, who added 13....The Mustangs will be on the road against the Bandys Trojans on Tuesday.
FOREST HILLS 78, ANSON COUNTY 59
Forest Hills 20 9 31 18 — 78
Anson 16 14 16 13 — 59
FOREST HILLS 78 — Landon Blakeney 4, Amari Melton 31, T.J Parker 12, Makhi Massey 9, Truth Rorie 20, Simeon Parker 2
ANSON COUNTY 59 — Keshun Sturidivant 2, Graham Davis 17, Devon Tucker 2, Cordarius Bivens 12, Taviane Robinson 22., Josiah Wall 3.
LINCOLNTON 81, BESSEMER CITY 77
Lincolnton 20 13 23 25 — 81
Bessemer City 16 17 23 21 — 77
LINCOLNTON 81 — Josiah Guyton 40, Tucker Robinette 11, Zymarion Jackson 8, Charlie Foster 8, Cameron Smith 6, Messiah Thompson 5, Nehemiah Thompson 3
Records: Lincolnton (6-4); Salisbury (5-3)
Next Game: Lincolnton will travel to Reidsville Saturday 1-17-26 for the Martin Luther King Jr Showcase Invitational. The game will be played at 5:00pm.
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 63, HICKORY GROVE CHRISTIAN 47
MCA 12 14 19 18 — 63
HGCS 8 13 8 18 — 47
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 63 — Malachi Wilson 20, Tyler Gadd 18, Rickey Torrence 17, Whitehurst 3, Secrest 3, Kirbyson 2
HICKORY GROVE CHRISTIAN 47 — Caleb Nelson 17, Tristan Nelson 10, Milo 8, Branham 8, Morrow Jr. 4
Records: MCA 15-8; HGCS 11-7
Notable: Metrolina Christian plays at Covenant Classical on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 75, BALLANTYNE RIDGE 52
South Meck 21 15 17 22 — 75
Ballantyne Ridge 11 12 13 16 — 52
SOUTH MECK 75 — J. Gatehouse 19, B. Houpt 17, R. Foster 11, A. Davis 8, C. Parker 7
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 52 — Eapon 12, King 8, Sanner 6, Lassister 6, Quick 6
Upcoming schedule
Saturday
Phenom Sports MLK Showcase (boys)
(at Carmel Christian)
East Mecklenburg vs. Clover (SC), 2:30 p.m.
Ambassador Christian vs. High Point Wesleyan, 4 p.m.
Butler vs. Queen’s Grant Charter, 5:30 p.m.
Independence vs. Carmel Christian, 7 p.m.
Chambers MLK Showcase
(at Chambers High)
(girls) West Mecklenburg vs. Sugar Creek Charter, noon
(girls) Chambers vs. Orangeburg-Wilkinson (SC), 1:30 p.m.
(boys) Pine Lake Prep vs. Sugar Creek Charter, 3 p.m.
(boys) Carolina International vs. Orangeburg-Wilkinson (SC), 4:30 p.m.
(boys) Chambers vs. Hopewell, 6 p.m.
Peace Basketball Showcase
(at West Charlotte High)
(boys) Rocky River vs. Indian Land (SC), 11:30 a.m.
(boys) Bull City Prep vs. Mount Zion Christian, 1 p.m.
(girls) West Charlotte vs. Hillside, 2:30 p.m.
(boys) Mallard Creek vs. Winston-Salem Prep, 4 p.m.
(boys) West Charlotte vs. Hillside, 6 p.m.
Craze Sports MLK Showcase (girls)
(at Jackson Day)
Indian Land (SC) vs. Garinger, 12:30 p.m.
Butler vs. Scotland County, 2 p.m.
Ambassador Christian vs. Northwestern (SC), 3:30 p.m.
TBA, 5 p.m.
Hough vs. Charlotte Catholic, 6:30 p.m.
Nonconference
Greensboro Day at Davidson Day (boys), 3:30 p.m.
Lincolnton at Reidsville (girls, 3:30 p.m.; boys, 5 p.m.)
Myers Park vs. New Hanover (boys), in Brandon Ingram MLK Classic at Kinston High, 6:30 p.m.
Providence vs. Southern Lee (boys), in Lee County MLK Showcase, 1 p.m.
Providence Day vs. Virginia Academy (girls), in MLK Classic at High Point Andrews, 3:30 p.m.
South Charlotte Thunder at Providence Athletic Club (SC) (girls, 3 p.m.; boys, 4:30 p.m.)
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 10:36 PM.
