Friday’s girls’ rewind: Anderson’s big night leads No. 4 Mallard Creek past Butler
Mallard Creek’s girls basketball team, No. 4 in The Observer’s Sweet 16, got a big game from Kiara Anderson and beat conference rival Butler on Friday night.
Anderson, signed to Georgia Southern, had 27 points in a 62-38 win.
After leading 27-23 at halftime, the Mavericks (14-4, 3-0 Mecklenburg Power 7A/8A) dominated the second half, including a 24-5 push in the third quarter.
Mallard Creek won its fourth straight.
Friday’s girls’ roundup
Providence and Ardrey Kell each posted big girls’ basketball victories Friday night and are on a collision course for a first-place showdown that will take place … well, more about that later.
Providence scored 51 points in the first half and downed visiting Ballantyne Ridge 89-71, while No. 13-ranked Ardrey Kell had little trouble in a 61-22 rout of visiting East Mecklenburg.
That left the Panthers and Knights tied at 4-0 atop the Southwestern 7A/8A Conference.
About that first-place showdown.
It’s scheduled to take place Tuesday night at Providence, but the winter storm expected to hit the area this weekend could throw next week’s schedule into flux, if schools are closed early in the week.
No. 13 Ardrey Kell 61, East Mecklenburg 22: The Knights (15-3, 4-0) won their ninth straight game for their best start in eight seasons.
Autumn Washington scored a game-high 17 points for Ardrey Kell, and Rhegan Kent added 10. The visiting Eagles are 7-11, 1-3.
Providence 89, Ballantyne Ridge 71: Avery Detenber scored a career-high 32 points and added eight assists and five steals for the Panthers (12-5, 4-0). Emma Fuller had a double-double, with 18 points and 13 rebounds. She also logged five steals.
Sara Simko led Ballantyne Ridge (8-10), 1-3) with 12 points.
Palisades 64, Rocky River 53: Jasmyn Ashbourne scored 16 points, and Brooklyn Young had 15 points, five assists and five steals for the Pumas (7-9, 1-3). Rocky River (7-11, 1-3) led 16-7 after one quarter, and the game was tied 36-all after three periods.
GREATER CHARLOTTE 7A/8A
Myers Park 46, Hough 35: Amani Barner scored 15 points and passed the 1,000-point mark for her Mustang career. She also had 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Summer Thomason added 12 for Myers Park (13-5, 4-0). Kate Breault and Claire Haines each scored 10 for the Huskies (9-8, 2-2).
No. 10 South Mecklenburg 54, Garinger 7: The visiting Sabres (14-4, 4-0) raced to a 35-7 halftime lead and overwhelmed the Wildcats (5-10, 1-3).
MECK POWER SIX 7A/8A
No. 2 North Mecklenburg 73, Independence 4: Lenise Joseph scored 18 points, and the Vikings (16-2, 3-1) rolled. They held the Patriots (4-14, 0-4) scoreless in three of four quarters.
CISAA
No. 8 Cannon School 71, Covenant Day 42: The Cougars (15-6, 3-0) trounced the host Lions (8-10, 1-3) and remained in a first-place tie. Co-leaders Cannon School and Providence Day have announced that they will meet Thursday at Cannon School. Their game from Tuesday night was postponed due to a large number of illnesses at Providence Day.
Charlotte Latin 54, Charlotte Country Day 31: Mollie Snyder scored 16 points, and Lanie Edwards added 14 for the Hawks (18-3, 3-1). Olive Bigham led Charlotte Country Day (10-14, 1-3) with 12 points.
No. 5 Providence Day 39, Charlotte Christian 28: Layla Clark’s eight points led the Chargers (17-3, 3-0) in a defensive-minded game. Karsyn Woods scored 11 for the host Knights (6-14, 0-4).
GREATER METRO 6A/7A
A.L. Brown 39, Harding 33
Cox Mill 63, Olympic 35
Hickory Ridge 62, Central Cabarrus 37: Ma-Kaela Gidney’s 15 points lifted the Ragin’ Bulls (14-4, 8-0) over the Vikings (11-7, 4-4). Makaila Ritter added 12 points, and Miranda Duley scored 10. Jahnae Duncan led Central Cabarrus with eight points.
West Cabarrus 57, Berry Academy 26: Jillian Simmons (14 points), London Griffin (12) and Shariah White (11) paced the Wolverines (13-5, 7-1). Annabella Hall scored 15 for Berry Academy (4-9, 2-6).
NORTH PIEDMONT 6A/7A
Statesville 56, Mooresville 50: Freshman Harmony Anderson scored 15 points, and Aubrey Graham added 14 for the Greyhounds (9-9, 2-2). Mooresville is 3-13, 0-4.
SOUTHERN CAROLINA 6A/7A
Charlotte Catholic 43, Weddington 38: Mia Pisacano (14 points) and Megan Shea (12) paced the visiting Cougars (9-10, 3-4). Caroline Clark had a game-high 17 points for Weddington (9-10, 4-3).
BIG SOUTH 5A/6A
Crest 49, Kings Mountain 45
Hunter Huss 68, Ashbrook 44
North Gaston 50, Forestview 45: Jaelia Littlejohn poured in 33 points for the Wildcats (9-8, 3-4). Amani Neeley topped Forestview (2-15, 1-6) with 17 points.
ROCKY RIVER 4A/5A
Mount Pleasant 58, Anson County 15: The host Tigers (9-9, 5-2) blew this game open by outscoring the Bearcats (1-17, 0-7) 22-2 in the second quarter.
SOUTH PIEDMONT 4A/5A
Jesse Carson 64, Concord 32
Northwest Cabarrus 53, Salisbury 38
West Rowan 73, East Rowan 39
WESTERN FOOTHILLS 4A/5A
Bandys 43, Bunker Hill 35
Hickory 56, Fred T. Foard 48
Maiden 76, West Iredell 25
No. 11 North Lincoln 74, No. 14 East Lincoln 43: The visiting Knights (15-4, 10-1) walloped the Mustangs (15-4, 8-3) in a battle for first place. North Lincoln, taking a two-game lead in the league race, got 21 points apiece from Ally Smith and Lydia Cipriano. Lane Pethel had 15 points and 10 rebounds for East Lincoln (15-4, 8-3). North Lincoln held Mustangs’ scoring leader Emma Montaneri to six points.
METROLINA ATHLETIC
No. 5 Concord Academy defeated SouthLake Christian, forfeit
No. 12 Gaston Christian 44, Hickory Grove Christian 23: The visiting Eagles (16-4, 6-2) built a 25-9 halftime lead and coasted. Lauren Feaster scored 12 points for Hickory Grove (10-10, 4-3).
CATAWBA SHORES 2A/3A/4A
Christ the King 73, Pine Lake Prep 37
No. 16 Lake Norman Charter 51, Community School of Davidson 44: The visiting Knights, who suffered their first loss of the season Tuesday night, rebounded with a road victory. Abby Courtney’s 20 points and Reece Long’s 19 led the Knights (16-1, 7-1). Riley Parker had a game-high 26 points for the Spartans (10-8, 5-3).
Lincoln Charter 56, Corvian Community 22: The Eagles (12-4, 8-0) got 18 points from Taylor Riggenbach and 11 from sister Kylie in the victory. Kylie Riggenbach also had 10 steals. Lincoln Charter led the Cardinals (1-10, 1-7) 46-12 at halftime.
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 2A/3A/4A
Highland Tech 61, Bessemer City 51
Lincolnton 56, Shelby 47
No. 9 Stuart Cramer 65, West Lincoln 20: Oshauna Holland scored 33 points and added nine rebounds and 10 steals as the Storm remained unbeaten (17-1, 10-0) in league play. Lauren Humphrey added 16 points and 13 rebounds. West Lincoln fell to 8-10, 5-5.
YADKIN VALLEY 2A/3A
South Stanly 55, Gray Stone Day 51
CATAWBA RIVER 1A/2A/3A
Jackson Day def. Bonnie Cone Academy, forfeit
Mountain Island Charter 55, Sugar Creek Charter 36: Kayla Fudge and Kennadie Nicholson each scored 14 for the Raptors (10-6, 6-4). The Wildcats slipped to 8-9, 6-5.
NONCONFERENCE
Carolina Day 54, Gaston Day 53
Friday’s #BIG5 girls’ top performers
Kiara Anderson, Mallard Creek: In a 62-38 win over Butler, Anderson had 27 points, a game high, plus three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Amani Barner, Myers Park: In a 46-35 win over Hough, Barner had 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. She passed the 1,000-point mark.
Jaleila Littlejohn, North Gaston: Littlejohn had a game-high 33 points in a 50-45 win over Forestview.
Kylie Riggenbach, Lincoln Charter: In a 58-22 win over Corvian Community, Riggenbach had an 11-point, 10-steal double-double.
Ally Smith and Lydia Cipriano, North Lincoln: The two players had 21 points each in a 74-43 win over East Lincoln. North Lincoln, No. 11 in the Sweet 16, improved to 15-4 and 10-1 in conference play. No. 14 East Lincoln fell to 15-4, 8-3.
Friday’s girls’ box scores
NO. 2 NORTH MECKLENBURG 73, INDEPENDENCE 4
North Meck 26 22 15 10 — 73
Independence 0 0 4 0 — 4
NORTH MECK 73 — Lenise Joseph 18, Newton 9, Jones 9, Blake, Lacy 7, Mobley 6, Spindle 5, Johnson 4, Knox 3, Trotter 2
INDEPENDENCE 4 — Green 4
Record: North Meck 16-2, 3-1
NO. 4 MALLARD CREEK 62, BUTLER 38
Mallard Creek 17 10 24 11 — 62
Butler 15 8 5 10 — 38
MALLARD CREEK 62 — Kiara Anderson 27, Hobbs 3, Young 7, McGuire 2, Jazmeen Stone 16, Smith 4, Faison 3
BUTLER 38 — Wesley 5, Park 3, Kordas 4, Campbell 4, Hannah Moss 11, Emerie Hegland 11
Notable: Senior Kiara Anderson finished with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. My’Asia Young finished with 16 points, and 2 rebounds.
Records: Mallard Creek 14-4, 3-0
NO. 5 PROVIDENCE DAY 39, CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 28
Providence Day 10 8 11 10 — 39
Christian 5 6 8 9 — 28
PROVIDENCE DAY 39 — Clark 8 Crayton 3 Shah 2 Demetriades 6 Carson 5 McHale 4 O’Malley 6 Stroud 5
CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 28 — K. Woods 11 Coles 7 Fair 4 Bellis 4 Clarke 2
Record: Providence Day 17-3
NO. 11 NORTH LINCOLN 74, NO. 14 EAST LINCOLN 43
North Lincoln 19 22 16 17 — 74
East Lincoln 12 8 12 11 — 43
NORTH LINCOLN 74 — Ally Smith 21, Lydia Cipriano 21, Addison Grice 16, Reese Burch 11, M. Black 2, A. Pruitt 2, A. Holder 2
EAST LINCOLN 43 — Lane Pethel 15, S. Dann 9, E. Montanari 6, M. Matz 6, K. Byus 3, R. Farr 2, B. Miller 2
Notable: East Lincoln’s Lane Pethel had 15 points, 10 rebounds. Emma Montanari had six points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block. Sidney Dann had nine points and eight rebounds.
North Lincoln (15-4, 10-1) next plays at Hickory on Jan. 27. East Lincoln (15-4, 8-3) next plays Bunker Hill on Jan. 27.
NO. 13 ARDREY KELL 61, EAST MECKLENBURG 22
ARDREY KELL 61 — Autumn Washington 17, Rhegan Kent 10, Turner 9, Mapp 6, Shelton 6, Keenan 4, Schettini 3, Adarkwah 2, Flynn 2, Hairston 2
EAST MECK 22 — Weisner 6, Darling 8, Davis 4, Jones 2, Delancy 2 Notable: Ardrey Kell (15-3, 4-0) won its ninth straight game and is off to its best start since the 2017-18 season.
NO. 16 LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 51, COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF DAVIDSON 44
LNC 9 15 4 24 — 51
CSD 9 8 10 17 — 44
LNC 51 — Abby Courtney 20, Reece Long 19, Maggie Kurz 6, Sam Colantonio 4, Grace Hart 2
CSD 44 — Parker 26, Tomko 8, Rounds 6, Ferruci 4
Records: LNC 16-1; Community School of Davidson 10-8
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 43, WEDDINGTON 38
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 43 — Mia Pisacano 14, Megan Shea 12, Dumler 8, Williams 3, Maino 3, Hoefling 2, Moran 1
WEDDINGTON 38 — Caroline Clark 17, Myra Ukwu 10, Kennard 6, Denton 5, Sitren 1
Records: Charlotte Catholic 9-10
CHARLOTTE LATIN 54, COUNTRY DAY 31
Charlotte Latin 9 13 14 18 — 54
Country Day 8 7 12 4 — 31
CHARLOTTE LATIN 54 — Lanie Edwards 14, Charlotte Tune 11, Mollie Snyder 16, McLaughlin 7, Hume 3, Martin 3
COUNTRY DAY 31 — Olive Bigham 12, Vanderhave 9, Starnes 7, Turner 3
HICKORY RIDGE 62, CENTRAL CABARRUS 37
Hickory Ridge 17 11 16 18 — 62
Central Cabarrus 9 4 16 8 — 37
HICKORY RIDGE 62 — Gidney 15, Ritter 12, Duley 10, Johnson 8, Harper 7, Cranford 6, Hamilton 4
CENTRAL CABARRUS 37 — Duncan 8, Rouse 6, Nix 5, Arevalo 5, Moss 4, Ebonah 3, Pickett 2, Grant 2, Fontana 2
Records: Hickory Ridge 10-4; Cox Mill 6-6
LINCOLN CHARTER 58, CORVIAN COMMUNITY 22
Lincoln Charter 18 28 10 2 — 58
Corvian 5 7 6 4 — 22
Lincoln Charter 58 — Taylor Riggenbach 18, Kylie Riggenbach 11, Claire David 11, Camryn David 9, Martha Guinle 5, Ellie Bananowski 2, Sabrina Smith 2
Corvian 22 — A. Kimble 6, Black 5, E. Johnson 3, P. Johnson 3, J. Kimble 3, Anderson 2
Records: Lincoln Charter 12-4, Corvian 1-10
Notes: Lincoln Charter’s Taylor Riggenbach continued her shooting streak with 18 points. Kylie Riggenbach added a double-double with 11 points and 10 steals. Lincoln Charter has a home conference game against Community School of Davidson on Tuesday.
MYERS PARK 46, HOUGH 35
Myers Park 11 5 13 17 — 46
Hough 12 0 13 10 — 35
MYERS PARK 46 — A. Barner 15 S. Thomason 12 Shaw 9 Reich 8 Christian 2
HOUGH 35 — K. Breault 10 B. Haines 10 O. Puskarich 8 A. Otto 3 B. Burnett K. Mobley 2
Records: Myers Park 13-5 (4-0) ; Hough 9-8 (2-2)
Notable: Amani Barner surpassed 1,000 career points with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Summer Thomason had 12 points, three rebounds and Arianna Shaw added nine points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
NORTH GASTON 50, FORESTVIEW 45
North Gaston 8 18 15 10 — 50
Forestview 8 7 9 14 — 45
NORTH GASTON 50 — Jaleila Littlejohn 33, Thomas 7, Symonds 4, Cathcart 3, Jackson 2, Whitlock 2
FORESTVIEW 45 — Amani Neely 17 Iyevbele 9, Williams 1, Potter 3
Records: North Gaston 9-8 (3-4) Forestview 2-15 (1-6)
PROVIDENCE 89 BALLANTYNE RIDGE 71
Providence 26 25 20 18 —89
Ballantyne Ridge 14 17 14 26 — 71
PROVIDENCE 89 — A. Detenber 32, J. Skinner 7, M.Whitten 4, E. Fuller 18, A.Fillow 12, E.Stafford 6, C Broadway 10
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 71 — K. Dudson 2, J. Brown 6, C. Glohan 8, N. Agbewali 3, N. Chando 6, E. Aklilu 3, S. Simko 12, M. Franklin 6, E. Dodds 12, G. Love 4
Records: Providence 12-5; Ballantyne Ridge 8-10
Notable: Providence’s Avery Detenber had a career-high 32 points to go with 8 assists, 5 steals. Emma Fuller had a double-double 18 points, 13 rebounds, along with 5 blocks. Julia Skinner had 8 assists, and Corinne Broadway had 7 rebounds.
WEST CABARRUS 57, BERRY 25
West Cabarrus 17 16 17 7 — 57 Phillip O’Berry 10 2 7 6 — 25
WEST CABARRUS 57 — Jillian Simmons 14, London Griffin 12, Shariah White 11 Warner 7, Silas 6, Parks 4, Brown 3
BERRY 25 Annabella Hall 15, Anderson 1, B. Miller 6, J. Miller 4
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 9:06 PM.
