Thursday’s boys’ rewind: Providence stays hot, upsets No. 15 East Meck
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Providence was 2-7 after Dec. 27 and has won 10 of last 11, tied for lead.
- Freshman Caron Powell 21; junior Liam Drayton 17 in 54-38 win.
- Coach Nick Boney, in his fourth year, is finally achieving success with Providence.
The Providence High boys’ basketball team had a 2-7 record after losing by 16 points on Dec. 27 in the first round of the Ardrey Kell Holiday Classic.
It looked like yet another losing season was ahead for a Panthers program that had not posted a winning record in 16 years.
But coach Nick Boney’s team has caught fire.
Providence is 10-1 since that late December loss, and the Panthers added to their surge Thursday night by beating visiting East Mecklenburg 54-38.
With the victory, the Panthers (12-8, 6-1) moved into a first-place tie in the Southwestern 7A/8A with East Meck (14-8, 6-1).
The game was a lot closer than the score indicates.
The Eagles led 27-25 at halftime, but Providence opened the third quarter by going on a 7-0 run.
Then East Mecklenburg went on a 7-0 run of its own, taking a 34-32 lead.
Providence’s Caron Powell, a 5-9 freshman guard, connected on a 3-pointer, putting the Panthers up 35-34. After that, it was all Providence.
The Panthers outscored the Eagles 19-4 over the closing seven minutes and gained a share of the conference lead.
Providence’s last winning team was in the 2009-10 season, when the Panthers went 18-10. Since then, it’s been a series of losing campaigns. A pair of the area’s top coaches, Myron Lowery and Scott Taylor, were unable to turn things around.
Boney, who arrived from Union Pines High four years ago, finally is achieving success with the Panthers.
Powell has been a key player. He had a game-high 21 points Thursday night, and 7-7 junior Liam Drayton added 17.
Braylen Caldwell, a senior guard, led East Mecklenburg with 16.
Quick links
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Thursday’s #BIG5 boys’ top performers
Emory Chaney, Charlotte Latin: Hawks freshman had a team-high 26 points in an 84-74 win over Cannon School.
Tre Jefferson, Weddington: In a 64-59 win over Cuthbertson, Jefferson had a game-high 20 points.
Judah King, Ambassador Christian: In a 64-60 win over Independence, King had a game-high 22 points.
Amari Melton, Forest Hills: Melton had a game-high 26 points in a 72-66 win over Mount Pleasant. Melton now has 1,203 career points, good for third all-time in school history.
Thomas Vickery, Myers Park: In a 76-41 win over South Meck, Vickery had a game-high 26 points.Thursday
Thursday’s boys’ roundup
Playing before a full house in the opponent’s gym didn’t stop 11th-ranked Myers Park on Thursday night.
The Mustangs bolted to a 34-20 halftime lead and trounced South Mecklenburg 76-41 in a Greater Charlotte 7A/8A boys’ basketball game.
The victory kept the Mustangs (14-6, 5-1) in first place by a game over Hough.
Thomas Vickey had a big night for Myers Park, scoring 26 points. Ayo Awosanya added 14 points, and Cash Hall had 13.
South Mecklenburg (9-11, 3-3) got 15 points from Jim Gatehouse.
SOUTHWESTERN 7A/8A
Ardrey Kell 72, Rocky River 56: Dylan Morrison scored 15 points and Braden Suggs added 14 for the visiting Knights (16-5, 4-3). Jason Riley’s nine points led the Ravens (8-15, 1-6).
Palisades 60, Ballantyne Ridge 50: Palisades (8-13, 2-5) held a narrow 48-45 lead with three minutes left, then went on a 12-0 run. Ballantyne Ridge fell to 9-12, 2-5.
CISAA
Charlotte Latin 84, Cannon School 74: The host Hawks (16-8, 4-3) raced to a 51-30 halftime lead and coasted. Freshman Emory Chaney poured in 26 points, and Alex Dauska added 19. Sean Nix had a game-high 29 points for Cannon School (12-12, 5-2), which fell two games behind Providence Day with three conference games left. D.J. Rogers added 18 points for the Cougars.
GREATER METRO 6A/7A
Berry Academy 74, Harding 56
SOUTHERN CAROLINA 6A/7A
No. 9 Charlotte Catholic 71, Sun Valley 56: The Cougars (18-3, 9-0) prepped for Friday’s big game at Marvin Ridge, as Mack Jordan scored 19 points and added 10 assists. Jack Siegel scored 15 for the Cougars. Sun Valley slipped to 9-12, 2-7.
Weddington 64, Cuthbertson 59: The host Warriors (14-8, 6-4) broke a 42-all third-quarter tie, as Tre Jefferson scored 20 points and Brandon Barbier added 14. Grady Webb (14) and Chase Nali (13) led the Cavaliers (14-9, 5-5).
ROCKY RIVER 4A/5A
Forest Hills 72, Mount Pleasant 66: Amari Melton scored 25 points and became the No. 3 all-time scorer at Forest Hills. He has 1,203 points in his career. The Yellow Jackets (14-6, 7-1), who remained a game ahead of Parkwood for the league lead, also got 11 points from Landon Blakely.
Cooper Perkins had a huge night for Mount Pleasant (12-8, 6-3), scoring 37 points.
Parkwood 80, Anson County 52
CATAWBA SHORES 2A/3A/4A
Christ the King 67, Corvian Community 66: Cooper Ryan (15 points) and Thomas Semmler (14) led the visiting Crusaders (10-9, 8-3). Braylon Gray scored 20 for Corvian (4-16, 4-7).
Community School of Davidson 80, Bradford Prep 48
Lake Norman Charter 80, Langtree Charter 65: Five players scored in double figures for the host Knights (11-9, 7-4), with Kam Davis and Cam Roberts (each with 17) leading the way. Colin McConneyhead added 15. Langtree Charter fell to 2-16, 0-11.
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 2A/3A/4A Lincolnton 59, East Gaston 38: Josiah Guyton scored 14 points in the Wolves’ (14-7, 10-3) romp. East Gaston is 5-16, 3-10.
Shelby 77, West Lincoln 41
Stuart Cramer 69, Highland Tech 41: Gavin Jordan had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Storm (11-9, 7-6). Kingston Womack, Kaiden Dye and Makhi Brown each added 10 points, and Tahj Whitley had 13 rebounds. Highland Tech fell to 6-17, 3-11.
NONCONFERENCE
Ambassador Christian 64, Independence 60: The visiting Lions (14-11) won for the ninth time in 10 games, with Judah King (22 points) leading the way. King Rhodes scored 14 points for the Patriots (11-9).
Arborbrook Christian 73, Socrates Academy 48
Lab Univ. Prep 76, Combine Regional 61
Legion Collegiate (SC) 77, South Charlotte 73
Metrolina Christian 61, Lee Park Prep 42: Malachi Wilson’s 19 points and Rickey Torrence’s 17 points carried Metrolina (18-8). Isaac Watkins scored 18 for Lee Park Prep (9-8).
Thursday’s boys’ box scores
NO. 11 MYERS PARK 76, SOUTH MECKLENBURG 41
South Meck 12 8 14 7 — 41
Myers Park 17 17 24 18 — 76
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 41 — J. Gatehouse 15, B. Houpt 7, C. Yett 5
MYERS PARK 76 — Vivkery 26, Awousana 14, Hall 13
PROVIDENCE 54, NO. 15 EAST MECKLENBURG 38
Providence 13 12 14 15 — 54
East Meck 13 14 7 4 — 38
PROVIDENCE 54 — Powell 21, Drayton 17 Sweet 5, Hodgson 5, Gaither 3, Desabrielle 3
EAST MECK 38 — Caldwell 16, Wright 9 , Buzzard 9, Ruff 2, Boswell 2
Notable: Providence has won 10 of its last 11 games and is now tied for first in the conference.
AMBASSADOR CHRISTIAN 64, INDEPENDENCE 60
Ambassador 20 13 10 21 — 64
Independence 13 11 18 17 — 60
AMBASSADOR 64 — Judah King 22, Nick Haney 10, RJ Moore 12, Miller 8, Franklin 6, Kelly 4
INDEPENDENCE 60 — King Rhodes 14, Fike 9, Neely 9, Macharia 8, Black 8, McFarland 6, Fisher 4, Jones 1 Records: Ambassador Christian 14-11; Independence 11-9
ARDREY KELL 72, ROCKY RIVER 46
Ardrey Kell 20 16 18 18 — 72
Rocky River 12 8 10 16 — 46
ARDREY KELL 72 — Dylan Morrison 15, Braden Suggs 14, Donnie Jones 12, Jeremiah Jones 8, Matthew Craft 7, Asa Nelson 4, Jayden Washington 3, Ben Burhans 3, Cole Stankavage 2, Carson Williams 2, Ethan Gramaglia 1, Shyam Jobanputra 1
ROCKY RIVER 46 — V Cunningham 2, Jordan 5, Linton 2, Reels 4, Riley 9, George 2, K Cunningham 6, Petty 7
Records: Ardrey Kell 16-5, 4-3
CHARLOTTE LATIN 84, CANNON SCHOOL 74
Cannon 17 13 19 25 — 74
Charlotte Latin 27 24 11 22— 84
CANNON SCHOOL 74 — Sean Nix 29, DJ Rogers 18, Carter Lowery 12, Brezeault 6, Weaks 5, Mikell 2
CHARLOTTE LATIN 84 — Emory Chaney 26, Alex Dauska 19, Noah Diaz 13, Tommy White 12, Warren 4, Spicer 3, Smith 2, Chapman 2, Latta 2, Wilson 1
Records: Cannon 12-12, 5-2 Latin 16-8, 4-3
CHRIST THE KING 67, CORVIAN COMMUNITY 66
Christ The King 14 9 17 18 9 — 67
Corvian Community 13 13 13 19 8 — 66 CTK 67 — Cooper Ryan 15, Ty Gorman 10, Walsh 2, Phillips 8, Sean Gere 15, Noonan 1, Tolsher 2, Thomas Semmler 14
CORVIAN 66 — Cook 2, Zion Edwards 17, Spaulding 7, Braylon Gray 20, Garvin 6
FOREST HILLS 72, MOUNT PLEASANT 66
Forest Hills 22 14 16 20—72
Mount Pleasant 9 17 11 29—66
FOREST HILLS 72 — K.J Chambers 9, Landon Blakeney 11, Truth Rorie 9, Makhi Massey 8 Amari Melton 26, Simeon Parker 2, T.J Parker 7
MOUNT PLEASANT 66 — Landon Barringer 2, Cayden Smith 13, Cooper Perkins 37, Griffin Glenn 2, Noah Allred 8
Notable: Amari Melton became the third all-time leading scorer at Forest Hills. He now has 1,203 total points.
LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 80, LANGTREE CHARTER 65
LNC - 18 12 30 20 — 80
Langtree - 10 11 15 29 — 65
LNC 80 — Kam Davis 17, Cam Roberts 17, Collin McConneyhead 15, Alex Massey 11, Bennett Love 10, Drew Nelson 4, Isaiah Carter 2, Jake Wozniak 2, Justin Massey 1, Blake Frierson 1
Notable: LNC improves to 11-9 (6-4) and will host Corvian Community at 7:30 Friday.
LINCOLNTON 59, EAST GASTON 38
Lincolnton 13 13 17 16 — 59
E. Gaston 11 14 6 7 — 38
LINCOLNTON 59 — Josiah Guyton 14, Nehemiah Thompson 9, Zymarion Jackson 8, Messiah Thompson 8, Cameron Smith 6, Joel Cortez 4, Tucker Robinette 4, Tra’Shad Lineberger 3, Dailen Adams 3
Records: Lincolnton 14-7; East Gaston 5-16
Next game: Lincolnton will travel to Highland Tech on Feb. 10 for a conference matchup.
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 61, LEE PARK PREP 42
MCA 9 22 12 18 — 61
LPPS 8 12 17 5 — 42
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 61 — Malachi Wilson 19, Rickey Torrence 17, Depp 9, Gadd 8, Price 2, Davis 2
LEE PARK PREP 42 — Isaac Watkins 18, Aiden Arant 11, O’Donoghue 8, Albertyn 2, Griffin 2, Shumard 1
Records: MCA 19-8; LPPS 9-8
Notable: Metrolina Christian plays at Concord Academy on at 7 p.m. Friday.
WEDDINGTON 64, CUTHBERTSON 59
Cuthbertson 16 12 14 17 — 59
Weddington 11 18 13 22 — 64
CUTHBERTSON 59 — Grady Webb 14, Ethan Nelson 12, Chase Nali 13, Braylen Cheek 10 WEDDINGTON 64 — Tre Jefferson 20, Brandon Barbier 14, Tyler Cain 9, Jake Ford 9, Max Muteb 8, Max Werdan 4
Records: Cuthbertson 14-9; Weddington 14-8
Upcoming schedule
Friday
Greater Charlotte 7A/8A
Hopewell at Garinger
Hough at South Mecklenburg
West Mecklenburg at Myers Park
Meck Power Six 7A/8A
Butler at West Charlotte
Independence at Mallard Creek
North Mecklenburg at Chambers
Southwestern 7A/8A
Ballantyne Ridge at Ardrey Kell
Palisades at Providence
Rocky River at East Mecklenburg
CISAA
Charlotte Country Day at Charlotte Christian (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
Charlotte Latin at Covenant Day (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
Providence Day at Cannon School (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
Greater Metro 6A/7A
Central Cabarrus at Berry Academy
Harding at Olympic
Hickory Ridge at A.L. Brown
West Cabarrus at Cox Mill
North Piedmont 6A/7A
Davie County at Mooresville
North Iredell at Lake Norman
Statesville at South Iredell
Southern Carolina 6A/7A
Charlotte Catholic at Marvin Ridge
Sun Valley at Piedmont
Weddington at Porter Ridge
Big South 5A/6A
Ashbrook at Kings Mountain
Hunter Huss at Crest
North Gaston at South Point
Rocky River 4A/5A
Central Academy at Forest Hills
Parkwood at Monroe
West Stanly at Anson County
South Piedmont 4A/5A
Concord at Salisbury
East Rowan at South Rowan
Jesse Carson at Jay M. Robinson
West Rowan at Northwest Cabarrus
Western Foothills 4A/5A
Bandys at Maiden
Bunker Hill at Fred T. Foard
East Lincoln at Hickory
West Iredell at Newton-Conover
Metrolina Athletic
Gaston Christian at Westminster Catawba (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
Metrolina Christian at Concord Academy (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
SouthLake Christian at Gaston Day (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
Catawba Shores 2A/3A/4A
Bradford Prep at Lake Norman Charter
Community School of Davidson at Christ the King
Corvian Community at Lake Norman Charter
Pine Lake Prep at Langtree Charter
Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A
Bessemer City at Shelby
Highland Tech at Burns
Stuart Cramer at Cherryville
West Lincoln at East Gaston
Yadkin Valley 2A/3A
Albemarle at Gray Stone Day
North Stanly at North Rowan
Union Academy at South Stanly
Catawba River 1A/2A/3A
Carolina International at Jackson Day
Mountain Island Charter at N.C. School of Science & Math/Morganton
Sugar Creek Charter at Piedmont Community Charter
Thomas Jefferson Academy at Queen’s Grant Charter
Nonconference
Cabarrus Stallions at Surry Home School
Carmel Christian at Ambassador Christian (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
Covenant Classical at South Charlotte Thunder
High Point Christian at Davidson Day (boys), 6 p.m.
Saturday
Well Invitational (boys)
(at Hopewell High)
West Mecklenburg vs. Corvian Community, noon
Victory Christian vs. Westminster Catawba, 1:30 p.m.
Harding vs. Jay M. Robinson, 3 p.m.
West Charlotte vs. Ambassador Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Greater Metro 6A/7A
A.L. Brown at Central Cabarrus (girls, noon; boys, 1:30 p.m.)
Olympic at West Cabarrus (girls, 1:30 p.m.; boys, 3 p.m.)
Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A
West Lincoln at Shelby
Nonconference
Bessemer City at Kings Mountain
Hickory Grove Christian at Lee Park Prep
Oak Hill Regional at Elevation Prep (boys)
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 11:11 PM.
