Friday’s girls’ rewind: Cannon School makes statement in blowout of Providence Day
Cannon School made a very big statement Friday night.
The Cougars, No. 7 in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, beat No. 9 Providence Day in a manner that should send shockwaves through the N.C. private school ranks.
Cannon won, 75-29, easily handling the team that most observers thought would be the biggest challenger to the Cougars winning a third straight state title and a fourth in six years.
Cannon led 16-6 after the first quarter and simply it turned it on after that, with a burst that included outscoring Providence Day (20-5, 6-2 CISAA) by 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Cannon improved to 20-6 overall and 8-0 in CISAA play. Technically the win gives Cannon at least a share of the league title since it has two regular-season and conference games to play.
On Friday, Jaiden Thompson (18 points), Brooke Busby (17) and Jakaila Gaskin (12) powered the Cougars’ attack, which included a stifling defense.
No Providence Day player scored more than Ginny Anne Dumont’s 8.
Photos: West Meck girls at Myers Park
West Mecklenburg played a conference game at Myers Park on Friday. Photos by Jeff Siner, jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Friday’s #BIG5 girls’ top performers
NyKira Arrington, South Meck: In a 68-28 win over Hough, Arrington had 12 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
Jaiden Thompson, Cannon School: Thompson had a team-high 18 points in a shocking blowout of rival Providence Day in the de facto CISAA conference championship game.
Emma Fuller, Providence: In a 72-41 win over Palisades, Fuller had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Ma-Kaela Gidney, Hickory Ridge: In a 60-18 win over AL Brown, Gidney scored a game-high 14 points, and topped the 1,500-point mark for her career.
Imani Shelton, Autumn Washington, Ardrey Kell: The Knights’ stars combined for 45 points in an 87-52 win over Ballantyne Ridge.
Friday’s girls’ roundup
Ardrey Kell and Providence both scored lopsided victories Friday night as they head for a potential first-place showdown on the final night of the regular season.
Ardrey Kell, the No. 11 team in this week’s Observer Sweet 16 rankings, rolled over visiting Ballantyne Ridge 87-52.
Meanwhile, Providence trounced visiting Palisades 72-41.
At the end of the night, Ardrey Kell leads the Southwestern 7A/8A with an 8-0 record. Providence, which lost to the Knights last month, is 7-1. The teams meet next Friday at Ardrey Kell.
The Knights (19-3, 8-0) got 23 points from Imani Shelton and 22 from Autumn Washington. Natanya Chando scored 13 for Ballantyne Ridge (11-11, 4-4), which entered the game with a three-game winning streak.
At Providence, the Panthers (15-6, 7-1) got a big game from Emma Fuller, who scored 20 points and added 14 rebounds and six blocks. Anna Fillnow had 17 points and seven assists, and Avery Detenber had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
Jala Jones led Palisades (8-12, 2-6) with 13 points.
GREATER CHARLOTTE 7A/8A
No. 13 South Mecklenburg 68, Hough 28: K.B. Brown’s 16 points led the host Sabres (17-4, 7-0) past the Huskies (11-9, 4-3). Kate Kendrick and Nykira Arrington each added 12 points for South Meck. Olivia Puskarish had eight points for Hough (11-9, 4-3).
MECK POWER SIX 7A/8A
No. 4 Mallard Creek 92, Independence 9: My’Asia Young scored 20 points, and 11 teammates got in the scoring column for the Mavericks (16-5, 6-1). Loliah Smith scored 12 points. Independence is 4-17, 0-7.
No. 2 North Mecklenburg 60, Chambers 34: The Vikings (19-2, 6-1) raced to a 23-6 first-quarter lead and coasted past the Cougars (9-12, 2-5).
CISAA
Charlotte Country Day 58, Charlotte Christian 27
Charlotte Latin 60, Covenant Day 26: Charlotte Tune scored 20 points and Lanie Edwards added 16 for the Hawks (20-5, 5-3). Latin blew the game open by outscoring the Lions 21-6 in the second quarter. Avery Houseton led Covenant Day (9-13, 2-6) with 13 points.
GREATER METRO 6A/7A
Central Cabarrus 52, Berry Academy 20: Lilly Rouse and Jahnae Duncan each scored 13 in the Vikings’ (13-8, 6-5) romp. Laila Pickett added 12 points. Berry Academy fell to 4-11, 2-8.
Harding 38, Olympic 29
Hickory Ridge 60, A.L. Brown 16: The first-place Ragin’ Bulls (16-4, 10-0) were led by Ma-Kaela Gidney, who scored 14 points and passed the 1,500-point mark for her career. Aubrey Cranford added 12 points. The host Wonders fell to 9-10, 5-5.
West Cabarrus 51, Cox Mill 40: Aubrey Silas’ 19 points led the Wolverines (14-6, 8-2) past the Chargers (12-8, 8-3) in a battle for second place. Olivia Woodrich topped Cox Mill with 14 points.
NORTH PIEDMONT 6A/7A
Davie County 69, Mooresville 57: Zion Harvell scored 21 points and Gia Lowe added 12, but the Blue Devils (3-14, 0-5) were outscored 44-22 in the second half. Davie County is 11-7, 3-2.
No. 1 Lake Norman 67, North Iredell 23: These teams were playing for the first time in two weeks, due to weather-caused postponements. Lake Norman is 14-1, 5-0, while North Iredell fell to 14-6, 3-2.
SOUTHERN CAROLINA 6A/7A
No. 5 Marvin Ridge 54, Charlotte Catholic 31
Piedmont 59, Sun Valley 14
No. 6 Porter Ridge 62, Weddington 50
BIG SOUTH 5A/6A
Hunter Huss 70, Crest 44: The Huskies (14-5, 10-0) clinched this one with a 9-0 run in the third quarter. Crest is 4-9, 4-5.
Kings Mountain 47, Ashbrook 39: Arianna McDowell’s free throw with one minute left allowed Ashbrook (8-9, 4-5) to narrow Kings Mountain’s lead to 42-38, but the Mountaineers (7-12, 4-4) pulled away for the win.
South Point 53, North Gaston 45: Ja’Nyiah Bittle had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Rowen Traxler added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Raiders (6-13, 5-3). North Gaston (9-11, 3-7) led 37-25 after three quarters, but South Point outscored the Warriors 28-8 in the fourth period.
ROCKY RIVER 4A/5A
Forest Hills 49, Central Academy 19: The league-leading Yellow Jackets (16-4, 9-0) led 19-0 after the first quarter and 39-1 at halftime over CATA (5-8, 2-7).
Monroe 59, Parkwood 45
SOUTH PIEDMONT 4A/5A
Jesse Carson 45, Jay M. Robinson 37: S’Raiyah Rucker scored 11 points, and Alyric O’Neal had 10 points and five steals for Robinson (4-13, 2-7). The Chargers improved to 8-8, 5-4.
Northwest Cabarrus 62, West Rowan 54: The Trojans (15-4, 8-1) pulled off the upset of the season in the conference, handing the Falcons (17-1, 8-1) their first loss.
Salisbury 68, Concord 44: The Hornets (7-8, 6-3) kept the Spiders winless (0-16, 0-8) behind 15 points from Dazmin Ambers.
WESTERN FOOTHILLS 4A/5A
No. 15 East Lincoln 50, Hickory 40: Emma Montaeri had 16 points, five assists and six steals for the Mustangs (16-4, 9-3). Lane Pethel totaled 12 points and 15 rebounds. East Lincoln outscored Hickory (14-5, 8-4) 28-12 in the middle two quarters.
Fred T. Foard 56, Bunker Hill 28
METROLINA ATHLETIC
No. 12 Concord Academy 75, Metrolina Christian 12: Jayla Brower’s 20 points led the Eagles (21-7, 10-0) over the Warriors (11-11, 4-5). Justice Alexander added 16 points for Concord Academy.
Gaston Day 50, SouthLake Christian 45
CATAWBA SHORES 2A/3A/4A
Christ the King 52, Community School of Davidson 46
Lake Norman Charter 65, Corvian Community 22: Reece Lane scored 23 points, and Maggie Kurz (12 points) and Sam Colantonio (10) also scored in double figures for the Knights (20-1, 11-1). Braden Johnson led Corvian (2-13, 2-10) with 10 points.
Lincoln Charter 64, Bradford Prep 22: Kylie Riggenbach’s 21 points paced Lincoln Charter (15-4, 11-0), which remained atop the conference standings. Taylor Riggenbach scored nine points and didn’t play after halftime. Bradford Prep is 9-12, 4-8.
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 2A/3A/4A
No. 8 Stuart Cramer 92, Cherryville 24: Oshauna Holland totaled 44 points, eight assists and six steals, and the Storm (21-1, 14-0) clinched at least a tie for the regular-season conference championship. Lauren Humphrey added 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Cherryville is 3-17, 1-12.
West Lincoln 58, East Gaston 40: West Lincoln (10-11, 7-6) led only 15-14 after the first quarter but outscored East Gaston (1-17, 1-10) 19-2 in the second quarter.
YADKIN VALLEY 2A/3A
North Stanly 46, North Rowan 33
South Stanly 52, Union Academy 49 (OT): Laney Hildreth led Union Academy (6-10, 2-4) with 16 points. South Stanly improved to 5-12, 4-3.
CATAWBA RIVER 1A/2A/3A
Mountain Island Charter 55, N.C. School of Science & Math/Morganton 16: The Raptors (12-7, 8-6) crushed the Dragons (3-12, 2-9) behind 14 points from Tarriah Washington and 12 from Aubrey Brown.
Piedmont Community Charter 48, Sugar Creek Charter 36
No. 3 Queen’s Grant Charter 60, Thomas Jefferson Academy 20: The Stallions (21-3, 12-0) swamped the Gryphons (16-4, 11-2) in a battle for first place. Za’Miya Bynum scored 22 points for Queen’s Grant, and Misa Garris added 18.
NONCONFERENCE
Carolina Day 54, Davidson Day 40
Hickory Grove Christian 70, Northpointe Christian 14: Lauren Feaster (14 points, four steals), Lilah Abbott (14 points, eight rebounds) and Alex Duddleston (10 rebounds) led the Lions (13-6).
Friday’s girls’ box scores
(Includes Observer Sweet 16 rankings)
NO. 3 QUEEN’S GRANT 60, THOMAS JEFFERSON 26
Queen’s Grant 18 24 17 1 — 60
Thomas Jefferson 5 13 4 4 — 26
QUEEN’S GRANT 60 — Za’Miya Bynum 22, Misa Garris 18, Hicks 8, Wilson 8, Smith 3
THOMAS JEFFERSON 26 — Samara Jones 11, S. Hargro 9, Waugh 4, A. Hargro 2
Notable: For Queen’s Grant, Za’Miya Bynum scored 22 points, to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks while Misa Garris added 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 steals to help with the win.
Records: Queen’s Grant: 21-3, 12-0; Thomas Jefferson: 16-4, 11-2
NO. 4 MALLARD CREEK 92, INDEPENDENCE 9
Mallard Creek 29 24 25 14 — 92
Independence 2 1 3 3 — 9
MALLARD CREEK 92 — Kiara Anderson 10, My’Asia Young 20, Hobbs 5, McGuire 2, Jazmeen Stone 11, Campbell 4, Easterling 4, Tendall 4, Loliah Smith 12 Karpeh 8, Faison 6, Gomillion 6
INDEPENDENCE 9 — Gatling 1, Green 6, Brandon 2
Notable: My’Asia Young finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Loliah Smith finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Records: Mallard Creek 16-5 overall, League 6-1
NO. 6 PORTER RIDGE 62, WEDDINGTON 50
WEDDINGTON 50 — Caroline Clark 18, Myra Ukwu 9, Bella Denton 8
NO. 7 CANNON SCHOOL 75, NO. 9 PROVIDENCE DAY 29
Cannon School 16 25 16 22 — 75
Providence Day 6 13 8 2 — 29
CANNON SCHOOL 75 — Jakaila Gaskin 12, C. Larkins 4, Cashwell 2, Love 6, Truesdale 2, Turner 3, Nakamura 9, Brooke Busby 17, Jaiden Thompson 18
PROVIDENCE DAY 29 — Dumont 8, Mcclure 3, Colazzi 2, Updyke 4, Crayton 4, Ramsden 6
Records: Cannon School 20-6; Providence Day 20-5
NO. 11 ARDREY KELL 87, BALLANTYNE RIDGE 52
ARDREY KELL 87 — Imani Shelton 23, Autumn Washington 22, Layla Mapp 10, Turner 9, Adarkwah 8, Kennan 6, Veal 5, Flynn 2, Kent 2
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 52 — Dodson 7, Brown 2, Agbewali 3, Chandon 13, Dodds 7, Simko 6, Franklin 10, Glahn 3, House 2
Record: Ardrey Kell 19-3, 8-0
NO. 12 CONCORD ACADEMY 75, METROLINA CHRISTIAN 12
Concord Academy 23 20 12 20 — 75
Metrolina Christian 7 0 2 3 — 12
CONCORD ACADEMY 75 — Jayla Brower 20, Justice Alexander 16, Jada Powell 12, Victorian Collins 11, Taylor Smith 8, Janiyah Fomond 4, Ava McDermott 2, Quinn Hicks 2
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 12 — Ella Lederer 6, Maddie Fullwood 2, Alaina Griffin 2, Audrey Van Zutphen 1, Hayden Goodwin 1
Notable: Concord Academy (21-7) next game Feb. 10 at Hickory Grove; Metrolina Christian (11-11) next game Feb. 9 vs. Gaston Day
NO. 13 SOUTH MECKLENBURG 68, HOUGH 28
South Meck 26 21 14 7— 68
Hough 6 14 7 1 — 28
SOUTH MECK 68— KB Brown 16, Kendrick 12, Arrington 12
HOUGH 28 —Olivia Puskarish 8
Records: South Meck 17-4 ; Hough 11-9
Notable: South Meck’s KB Brown led all scorers with 16 points and 5 steals. NyKira Arrington recorded her second straight double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds to go along with 4 steals and 5 assists. Kate Kendrick made 4 threes to finish with 12 points.
NO. 15 EAST LINCOLN 50, HICKORY 40
East Lincoln 7 17 11 15 — 50
Hickory 12 8 4 16 — 40
EAST LINCOLN 50 — Emma Montanari 16, Lane Pethel 12, Malena Arndt 10, M. Matz 4, S. Dann 3, K. Byus 3, B. Miller 2
HICKORY 40 — Aubrey Gibbs 23, Emmi Gambill 10, A. Powell 4, Z. Robinson 2, E. Bridges 1
Noteable: East Lincoln’s Lane Pethel had her eighth double-double of the year (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Emma Montanari finished with 16 points, 6 steals, 5 assists, 2 rebounds and a block.
Records: ELHS: (16-4, 9-3) Next Game vs Maiden 2/1026; HHS: (14-5, 8-4) Next Game vs North Lincoln 2/11/26
CENTRAL CABARRUS 52, BERRY 20
CCHS 13 16 11 12 — 52
POB: 4 3 8 5 — 20
CENTRAL CABARRUS 52 — Lilly Rouse 13, Jahnae Duncan 13, Laila Pickett 12, Arévalo 6, Moss 6, Grant 2
BERRY 20 — Miller 8, Galand 4, Cooper 2
CHARLOTTE LATIN 60, COVENANT DAY 26
Charlotte Latin 14 21 10 16— 60
Covenant Day 7 6 6 7 — 26
CHARLOTTE LATIN 60 — Lanie Edwards 16, Charlotte Tune 20, Claire Martin 17, Snyder 3, Hutchinson 2, Webb 2
COVENANT DAY 26— Avery Houston 13, Hall 7, Jones 2, Allen 2, Van Der Schaff 2
HICKORY RIDGE 60, AL BROWN 18
Hickory Ridge 20 21 13 6 — 60
AL Brown 4 5 2 7 — 18
HICKORY RIDGE 60 — Gidney 14, Cranford 12, Duley 10, Ritter 7, McCullough 6, Johnson 5, Hamilton 4, Harper 2
A.L. BROWN 18 — Massey 5, Gray 5, Buster 3, Campbell 2, Perry 2, Goode Roberts 1
Notable: Ma-Kaela Gidney scored her 1,500th point and led the Ragin’ Bulls with 14 points. Aubrey Cranford added 12 points and Miranda Duley added 10.
Records: Hickory Ridge 16-4; A. L. Brown 9-10
LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 65, CORVIAN 22
LNC 26 17 14 8 — 65
CCC 4 9 5 4 — 22
LNC 65 — Reece Long 23, Maggie Kurz 12, Sam Colantonio 10, Abby Courtney 6, Grace Hart 4, Emma Nelson 4, Aiyana Montgomery 4, Corynn Keck 2
CORVIAN 22 — Johnson 10, Kimble 9, Malik 3
Records: LNC 20-1; Corvian 2-13
LINCOLN CHARTER 64, BRADFORD PREP 22
Bradford Prep 7 3 7 5 — 22
Lincoln Charter 22 25 7 10 — 64
BRADFORD PREP 22 — Jones 6, Freberg 4, Brissaeux 4, P. Clark 3, Wesley 2, B. Clark 2
LCHS 64 — Kylie Riggenbach 21, Taylor Riggenbach 9, Sabrina Smith 7, Camryn David 7, Martha Guinle 5, Claire David 4, Abby Wrenn 4, Ellie Bananowski 2, Kylie Snow 2, Halle Bowman 2, Madalyn Westmoreland 1
Records: BPHS 9-12, LCHS 15-4
Notable: LCHS got a conference win. Kylie Riggenbach led the way with 21 points. Taylor Riggenbach added 9 points (playing just one half). Sophomore Sabrina Smith had her LCHS career high with 7 points. LCHS’s next game is an away conference game vs. Christ The King on Feb. 10.
PROVIDENCE 72, PALISADES 41
Providence 16 10 26 20 —72
Palisades 11 5 11 14— 41
PROVIDENCE 72 — A. Detenber 13, M.Whitten 2, E. Fuller 20, A.Fillow 17, E.Stafford 11, L. Stockwell 4, C Broadway 2, D. Mann 3
PALISADES 41 — R Jackson 4, E. Macho 6, J. Asbourne 5, J. Jones 13, L. Moore 2, B. Young 11
Records: Providence 15-6; Palisades 8-12
Notable: Providence’s Emma Fuller had a double-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks. Avery Detenber had a double-double with 13 points, 10 assists. Elliott Stafford had 11 points and 7 rebounds; Anna Fillnow had 7 assists to go with 17 points.
SOUTH POINT 53, NORTH GASTON 43
South Point 9 4 12 28 — 53
North Gaston 12 9 16 6 — 43
SOUTH POINT 53 — J. Bittle 19, R. Trexler 15, J. Watkins 11, K. Hardin 6, L. ElAsmar 2
NORTH GASTON 43 — J. Littlejohn 31, N. Felix 8, G. Hall 4 Notable: Ja’Nyiah Bittle and Rowen Trexler both recorded double doubles with 13 points, 11 rebounds each
Record: South Point 6-13, 5-3
WEST CABARRUS 51, COX MILL 40
West Cabarrus 8 15 16 12 — 51
Cox Mill 7 13 12 8 — 40
WEST CABARRUS 51 — Aubrey Silas 19, Shariah White 14, Simmons 8, Griffin 4, Brown 4, Hayes 2
COX MILL 40 — Olivia Woodrich 14, Maddie Alexander 13, Jones-Jackson 3 Holmes 2, Radock 8,
Saturday’s schedule
Well Invitational (boys)
(at Hopewell High)
West Mecklenburg vs. Corvian Community, noon
Victory Christian vs. Westminster Catawba, 1:30 p.m.
Harding vs. TBA, 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.)
South Piedmont 4A/5A
East Rowan at Jay M. Robinson (girls, noon; boys, 1:30 p.m.)
Jesse Carson at Salisbury (girls, 11 a.m.; boys, 12:30 p.m.)
Northwest Cabarrus at South Rowan (girls, 11 a.m.; boys, 12:30 p.m.)
West Rowan at Concord (girls, noon; boys, 1:30 p.m.)
Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A
West Lincoln at Shelby (girls, 1 p.m.; boys, 2:30 p.m.)
Nonconference
Hickory Grove Christian at Lee Park Prep (girls, 5:30 p.m.; boys, 7 p.m.)
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 9:08 PM.
