Cannon School girls stop Providence Day, win another NCISAA basketball title

Cannon School won its third straight girls’ basketball state title — and fifth in six years — by surviving a strong challenge from league rival Providence Day in a 47-37 victory in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 4A championship at Greensboro’s Novant Health Field House.

The Cougars completed a 25-6 season by downing CISAA conference rival Providence Day for a third time in the past month.

“We came in here expecting to win,” Providence Day coach Josh Springer said. “Hat’s off to Cannon. They did a good job and won the game.”

Cannon coach Kelvin Drakeford’s youthful team — it has only one senior on its 16-player roster — took the lead for good late in the first quarter and held off a fourth-quarter push from the Chargers to take another title.

“It feels really good,” Drakeford said. “I remember when we won in ‘24, that we had a young group of players that continues to grow and grow and get better.”

Saturday, 5-10 junior Brooke Busby led the way with 19 points, including four first-half 3-pointers that opened up a working margin for the Cougars. Eighth-grader London Truesdale added 12 points and sophomore Jakaila Gaskin hit for eight.

Busby’s second of three second-quarter 3-pointers gave Cannon the lead for good at 14-12 with 2:46 remaining in the opening half. She later hit five of six free throws in the final 1:45 after Providence Day had cut what had been as much as a 13-point deficit to five points four times in the fourth quarter.

“I think our defensive execution was phenomenal and our execution on offense was good — we just missed some shots,” said Springer, whose team lost to Cannon 53-41 at home, and 75-29 at Cannon on Feb. 6. “Basketball can be cruel sometimes. I thought we played our guts out.”

The Chargers’ defensive strategy limited possessions and lowered the score.

“They packed it on us and made it tougher on (6-foot-4 sophomore post player) Jakaila (Gaskin),” Drakeford said. “But Brooke did a really good job loosening things up with her 3-point shooting.”

Busby, who has committed to play at Princeton, converted four of her six 3-pointers — all in the first half — while virtually every other perimeter shooter struggled in an arena that is the home of the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornets’ G-League affiliate.

Providence Day, which missed 43 of its 55 shots and 12 of its 15 3-pointers, was led by 6-2 post player Julia O’Malley’s 13 points. O’Malley and four other seniors (Layla Clark, Jaida McClure, Jane Updyke and Katelyn Ramsden) saw their high school careers end Saturday.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my team and particularly those five seniors,” said Springer, whose group was in its second state title game in three years — both against Cannon.

Scoring summary

Providence Day 9 5 4 19 — 37

Cannon 8 11 11 17 — 47

PROVIDENCE DAY 37 — Dumont 4, McClure 7, Updyke 1, Clark 4, Crayton 2, Carson 3, Ramsden 3, Julia O’Malley 13.

CANNON 47 — Gaskin 8, Larkins 1, London Truesdale 12, Nakamura 2, Brooke Busby 19, Thompson 5.

Records: Providence Day 24-6, Cannon 25-6. --

This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 3:20 PM.