Mallard Creek’s girls beat Wilmington Hoggard to win school’s first state title
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- Mallard Creek rallied late in regulation and in OT to win 49-45
- Camri Hobbs had 17 points; My’Asia Young had 11 points, 14 rebounds
- Dixon credited the breakthrough and noted C.J. Johnson’s memory was present
Mallard Creek’s girls’ basketball program tried in vain for years just to get to the state finals.
Once they made it, they made the most of their visit — even if took overtime to get what they were looking for.
The Mavericks rallied late in regulation and again in overtime to outlast Wilmington Hoggard 49-45 Wednesday night for the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 8A state championship at Joel Coliseum.
Until this season, Mallard Creek had advanced to the Final Four five times and finished as Western regional runner-up four times in the previous 17 years. It broke through last week with a 59-44 win over Ardrey Kell in the 2026 Western N.C. final.
“This was the only thing we hadn’t done,” said Mavericks head coach Karlyn Dixon, whose team finished 24-6. “You could tell this was special by how many alumni were here.”
Also, the memory of longtime Mallard Creek coach Clarence “C.J.” Johnson was in evidence in the crowd; Johnson had guided the Mavericks to five Final Fours and the four regional runner-ups during his 248-win tenure. He died of a stroke in April 2024.
“We always pray for him whenever we practice on the court that is named for him,” Dixon said. “He’s always on our minds.”
On Wednesday on the home floor for Wake Forest University, the Mavericks roared ahead by seven in the first quarter and led by seven late in the third quarter before the Vikings took advantage of Mallard Creek foul trouble to take charge of the game.
Hoggard took a 39-35 lead with 4:38 left in regulation and was still ahead 40-37 with 1:13 left in regulation before Sydney McGuire’s 3-pointer tied the score at 40 with 50 seconds left.
On the next possession, Mavericks senior point guard Kiara Anderson was whistled for her fifth foul on a block call against Vikings MVP Tristan Shivers with 34.2 seconds left. After Shivers missed both free throws — she was 8 of 12 for the game and had 16 points — Mallard Creek held for the last shot but was unsuccessful.
In overtime, Shivers was fouled and hit two free throws with 3:49 left in overtime for a 42-40 Vikings lead.
Overall game MVP Camri Hobbs, who entered the game six of 35 on 3-pointers for the season, hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 45-42 before three Hoggard free throws in the next 30 seconds tied the score at 45.
McGuire then found My’Asia Young (Mallard Creek MVP) underneath the basket for a layup with 23 seconds left. Then McGuire iced the victory with two free throws with 7.5 seconds left.
Hobbs had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Mallard Creek. Young added 11 points and 14 rebounds and Anderson had nine points and seven rebounds and McGuire eight points.
GAME SUMMARY
Hoggard 9 9 12 10 5 — 45
Mallard Creek 10 11 13 6 9 — 49
HOGGARD 45 — Airlie Altman 11, Tristan Shivers 16, Avery Fitzgerald 13, Chance 3, Jones 2
MALLARD CREEK 49 — McGuire 8, My’Asia Young 11, Stone 4, Anderson 9, Camri Hobbs 17
Records: Hoggard 28-2, Mallard Creek 24-6
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This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 9:31 PM.
