Cannon School gets first league title, plus Tuesday’s prep basketball scores, stars

Cannon School won a share of an elusive CISAA conference championship Tuesday.

The Cougars beat Charlotte Latin 62-60, withstanding a major late charge, to get at least a share of the first CISAA championship in school history.

Cannon (21-6, 7-0 CISAA) can clinch the outright championship, which brings along with priority playoff seeding, at home Friday against Providence Day (11-11, 3-4).

On Tuesday, Cannon led 22-10 after the first quarter and 39-22 after the second, led by sophomore Jaden Bradley, who finished with 15 points, and junior Jarvis Moss, who finished with 12.

But Latin won the third quarter 20-11 to cut the lead to 50-42 and then the Hawks made a big fourth quarter push behind senior guard Randy Johnson. Johnson, who committed to Holy Cross Sunday, finished with a game-high 27 points for Latin (17-7, 4-3).

No. 1 North Meck runs away from rival West Charlotte

The North Mecklenburg Vikings continued their dominance in the I-MECK 4A conference on Tuesday, earning a road win at West Charlotte by the score of 78-40. With the win, the Vikings moved to 18-1 overall and remained perfect in conference play, moving to 9-0.

North Mecklenburg played without starting point guard Trayden Williams, a senior who has signed with Robert Morris. It is not clear if, or when, Williams will return to the Vikings.

North Meck coach Duane Lewis declined comment when asked about Williams.

Tristan Maxwell led the way for the Vikings and was the game’s top scorer with 26 points. Maxwell was efficient inside and outside the 3-point line, scoring 12 of his 26 points from there. Maxwell was aggressive getting to the line as well, adding 10 of his points from the free throw line. Maxwell’s teammate Chris Ford dominated on the inside, adding 18 points to the Vikings offensive output.

As a whole, the Vikings made nine three pointers. Shamann Artis made two in the first quarter and scored 15 points in all.

West Charlotte fought hard most of the game, especially in the first half when they were contesting what seemed like every shot the Vikings put up. However the Vikings success from three point range was a major deciding factor in the game.

Marcus Magness paced the Lions offense with nine points while Camden Jernigan added seven.

RECORDS: North Mecklenburg (18-1, 9-0 conference); West Charlotte (10-8, 4-5 conference)

THREE WHO MATTERED

• Tristan Maxwell (North Mecklenburg): Maxwell was the game’s top scorer with 26 points to help lead the Vikings to victory. Twelve of Maxwell’s 26 points came from three point range.

• Chris Ford (North Mecklenburg): Ford was a force inside for the Vikings, scoring all of his points in the paint with 18 points in all.

• Marcus Magness (West Charlotte): Magness was the leading scorer for the Lions in the contest, scoring nine points.

WORTH MENTIONING

• On the girls side, North Mecklenburg defeated West Charlotte 61-42. Jessica Timmons led the way for North Mecklenburg with 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The Lady Vikings are 14-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play.

• The North Mecklenburg boys have now won six games in a row and are in first place in the I-MECK 4A conference standings.

THEY SAID IT

“We focused on the defensive side of the ball, limiting (West Charlotte) to one shot and concentrating on boxing out with all five guys. (West Charlotte) is bigger than us and we made to make sure we put bodies on them which we were able to do. We were able to run some sets and get some open looks so we were happy about that.”

-- North Mecklenburg Head Coach Duane Lewis

WHAT’S NEXT?

North Mecklenburg will travel to play Hopewell on Friday (1/31); West Charlotte will travel to play Mallard Creek on Friday (1/31).

North Mecklenburg 18 19 22 19 78

West Charlotte 9 8 13 10 41

North Mecklenburg: Tristen Maxwell 26 Chris Ford 18 Shemond Artis 17 Jeremy Gregory 11 Waters 3 Lexander 3 Border 2

West Charlotte: Marcus Magness 10 Jernigan 7 Dow 6 Morrow 6 Raymond 4 Alford 3 McQueen 3 Frazier 2

-- Correspondent Jake Spriggs

Elevator

↑Lauren Galvani, Independence girls: The Patriots were 0-44 the two years before Galvani got there for the 2015-16 season. Her first team won one game. Then Independence won eight, then 13 and then 10. After Friday’s 63-20 win over East Meck, Indy is 15-4. That’s the most wins at the school since the 2008-09 team went 19-8 under Natalie Vuoriaho-Davis.

↑Harding: Rams upset Ardrey Kell at home Tuesday. Ardrey Kell (14-5, 6-2 SoMECK) is now tied with Olympic (14-5, 6-2) for first place in the league, just ahead of South Meck (9-9, 5-3) and Harding (14-6, 4-4).

↑Weddington girls: Won fourth straight, 61-40 over Southern Carolinas rival Sun Valley, getting 20 points from Audrey Strange and 15 from Miranda Barron.

↑Jessica Timmons, North Meck girls: 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists in a 61-42 win over West Charlotte.

↑Isaac Boothe, First Assembly: layup with four seconds left gave No. 3 First Assembly a close win over No. 16 Northside Christian. Garreitt Hien had 16 for First Assembly. MJ Collins had 15 for Northside.

Real Quick

▪ Providence Day freshman Chandler Brooks had a career-high 13 points in the Chargers 63-31 win over Charlotte Country Day. Providence Day (18-6, 7-0 CISAA) won its 10th straight game and can win a share of the league title at second place Cannon School (14-7, 6-1) Friday.

▪ Providence Day’s boys needed a fourth quarter rally to avoid a big upset at Charlotte Country Day. The Chargers won 49-46 but trailed 37-33 after three quarters to the Bucs (8-16, 0-7). Knoah Carver had 17 for Country Day. Michael Zanoni had 14 for Providence Day and Bryce Scott added eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.

▪ Mallard Creek’s girls bounced back after losing to Vance and falling from atop the Sweet 16 poll. The Mavericks beat Lake Norman 62-48 Tuesday. Neveah Brown led the Mavericks with 16 points.

▪ West Rowan girls star Abigail Wilson had 31 points in Tuesday’s 71-54 win over Statesville. She now has a new school-record 2,001 career points.

▪ A couple of great performances in East Lincoln’s 90-71 win over Lincolnton: East’s Justin Kuthan had 33 points and 16 rebounds. Lincolnton got 32 points, eight rebounds, eight assists from Davis Grooms.

▪ A couple more great performances in United Faith’s 94-42 win over North Hills: Adriel De La Rosa had 44 points, 16 rebounds. Charlie Hester had 26 points, 15 rebounds. Jaden Quick had 22 assists.

▪ In Morganton, No. 6 Freedom beat rival Hickory 70-63, rallying in the fourth quarter. Hickory outscored Freedom 18-10 in the third quarter to take a 52-50 lead. James Freeman (27) and Bradley Davis (22) led the Patriots. Davis Amos had 31 for Hickory.

Tuesday’s #BIG5 Girls Top Performers

Leah Barringer, Vance: 20 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists in a 74-46 win over Hopewell. Teammate Tanajah Hayes added 17 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals.

Jackie Feit, South Mecklenburg: triple double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 11 blocks in a 52-41 win over Olympic. South Meck (14-3, 6-2 SoMECK) gained sole possession of second place in league play and won its seventh straight game. Senali Moss (22 points, five steals) and Katie Lowe (career-high 10 rebounds) had big games.

Ja’el Miller, Central Cabarrus: career-high 32 points, five assists, five steals in a 55-47 win over Northwest Cabarrus. Miller is nearing 1,000 points and 500 assists for her career.

Rain Redfern, Sugar Creek Charter: 19 points, 12 steals, five rebounds, three assists in a 41-30 win over Greater Cabarrus. Redfern made 6-of-8 free throws in a decisive fourth quarter.

Brianna Tadlock, East Lincoln: Scored her 1,500th career point in Tuesday’s 55-18 win over Lincolnton. Tadlock finished with 16 points, six steals, three assists and three rebounds.

Tuesday’s #BIG5 Boys Top Performers

Chris Britt, Gaston Day: game-high 27 points in a 59-44 win over SouthLake Christian. Callum Richard, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, added 16 for Gaston Day (9-13).

Kobe Funderburk, Harding: game-high 18 points in the Ardrey Kell upset.

Thomas Hailey, Covenant Day: game-high 25 points in a 56-52 win over Charlotte Christian. Covenant Day (14-10, 4-3) is now tied with Charlotte Latin for second place in the CISAA. Christian (13-10, 3-4) is tied for third with Providence Day.

Jem Lowrance, Alexander Central: in a 57-43 win over Watauga, Lowrance made 9-of-13 shots, 3-of-4 field goals and finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block.

Drew Patterson, Metrolina Christian: 34 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in a 62-50 upset of Rock Hill’s Westminster Catawba (18-4). Metrolina, which outscored Westminster 23-12 in the fourth quarter, improved to 13-14.

How The Boys Sweet 16 Fared

Tuesday’s Boys Scores

Alexander Central 57, Watauga 43

Bessemer City 61, Highland Tech 21

Cannon School 62, Charlotte Latin 60

Chase 67, Burns 59

Christ The King 66, Piedmont Charter 51

Clover (SC) 66, Hunter Huss 57

Covenant Day 56, Charlotte Christian 52

Davidson Day 73, Calvary Day 44

First Assembly 53, Northside Christian 51

Forest Hils 79, West Stanly 63

Freedom 70, Hickory 63

Gaston Day 59, SouthLake Christian 44

Harding 53, Ardrey Kell 51

Hibriten 50, East Burke 47

Hickory Ridge 70, Garinger 49

Independence 72, East Meck 42

Lake Norman Charter 69, North Lincoln 62

Lincoln Charter 70, Thomas Jefferson 51

Mallard Creek 66, Lake Norman 58

Metrolina Christian 62, Westminster Catawba 50

Mount Pleasant 62, Central Academy 31

Myers Park 70, Rocky River 52

North Mecklenburg 78, West Charlotte 41

Olympic 54, South Meck 51

Pine Lake Prep 79, Langtree Charter 51

Providence Day 49, Charlotte Country Day 46

Robinson 56, Concord 51

South Rowan 47, Oak Grove 37

Statesville 89, West Rowan 73

United Faith 94, North Hills 42

Vance 82, Hopewell 49

Watauga 63, Alexander Central 40

Weddington 72, Sun Valley 16

How Girls Sweet 16 fared

Tuesday’s Girls Scores

Bessemer City 61, Highland Tech 21

Cannon School 42, Charlotte Latin 19

Carson 62, South Iredell 40

Central Academy 40, Mount Pleasant 28

Central Cabarrus 55, Northwest Cabarrus 47

Charlotte Catholic 41, Parkwood 34

Clover 85, Hunter Huss 37

Community School of Davidson 59, Mountain Island Charter 43

Cox Mill 53, AL Brown 47

Cuthbertson 59, Marvin Ridge 27

East Burke 64, Hibriten 17

East Lincoln 55, Lincolnton 18

East Rowan 61, North Iredell 39

First Assembly 61, Northside Christian 24

Freedom 83, Hickory 51

Gaston Day 71, SouthLake Christian 22

Hickory Ridge 68, Garinger 20

Independence 63, East Meck 20

Mallard Creek 62, Lake Norman 48

Metrolina Christian 61, Westminster Catawba 11

Myers Park 69, Rocky River 21

Newton-Conover 57, Bandys 21

North Rowan 80, North Stanly 30

Oak Grove 42, South Rowan 30

Piedmont Charter 64, Christ The King 37

Providence 45, Berry 40

Providence Day 63, Charlotte Country Day 31

Salisbury 68, Central Davidson 33

South Mecklenburg 52, Olympic 41

Sugar Creek Charter 41, Greater Cabarrus 30

Vance 74, Hopewell 46

Weddington 61, Sun Valley 40

West Rowan 71, Statesville 54

Wednesday’s Schedule

Sandhills 4A

Hoke County at Fayetteville Britt

Mountain Valley 1A-2A

Alleghany at Winston-Salem Millennium Charter

Nonconference

Comenius at Davidson Day

Monroe at Pageland Central (SC)

Rock Hill at Catawba Ridge

South Pointe (SC) at Ardrey Kell (girls)

Sugar Creek Charter at Piedmont Community Charter

West Caldwell at Highland Tech

York (SC) at South Point