Friday’s boys’ basketball rewind: Duke recruit Isaiah Evans goes for 44 vs. Mallard Creek

One day before Duke plays arch rival North Carolina, Isaiah Evans gave Blue Devils fans a taste of what they can expect next season.

Playing rival Mallard Creek at home Friday night, Evans — a Duke recruit and McDonald’s All-American — made 16 of 19 shots and finished with 44 points as North Mecklenburg won 108-64.

And all the Vikings’ starters, including Evans, sat most of the fourth quarter.

“They weren’t really disciplined on the help defense side,” said Evans, whose team is ranked No. 2 in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 poll behind nationally ranked Myers Park. “When I came down the court, I saw there wasn’t a lot of help-side (defense) so I tried to get to the basket as much as possible.”

Evans wasn’t the only Vikings player doing heavy damage Friday.

Senior point guard Chadlyn Traylor, a transfer from rival West Charlotte High, had 15 points and five assists. Traylor could also be joining Evans in the ACC next season.

“Chadlyn is just incredible,” Vikings coach Duane Lewis said. “He is going on an unofficial visit to N.C. State (Saturday). He is a high-level player. He has allowed Ashton (Pierce) to play off the ball a lot more.”

Pierce, North Meck’s promising 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, had been battling an ankle injury, but returned Friday night.

“That is the first time (Pierce) has played in basically a month,” Lewis said. “He played against Camden (NJ in a nationally televised game last month), but he wasn’t 100 percent. So glad to have him back. That is why we played him a little more, to get the rust off.”

Lewis’ team faces West Mecklenburg next week before a big rematch with rival Chambers on Friday, Feb. 9.

Evans said no player on the team is overlooking West Mecklenburg, but everyone feels the intensity against Chambers will be high. North Meck beat Chambers in the N.C. 4A quarterfinals last year, a game where Evans put up a career-high 62 points.

“We are just looking to get the dub,” Evans said. “We’ve got nothing left to prove.”

Said Traylor: “I’m just ready to play. Those guys love getting up to play us, and the same goes for over here.”

THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

Isaiah Evans, North Meck: The scoring junkies will flock to the 44 points Evans had. What was key were his 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. The little things Evans does to contribute to winning add up.

Trey Maxwell, North Meck: Maxwell is the son of NBA champion Vernon Maxwell and the younger brother of former Viking Tristan Maxwell, a former N.C. Mr. Basketball. Friday, Trey Maxwell finished with 15 points and shot 3 for 5 from three-point range. He also had eight rebounds and four assists.

Chadlyn Traylor, North Meck: The West Charlotte transfer has fit right in at his new home and said he appreciates how much Lewis challenges him each day. He had 15 points and five assists.

WHAT’S NEXT?

North Meck (17-3) stays unbeaten in Queen City Conference play and will be on the road all next week. It faces West Meck on Feb. 6 and then plays at Chambers on Feb. 9, with both games at 7:30 p.m.

Mallard Creek (6-13) will host Harding at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

#BIG5 top performers

Markell Carothers, North Gaston: In a 76-65 win over Forestview, Carothers had a career-high 31 points.

Isaiah Evans, North Mecklenburg: Evans, a McDonald’s All-American, had 44 points in a 108-64 win over Mallard Creek. Evans made 16 of 19 field goal attempts. He also finished with 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Isaiah Henry, Cannon School: In an 82-63 win over Charlotte Christian, Henry had 33 points and 15 rebounds.

Garrett Morgan, Queens Grant: Morgan had a game-high 40 points in Thursday’s 84-61 win over Grace Academy.

KJ Younger, Weddington: In a 74-48 win over Porter Ridge, Younger had 39 points, 10 rebounds.

Friday’s box scores

▪ Sweet 16 rankings included

NO. 2 NORTH MECKLENBURG 108, MALLARD CREEK 64

Mallard Creek 19 18 21 6 – 64

North Mecklenburg 33 24 36 15 – 108

MALLARD CREEK 64 — Langston Boyd 20, Gary Davis 13, Johnson 8, Savage 7, White 6, Ridge 3, Myers 3, Robinson 3, Griffin 1

NORTH MECKLENBURG 108 — Isaiah Evans, 44, Trey Maxwell 15, Chadlyn Traylor 15, Exzavier Young 12, Pierce 9, Murray 6, Davis 3, Jamison 2

NO. 4 WEDDINGTON 74, PORTER RIDGE 48

Porter Ridge 11 4 19 14 — 48

Weddington 15 21 20 18 — 74

PORTER RIDGE 48 — Elmore 16, D. Kurucu 14, Harris 7, Conroy 5, Osei 5

WEDDINGTON 74 — KJ Younger 39, Hamilton 9, Cook 7, Ford 5, Nnaji 4, Ellyson 4, Zepp 2, Vaughn 2, Cain 2

Porter Ridge - 48 – Elmore – 16, D. Kurucu – 14, Harris – 7, Conroy – 5, Osei - 6

Notable: For Weddington, 6-5 junior point guard KJ Younger dropped his second consecutive double-double with 39 points and 10 rebounds as the Warriors used a 21-4 second-quarter run to move to 5-0 in Southern Carolina Conference play. The Warriors will travel to Sun Valley on Tuesday at 8 p,m.

Record: Weddington 19-1, 5-0; Porter Ridge 7-14, 2-4

NO. 5 LAKE NORMAN 82, WEST CABARRUS 66

Lake Norman 28 19 19 16 — 82

West Cabarrus 19 16 18 13 — 66

LAKE NORMAN 86 — Will Googins 3, Josh Yates 18, Santana Lynch 17, Taurean McKinnon 2, Tre McKinnon 12, Nick Arnold 11, Nate Cioffi 1, Myles Crumes 2, Trent Steinour 16

Notable: For Lake Norman, Tre McKinnon scored 12 points and became the first junior in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

NO. 6 CHAMBERS 82, HARDING 35

Harding 14 9 8 4 — 35

Chambers 26 27 23 6 — 82

CHAMBERS 82 — Markus Kerr 20, Malik McCotter 7, Tarris Bouie 22, Jordan Patton 8, Jaydon Terrell 11, Rahzere Anderson 2, Maurio Hanson 10, Jaylen Garvin 2

Notables: For Chambers, Tarris Bouie (22 points, seven rebounds, four steals, two blocks), Markus Kerr (20 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, three blocks), Jaydon Terrell (11 points, four rebounds, four assists), Maurio Hanson (10 points, five assists, five blocks, four rebounds, three steals) and Jordan Patton (eight points, eight rebounds, three assists) had strong games.

NO. 10 SOUTH MECKLENBURG 52, PALISADES 49

South Meck 20 7 13 12 — 52

Palisades 11 14 11 11 — 49

SOUTH MECKLENBURG 52 — P. Moye 19, J. Gatehouse 9, M. Howard 8, Y. Chudgar 6

PALISADES 49 — Henry 14, Standifev 12, Reeves 8

Records: S. Meck 18-3, 6-2; Palisades 12-9, 3-5

NO. 14 PROVIDENCE DAY 62, NO. 8 COVENANT DAY 55

Covenant Day 15 9 11 20 — 55

Providence Day 11 20 17 14 — 62

COVENANT DAY 55 — Green 8, Rivens 5, White 4, Weaver 2, Penosky 11, Marcus 25

PROVIDENCE DAY 62 — Haynes 3, Thompson 24, Appling 6, Hailey 14, Sacco 6, Winston 3, Johnson 6

NO. 15 INDEPENDENCE 85, GARINGER 24

Garinger 0 16 6 2 — 26

Independence 24 19 26 16 — 85

GARINGER 24 — Muhammad 9, Bennett 7, Carthran 6, Julian 2

INDEPENDENCE 85 — Nicholas Barnes 18, Zion Bosley-Slade 15, Jaxson Neely 12, Yancey Thomason 12, Kal. Jasper 5, Lee 5, Alberga 4, Burgess 4, Davis 3, Holmes 3, Johnson 2, Macharia 2

Records: Garinger 1-18, 0-9; Independence 15-5, 7-2

NO. 16 CANNON SCHOOL 82, CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 63

Cannon 23 17 21 21 — 82

Charlotte Christian 13 19 19 12 — 63

CANNON SCHOOL 82 — Isaiah Henry 33, Austin Swartz 17, Lincoln Vinson 13, Martin 6, Elnagger 5, Murash 4, Ingram 3, Equan 1

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 63 — Daniel Guandolo 20, Matty Carroll 10, Guess 9, Bradway 8, Sturdivant 6, Nicholson 5, Kabwe 3, Rosen 2

Records: Cannon 22-9; Charlotte Christian 5-20

Notable: For Cannon, Isaiah Henry (33 points, 15 rebounds) and Austin Swartz (17 points, eight rebounds, six assists) had big games.

ARDREY KELL 72, BERRY 57

Ardrey Kell 13 20 13 26 — 72

Berry 10 11 17 19 — 57

ARDREY KELL 72 — Delani Hammonds 17, Caden Caskey 15, Brett Freeman 13, Bryceton Thomas 10, Preston Griffiths 6, Matthew Craft 5, Owen Wacker 4, Jake Weckerle 2

BERRY 57 —Ellis 7, Williams 6, Waritay 11, Meriweather 6, Chester 20, Kinard 7

BUTLER 60, EAST MECKLENBURG 39

East Meck 12 8 9 10 — 39

Butler 14 15 15 16 — 60

EAST MECKLENBURG 39 — Bryce Heath 18, Johnson 8, Buzzard 7, Mciver 4, Hicks 2

BUTLER 60 — Tyler Showalter 24, Currence 8, Badio 9, Milligan 6, Starnes 6, Branch 3, Scull 2

CARSON 68, LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 65

Lake Norman Charter 16 21 12 16 — 65

Carson 10 18 13 27 — 68

LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 65 — Braylon Irelan 19, Braden Wilkie 17, Jay Morgan 13, Major Leak 6, Collin McConneyhead 6, Drew Johnson 2, Owen Kuhn 2

CARSON 68 — J. Drye 19, C. Perry 14, D. Neve 11, C. Ball 9, J. Mills 9, C. Hall 6

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 66, ROCKY RIVER 51

Rocky River 7 16 4 26 — 51

Catholic 15 11 15 19 — 66

ROCKY RIVER 51 — Johnson 16, Brantley 3, Houston 11, Davies 8, Ross 13, Little 2

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 66 — Noah 8, Gates 7, Noonan 5, David 21, Eagan 9, Dinkin 2, Berger 2, Gregory 2, Kapsiak 4

CONCORD 70, WEST ROWAN 57

Concord 20 22 17 11 — 70

West Rowan 13 13 14 17 — 57

CONCORD 70 — Jaden Reid 20, Jeremiah Howard 18, Kyzen Coleman 9, Jadah Freeman 7, Chris Arellano 6, Judah Freeman 5, Ty Rushmeyer 5

WEST ROWAN 57 — Will Givens 13, Josiah Young 10, Brandt Graham 9, Elijah Holmes 7, Evan Kennedy 6, Ja’Miah Tucker 5, Romir Hairston 4, Jasiel Oglesby 2, D’eandre Martin 1

Notable: Concord Spiders 6-7 forward Jeremiah Howard had a game-high 11 rebounds to go with his 18 points for his eighth double-double of the season.

Records: Concord 12-8, 9-3; West Rowan 11-8, 7-5

EAST LINCOLN 103, WEST IREDELL 65

East Lincoln 28 30 25 20 — 103

West Iredell 19 14 18 14 — 65

EAST LINCOLN 103 — Davis Hill 8, Riley Shropshire 3, Christian Atkins 10, Hampton Good 10, Houston Hartsell 12, Landon Aungst 7, Grant Lawless 14, Jaxon Dollar 5, Jackson Fannon 24, Jamison Frye 4, Keyven Lamb 4, Kingsley Huntley 2

WEST IREDELL 65 — David Bunton 12, Jermaine Cornelius 21, Landon Spera 0, Vaughn Curtin 0, Thomas Colbert 21, Phil Maxey 2, Brandon Pierce 2, Sebastian Bridges 6, Austin Bailey 1

Notable: The Mustangs’ 103 points is the seventh most in school history. Fannon made six 3-point shots. Sophomore Grant Lawless had a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds). Senior Hampton Good had a career-high 10 points.

Records: East Lincoln 11-9, 5-5; West Iredell 2-17, 0-10

GASTON CHRISTIAN 81, GASTON DAY 63

Gaston Day 17 13 14 19 — 63

Gaston Christian 16 17 19 29 — 81

GASTON DAY 63 — Kurt Hunter 16, Deshawn 15, Braylen 11, Gavin Fields 9, Griffen Simpson 7

HOUGH 65, WEST MECKLENBURG 44

Hough 17 24 20 4 — 65

West Mecklenburg 9 11 10 14 — 44

HOUGH 65 — John Slusher 13, Cole Skovira 12, Henry Moore 11, Blake Desautels 9, Matt Nesta 7, Evan Otto 6, Brayden Slown 2, Justin Funderburk 2, Beck Spear 3

WEST MECKLENBURG 44 — Higgins 12, Pratt 10, Jones 8, McDonald 4, Morrison 4, Graham 3, Tate 2, Moorehead 1

NORTH GASTON 76, FORESTVIEW 65

North Gaston 16 15 23 22 — 76

Forestview 15 12 19 19 — 65

NORTH GASTON 76 — Markell Carothers 31, Jalen Howard 18, Lattimore 9, Mason 7, Hill 4, Huggins 4, Guerrero 2, Bonilla 1

FORESTVIEW 65 — Helton 17, Aguilar 14, Thompson 11, Patton 9, Young 9, Williams 3, Harris-Byrd 2

Notable: For Forestview, junior Markell Carothers had a career-high 31 points. Sophomore Jalen Howard had a career-high 18.

PINE LAKE PREP 79, LINCOLN CHARTER 73

Pine Lake 17 20 21 20 — 78

Lincoln Charter 19 22 18 15 — 73

PINE LAKE PREP 78 — Wes Statzer 20 Lucas Strickfaden 16 Robert Magner 15 Ethan Morgan 15 Jamie Lawson 6 Joseph Bruce 3 Daniel 2 Noah Wonleh 2

LINCOLN CHARTER 73 — Kelan Flowers 20 Cairo Morales 18 David Reed 13 Showers 10 Kr Flowers 9 Norris 3

Notable: Pine Lake won its seventh straight game.

WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 67, YORK PREP 44

Westminster Catawba 18 14 15 20 — 67

York Prep Academy 9 9 16 10 — 44

WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 67 — Glass 1, Stephen Quinn 25, Drew Quinn 3, Kenyon Addie 14, Nikayle Hodge 8, MJ Littlejohn 10, Justin Rushin 6

YORK PREP 44 — Peoples 6, Sumter 9, Neal 7, Brown 1, Antwon Young 21

Notable: Westminster celebrated Senior Night for Kenyon Addie, Stephen Quinn, Justin Rushin and Cam Glass. Quinn was honored for scoring 2,000 career points and Addie for scoring 1,000. Coach Ed Addie got his second 20-win season at Westminster Catawba.

Records: Westminster Catawba 21-9, York Prep 13-9

PHOTOS: Mallard Creek boys at North Meck

Thursday’s box scores

CONCORD ACADEMY 53, WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 44

Westminster 4 12 5 23 — 44

Concord Academy 14 14 8 17 — 53

WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 44 — Glass 2, Quinn 15, Addie 1, Hodge 10, Redmon 8, Little John 3, Rushin 5

CONCORD ACADEMY 53 — Ian Howard 15, Sherod McCormick 7, Lincoln Raper 2, Jake Benham 8, Sean Birmingham 15, Andre Rudy 2, Alek Kornacki 4

Notable: For Concord Academy, Sean Birmingham had 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

QUEENS GRANT 84 GRACE ACADEMY 61

QUEENS GRANT 84 — Garrett Morgan 40, Kenston Rishardsom 27 Nhek 11

WEDDINGTON 69, MONROE 44

Monroe 12 6 8 18 — 44

Weddington 21 18 19 11 — 69

MONROE 49 — Clarks 8, M. Allen 7, Hudson 1, Young 1, Ivery 4, Simpkins 10, J. Allen 1, Chambers 10, Davis 2

WEDDINGTON 69 — KJ Younger 22, Aiden Cook 17, Grant Hamilton 14, Zepp 8, Cain 4, Ford 2, Ellyson 2

Notable: For Weddington, KJ Younger recorded a double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assist, two blocks, and two steals. Aiden Cook went 5 for 6 from 3-point range.

Wednesday’s boys’ box scores

PROVIDENCE 52, CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 33

Providence Day 6 12 13 21 — 52

Country Day 7 7 12 7 — 33

COUNTRY DAY 33 — Jerome Lowery 15, Diaz 9, Scott 4, Smith 3, Schulze 2

PROVIDENCE DAY 52 — Jonah Lawrence 20, Nick Hailey 12, Johnson 4, Thompson 4, Haynes 3, Appling 3, Winston 3, Ravin 3

SOUTH MECKLENBURG 63, CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 52

South Meck 17 24 10 12 — 63

Catholic 4 16 15 17 — 52

SOUTH MECK 63 — P. Moye 22, A. Skelton 15, J. Gatehouse 10, Y. Chudgar 5, M. Howard 5

CATHOLIC 52 — Huecker 11, David 10, Eagan 8

Saturday’s schedule

Saturday

CISAA

Charlotte Latin at Covenant Day (boys, 12)

Nonconference

Carmel Christian at Rabun Gap School (GA), (boys, 3:30)

Oak Hill (VA) Regional at Elevation Prep, (boys, 3)

S.C. Region 4 1A

Governor’s School at Great Falls (boys, 1)

Court XIV Classic (boys)

(at Hough High)

Flight 22 Prep vs. Huntington (WV) Prep, 11 a.m.

Minnesota Prep vs. Quality Education, 12:25 p.m.

Charlotte Lab Prep vs. N.C. Good Better Best, 1:50

Hough vs. Winston-Salem Christian Regional, 3:15

BCAT (FL) vs. Winston-Salem Christian National, 4:40

S3 Academy (VA) vs. 1 of 1 Prep, 6:05

Davidson Day vs. Combine Academy, 7:30

Sunday

No games scheduled