Friday’s boys’ high school basketball rewind: No. 1 Myers Park rolls with Mohammed out
Myers Park, No. 1 in The Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, cruised past conference rival Ardrey Kell 54-38 Friday behind a big second half from the state’s top junior, Mustang star Sadiq White.
White came up big on a night when Myers Park played without Notre Dame signee and top 100 national recruit Sir Mohammed, who sat out with injury.
“Ardrey Kell versus Myers Park is a big rivalry match,” White said. “We look forward to this every year. Just me coming in as a freshman they beat us twice, then last year we beat them three times. So it’s a good start to my junior year right now, 1-0 against them.”
White finished the game with 22 points, 16 coming in the second half. He missed the second quarter with foul trouble. When he came back, the Mustangs were able to find White out in transition a little more so he could find his spots quicker before the Knights’ defense had a chance to get set.
“In the first half I picked up two quick [fouls],” White said. “They weren’t my smartest decisions. When (Ardrey Kell) went with five guards, that was my time to kill. I just had to do the basics. Sit in the post and feast off layups against smaller competition.”
As for Mohammed, Mustang coach Scott Taylor said his 6-6 swingman has a different injury than the shoulder problems that forced him to miss games earlier this season. Myers Park was also without injured starter Ashton King.
The win keeps Myers Park (11-2, 2-0) — ranked No. 3 in the national poll — near the top of the SoMeck 4A conference standings, just behind South Mecklenburg (13-0, 3-0).
“January can really feel like a grind,” Taylor said. “I hate to use a cliche word, but you’ve got to win your league to put us in position to have home playoff games. For years and years [Ardrey Kell] has been the top dog. You knew coming in, as good of a coach as [Ardrey Kell’s Mike] Craft is, they would have a plan and they would find themselves a bit. So we had to stay poised. I thought we did a really good job of keeping our composure.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Sadiq White, Myers Park: Despite the early foul trouble, White was the catalyst for the Mustangs. The plays ran through him the majority of the time. When his teammates could find him, usually good things followed.
Bishop Boswell, Myers Park: The 4-star Tennessee signee had a big second quarter with White on the bench. He hit some big 3-point shots that got the Mustang faithful on their feet, and he found his teammates in positions to score.
Brett Freeman, Ardrey Kell: The Knights star, a Carmel Christian transfer, had 11 of his 13 points in the second half.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Myers Park will host Olympic at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Ardrey Kell (11-4, 1-1) had a 10-game win streak snapped. The Knights host South Mecklenburg at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9.
Friday’s #BIG5 top performers
Blake Desautels, Hough: In a 63-52 win over West Charlotte, Desautels had 22 points, four rebounds and three steals.
Kaleb Jasper, Independence: In a 56-32 win over Providence, Independence (11-4, 3-0) remained unbeaten in the Southwestern 4A conference. Jasper had a game-high 14 points.
Jordan Patton, Chambers: In a 70-69 win over Hopewell, Patton had the winning tip-in at the buzzer. He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Caleb Tillman, Statesville: In an 80-72 win over East Lincoln, Tillman had a game-high 27 points.
Sadiq White, Myers Park: Game-high 22 points in a 54-38 win over Ardrey Kell in the Charlotte-area game of the week.
Friday’s box scores
▪ Observer Sweet 16 rankings included
NO. 1 MYERS PARK 54, ARDREY KELL 38
Ardrey Kell 7 6 10 15 — 38
Myers Park 13 14 13 14 — 54
ARDREY KELL 38 — Brett Freeman 13, Caden Caskey 8, Delani Hammonds 5, Ethan Tharakan 3, Bryce Thomas 2, Dylan Morrison 2, Gavin Alexander 2, Jake Weckerle 2, Owen Wacker 1
MYERS PARK 54 — Sadiq White Jr 22, Bishop Boswell 15, Adam Barnes 10, Paraison 6, Jamision 1
NO. 2 NORTH MECKLENBURG 72, WEST MECKLENBURG 13
West Mecklenburg 0 5 1 7 – 13
North Mecklenburg 20 23 14 15 – 72
WEST MECKLENBURG 13 — Higgins 7, Meadows 2, Jones 2, Grane 2
NORTH MECKLENBURG 72 — Isaiah Evans 20, Traylor 9, C, Evans 8, Murray 8, Williams 8, Young 5, Clark 4, Davis 3, Matthews 2, Estwick 2
NO. 5 LAKE NORMAN 82, AL BROWN 45
Lake Norman 27 23 23 9 — 82
AL Brown 6 18 10 11 — 45
LAKE NORMAN 82 — Will Googins 8, Josh Yates 11, Fynn Hales 5, Santana Lynch 13, Taurean McKinnon 6, Tre McKinnon 15, Nick Arnold 7, Grant Dryden 3, Myles Crumes 3, Trent Steinour 11
Brown 45 — Hancock 2, Brewer 6, Brazil 2, Brennermon 6, Williams 2, Ross 1, Ford 12, Stevenson 15
NO. 6 NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN 60, CONCORD ACADEMY 45
Concord Academy 12 6 14 13 — 45
Northside 15 15 15 15 — 60
CONCORD ACADEMY 45 — Ian Howard 2, Sherod McCormick 4, Grey Madeira 3, Jake Benham 11, Sean Birmingham 6, James Minlend 1, Andre Rudy 3, Alek Kornacki 13
Notable: For Concord Academy Alek Kornaki had 13 points, five rebounds.
NO. 8 CHAMBERS 70, HOPEWELL 69
Hopewell 19 15 21 14 — 69
Chambers 24 11 17 18 — 70
CHAMBERS 70 — Markus Kerr 11, Malik McCotter 2, Tarris Bouie 24, Jordan Patton 16, JD Terrell 2, Maurio Hanson 15
Notable: For Chambers, Tarris Bouie had 24 points, four rebounds, four steals and a block. Jordan Patton had 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, plus the winning tip-in at the buzzer. Maurio Hanson (15 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, three assists) and Markus Kerr (11 points, four assists) also had big games.
BUTLER 63, ROCKY RIVER 54
Butler 19 12 11 21 — 63
Rocky RIver 13 19 15 7 — 54
BUTLER 63 — Aree Branch 14, Eli Grier 13, Reece Starnes 12, Terrance Badio 12, Caleb Milligan 5, DQ Currence 4, Ashton Lawrence 2, Tofiq Azar 1
ROCKY RIVER 54 — Shamari Johnson 18, Markiest Houston 14, Jayden Ross 12, Brian Carr 6, Steven Muin 2, Ronnie Little 2
Records: Butler 7-6, 4-0; Rocky River 6-9, 0-3.
Notable: Butler hosts Charlotte Catholic on Tuesday in a Southwestern 4A conference game.
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 75, GARINGER 18
Catholic 24 20 15 16 — 75
Garinger 6 6 6 0 — 18
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 75 — Chris Eagan 16, Eddie David 13, Drew Dinkin 12, Gates 6, Kapsiak 9, Bergren 3, Escobedo 8, Short 4, Gregory 2, Huecker 2
GARINGER 18 — Julian 3, Shaun 3, Easter 4, Cobe 4, Williams 4
CHARLOTTE LATIN 56, HAMMOND SCHOOL (SC) 45
Hammond 8 18 8 11 — 45
Latin 8 12 15 21 — 56
HAMMOND 45 — Jacob Haltiwanger 17, D. Haltiwanger 8, Smith-Brown 8, Ross 6, Saunders 3, Gobbard 3
LATIN 56 — Nic Levy 24, Alex Dauska 17, Jones 6, Ivory 5, Diaz 2, Miles 2
Records: Latin 8-6, Hammond 6-4
CONCORD 85, SOUTH ROWAN 39
Concord 28 19 18 20 — 85
South Rowan 9 14 12 4 — 39
Concord 85 — Ty Rushmeyer 17, Jeremiah Howard 16, Jaden Reid 11, Chris Arellano 10, Jayden Beyan 10, Keyon Phillips 8, Jadah Freeman 5, Bralen Crowder 3, Carter Starnes 3, Kyzen Coleman 2
South Rowan 39 — Dalton Young 14, Zion Jackson 7, Drew Blackwell 5, Corbin Goodman 3, Jadon Moore 3, James Ritchie 3, Aaron Jones 2, Brooks Overcash 2
Records: Concord 8-5 (5-0 SPC), South Rowan 0-11 (0-5 SPC)
EAST MECKLENBURG 64, NATION FORD (SC) 55
East Meck 15 8 24 16 — 64
Nation Ford 10 8 21 15 — 55
EAST MECKLENBURG 64 — Jordan Buzzard 17, Ahmari Hicks 15, Bryce Heath 15, Rupert 6, Ramirez 6, Baro 3, Mciver 2
NATION FORD 55 — Jackson Burnham 35, Pryer 7, Giles 6, Faulkner 3, Chuttey 3, Robertson 2, Beck 1
HICKORY RIDGE 66, MOORESVILLE 60
Mooresville 10 10 19 21 — 60
Hickory Ridge 13 16 20 17 — 66
MOORESVILLE 60 — AJ Parsley 16, Kyri Wilson 15, Eian Bailey 9, Jalen Chambers 7, Christian Wilson 5, Dylan Leuthardt 4, Bryson Demby 2, Dylan Clark 2.
Notable: For Mooresvile, Parsley had five assists and three steals. Kyri Wilson had five rebounds and two steals. Chambers had five rebounds and three steals. Leuthardt had six rebounds and three blocks.
Record: 8-5
HOUGH 63, WEST CHARLOTTE 52
Hough 14 17 17 17 — 63
West Charlotte 4 11 14 23 — 52
HOUGH 63 — Blake Desautels 22, Cole Skovira 13, Matt Nesta 9, Evan Otto 6, Henry Moore 5, Beck Spear 5, John Slusher 3
WEST CHARLOTTE 52 — Coleman 13, PA Presley 13, RA Presley 10, Day 10, Kone 4
Notable: For Hough, Blake Desautels had 22 points, four rebounds and three steals. Cole Skovira had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. Hough improves to 1-1 in conference and coach Dan Larkin gets his first conference victory at Hough.
INDEPENDENCE 56, PROVIDENCE 32
Providence 8 6 12 6 — 32
Independence 9 11 19 17 — 56
PROVIDENCE 32 — Siegle 7, Taylor 6, Singletary 6, Conde 4, Foreman 3, Nygren 2, Wisotsky 2, Gaither 2
INDEPENDENCE 56 — Kaleb Jasper 14, Alberga 9, Johnson 9, Bosley-Slade 7, Lee 5, Barnes 5, Thomason 4, Kam. Jasper 3
Records: Providence 3-10, 0-3; Independence 11-4, 3-0
JM ROBINSON 79, LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 66
Lake Norman Charter 14 19 11 22 — 66
Robinson 14 19 21 25 — 79
LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 66 — Jay Morgan 21, Collin McConneyhead 16, Langston Holder 16, Braylon Irelan 6, Drew Johnson 6, Braden Wilkie 5, Owen Kuhn 4
JM ROBINSON 79 — L. Rosman 23, B. Rowe 19, D. Harlee 16, J. Reid 8, J. Reid 2, D. Butler 2
Notable: Lake Norman Charter travels to South Rowan next Tuesday.
Records: Lake Norman Charter 6-7, 2-4
MARVIN RIDGE 80, PORTER RIDGE 57
Porter Ridge 12 17 17 — 57
Marvin Ridge 20 20 22 18 — 80
PORTER RIDGE 57 — Onur Kurucu 2, Jacob Conroy 9, Bryce Yelverton 13, Samaj Long 4, Ziggy Harris 9, Rai’Shawn 7, Dennis Kurucu 14
MARVIN RIDGE 80 — Alex Huthchens 5, Brady Dunn 17, Jaiden Morris 4, Cajun Bridges 14, Josh Clark 21, Colin Walsh 2, Jack Sheridan 3, Marshall Payne 10, Wyatt Harris 4
PARKWOOD 73, WEST STANLY 67
Parkwood 12 18 21 22 — 73
West Stanly 13 10 18 26 — 67
PARKWOOD 73 — Greg Vinson 17; Malik Paulhill 10; Cam McKinney 18; Pierce Netherland 9; Gavin Hancock 8; Brooklyn Johnson 5; Jay Chirstensen 3; Lucas Sistare 3
WEST STANLY 67 — Salazar 11; Lynch 9; Hinton 15; Efird 17; Hinson 2; Barbee 4; Eudy 9
STATESVILLE 80, EAST LINCOLN 72
Statesville 22 22 18 18 — 80
East Lincoln 20 22 17 11 — 72
STATESVILLE 80 — Caleb Tillman 27, Kevin Bryant 6, Jay’Veon Lackey 5, Mekiaun Davis 5, Davin Clarke 3, Sherrill 24, Gladden 3, Tucker 7
East Lincoln 72 — Davis Hill 12, Christian Atkins 0, Hampton Good 0, Houston Hartsell 11, Landon Aungst 7, Grant Lawless 14, Jaxon Dollar 0, Jackson Fannon 28
Records: East Lincoln 6-5, 0-1; Statesville 4-6, 1-1
Notable: Statesville led 44-42 at halftime and held the Mustangs to 11 points in the fourth quarter for the hard-fought 80-72 win in the Western Foothills 3A Conference game Friday night in Denver.
Thursday’s box score
NO. 4 WEDDINGTON 69, EAST MECKLENBURG 55
Weddington 16 19 15 19 — 69
East Meck 18 11 18 8 — 55
WEDDINGTON 69 — KJ Younger 15, Grant Hamilton 14, Aiden Cook 20, Mason Zepp 12, Nnagi 5, Powers 3, Ellison 2
EAST MECKLENBURG 55 — Ahmari Hicks 15, Bryce Heath 18, Buzzard 9, Rupert 8, Johnson 5
Saturday’s key games
(Boys) No. 10 South Mecklenburg (13-0) at Richmond Senior (7-4), 2 p.m. – The Sabres get their toughest test so far this season, facing a team that lost to Myers Park in a 4A state championship last season. UNC commit Paul McNeil Jr., a 6-6 senior, leads the Raiders with 29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. This game is a chance for Sabres senior Peter Moye to show his stuff. Moye is averaging 22 points a game and shooting 59 percent from the floor.
(Boys) Queen City Hoops Classic, at West Charlotte High, begins at 1 p.m. – A six-game slate of boys’ games begins with Berry Academy facing Hemingway (SC). The final pits the host Lions of West Charlotte against powerful Victory Christian.
The picks
This weekend’s schedule
Saturday
Nonconference
Andrew Jackson (SC) vs. Wilson Hall (SC), at Florence Wilson High, 2:30 (boys)
Clover vs. Mauldin (SC), in Prep Hoops Showcase at Gaffney, 2:30 (boys)
Combine Academy National and United Faith Christian in Chance Harman Classic, at Willis, VA (boys)
Heathwood Hall (SC) at Charlotte Latin (girls, 12:30; boys, 2)
Lincoln Charter at Forsyth Country Day, 1 (girls)
Lincoln Charter vs. Winston-Salem Christian, at Forsyth Country Day, 7 (boys)
North Raleigh Christian at Charlotte Christian (girls, 12:30; boys, 2)
Northside Christian vs. Compass Prep (AZ), at Atlanta, 1 (girls)
Providence Day vs. Cape Fear Academy, at Fayetteville Academy, 3:30 (boys)
Ravenscroft School at Charlotte Country Day (girls, noon; boys, 1:30)
United Faith Christian at Word of God, 3:30 (girls)
Westminster Catawba at Berean Baptist (girls, 3:30; boys, 5)
Queen City Hoops Classic (boys)
(at West Charlotte High)
Berry Academy vs. Hemingway (SC), 1
Elevation Prep vs. Bull City Prep, 2:30
Corvian Community vs. Sun Valley, 4
Charlotte Lab Prep vs. Carolina Basketball Academy, 5:30
Winston-Salem Christian vs. Cardinal Newman (SC), 7
West Charlotte vs. Victory Christian, 8:30
Sunday
No games scheduled
