Friday’s Rewind: MJ Collins sees résumé grow as Westminster Catawba’s wins a title
Friday night, Westminster Catawba School, No. 3 in the Sweet 16, did something it has never done:
It won its first conference championship.
Westminster finished the regular-season with a 68-56 win over Metrolina Christian. And it ended Metrolina’s seven-game win streak, an impressive run that had included four wins against Sweet 16 teams.
It also left Westminster at 12-1 overall, 5-1 in the Metrolina Athletic Conference, tied with Concord Academy. Westminster and Concord Academy didn’t play this season -- both games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols -- but Westminster beat third place Metrolina twice, and Metrolina beat Concord Academy 61-47 last week.
The league coaches will have a conference call Saturday to determine the No. 1 seed for next week’s conference tournament, and it probably should be Westminster, but whether it’s No. 1 or No. 2, these are some history-making times at the Rock Hill school.
In coach Ed Addie’s first year at the school, Westminster Catawba had its first 20-win season and its first winning season going back as far as anyone could remember.
This year, 6-4 junior MJ Collins has started to become a star. Friday night, Collins had 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
He’s still probably the best player you haven’t heard of. Bouncy and athletic, Collins averages 21 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. Better, he’s doing something rarely seen at the high school, college or professional levels:
He’s shooting better than 50 percent from the field, better than 40 percent from 3-point range and better than 90 percent from the free throw line.
Officially, it’s 61 percent from two-point range, 46 percent from 3 and 91 percent at the line.
“He’s very under-the-radar,” Addie said. “A lot of (coaches) are calling about him and everybody that calls wants to see him in person. But he’s been so big for us. We lost one game all year, to Northside Christian. We beat (Sweet 16 No. 2 Cannon School). I think we’re trending in the right direction, and if there’s a player of the year in this conference, I truly believe it should be MJ Collins.”
Addie said Presbyterian has offered Collins, and schools like Virginia Tech, Charlotte and Appalachian State are showing heavy interest.
Addie said a deep playoff run would only enhance his burgeoning reputation.
“Like I said, on any given night, MJ Collins is the best player in our conference,” Addie said. “Is my opinion biased? Probably. I see him every day. But no one has had an answer for him. He’s without a doubt our most valuable player, and without him we would not be tied for first place in this conference.”
Friday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Maggie Andrews, Maiden girls: 33 points in a 59-44 win over Lake Norman Charter.
Zaria Clark, Gaston Day girls: career-high 35 points in a 46-45 win over Comenius. In the game, she scored her 2,000th career point.
Callahan Reed, Lake Norman Charter: 6-1 senior point guard had 18 points, 10 assists, five steals and three rebounds in a 76-60 win over Maiden. In his past five games, Reed is averaging 18.2 points, 7.8 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Teammate Oliver O’Brien had a career-high 25 points, the second time in the past few days he’s set a new career high.
Reigan Richardson, Cannon School girls: 31 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists in a 66-23 win over Covenant Day.
Saniya Wilson, Kings Mountain girls: Scored her 1,000th career point in a 66-47 win over Hunter Huss. She had 26 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals Friday.
Friday’s Boys Boxscores
NO. 2 CANNON SCHOOL 74, COVENANT DAY 67
Cannon-15-14-20-25 -- 74
Covenant 9-24-16-18 -- 67
CANNON SCHOOL 74 -- Jarvis Moss- 19, DJ Nix- 18, Deuce Rolle-14, Christian Reeves- 14, Elijah Ormiston-4, Austin Swartz-3, Karon Boyd-2
COVENANT DAY 67 -- Aden Holloway-23, Marcus Brown-20, Daniel Nelson- 8, Michael Marcus- 8, John Ward- 4, Britt Anderson- 2, Ifeanyi Ufochukwu- 2
NO. 3 WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 68, METROLINA CHRISTIAN 56
Westminster: 17 - 21 - 10 - 20 - 68
Northside: 7 - 13- 16 - 20 - 56
Westminster: M.J. Collins, 17, Richard Black III 21, A.Hoyle 5, L. Heckaman 6, A.J. Hamrick 15, R.Petiote 4
Metrolina: Harold 18, Johnson 11, Deluca 10, Harrist 8, Clark 4, Maul 4, Wilson Jr. 3
Westminster Notable: Westminster 5-1 in the MAC Conference and 12-1 overall. Currently #3 in the Charlotte Observer Sweet 16. Next game will be TBD in the MAC Conference Tournament Tuesday, FEB 9.
Metrolina Notable: Senior Night: Sr. Blake Harold 18pts (6 threes), 3stls; Sr. Camden Johnson 11pts, 10rbs, 3asts, 2stls; Fr. Dylan Deluca 10pts, 4rbs, 3blks
SOUTHLAKE CHRISTIAN 69, NO. 12 CONCORD ACADEMY 65
SouthLake 16 13 18 22 69
Concord 11 8 20 26 65
SOUTHLAKE 69 -- JR Proctor 16, Mu Moore 12, Micah Handlogten 14, Christian Monroe 19, Duguid 6, Watson 2
CONCORD ACADEMY 65 -- Cannady 9, Johnson 2, Benham 27, Feane 10, Threatt 13, Miric 4
Notable: SouthLake had 5 players in double figures and shot 53% for the game.
NO. 16 LINCOLN CHARTER 89, HIGHLAND TECH 36
Lincoln Charter 89 Highland Tech 36
Lincoln Charter 24 26 27 15 -- 89
Highland Tech 15 10 8 4 -- 36
LINCOLN CHARTER 89 -- Sam Cogan 17, Troy Fulton 14, Marcus Farley 10, Carter Seitz 10, Andrew Baich 10. Avery Bordon 10, Flowers 5, Patel 3, Bruce 3, Crichton 1, Cooke.
HIGHLAND TECH 36 -- Foster 10, Moore 8, Whittled 7, Jenkins 2, Patten 4, Hairsten 2
Records/Notable: Lincoln Charter 10-0 Overall 9-0 Conference. Lincoln Charter had 6 players in double figures
ALEXANDER CENTRAL 65, ST. STEPHENS 34
St. Stephens 9 10 5 10 -- 34
Alexander 18 15 21 11 -- 65
ST STEPHENS 34 - Reid 4, Barkley 6, JI Ikward 12, Anderson 5, McPherson 2, Woy 3, Wall 2
ALEXANDER CENTRAL 65 -- Herman 4, Lowrance 6, Hubbard 3, Avery Cook 13, Evan Presnell 18, Abernathy 5, G. Presnell 3, Payne 2, Sigmon 7, Stubbs 2, Beck 2
CHRIST THE KING 64, THOMAS JEFFERSON 57
TJC 16 10 14 17 57
CTK 19 15 12 18 64
CTK-Lebeau 13, Hendershott 16, Steed 15, Stanley 12, Filiault 8
TJCA- Camper 15, Hicks 21, Prescott 5, King 8, Watkins Jr 8
Notable: Andrew Hendershott led Christ the King with 16 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Dylan Steed added 15 points and 5 rebounds. Steven LeBeau added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Andre Stanley added 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and 5 blocks
FREEDOM 66, WATAUGA 64
Watauga: 10 14 08 32 = 64
Freedom: 18 19 10 19 = 66
Freedom: Daylin Pritchard 17, Philly Harris 11, Ledford 3, Drew Costello 10, Zaydin Pritchard 15, Pitman 6, Rice 4
Watauga: Ben Hale 11, Bennett Ricker 17, Everatte 4, Leon 6, Jonah Martin 14, Collins 2, Morrison 2, Ward 6, Shirley 2.
Freedom 2-3 (2-2) play next v. McDowell on Saturday (2/6) 1pm
NORTH LINCOLN 57, EAST LINCOLN 48
North Lincoln 7 21 17 12 57
East Lincoln 14 5 14 15 48
North Lincoln- Cole Seagle 24, Jack Carter 13, Samari Collins 4, Dan Carter 4, Jack Waggoner 4, Connor Carson 3, Seth Whitley 2, Jake Dedmon 2, Jake Terrill 1
East Lincoln- L. Craig 12, J. Jones 12, D. Bean 12, M. Clark 4, A. Gust 3, T. Mizzell 3
Notable: Jack Carter scored his 1,000th career point
PINE LAKE PREP 66, QUEENS GRANT 43
Pine Lake 17 19 7 23 66
Queens Grant 1 19 6 17 43
PLP - Cole Callaway 13 Trace Forest 12 Jack Baldwin 11 Patrick Schwaba 11 Harper 7 Foley 6 Timmerman 3 Tekampe 2 McLeod 1
QG - Jeremiah Wooten 10 Joel Taylor 10 Watkins 9 L. Covington 7 Smith 6 J. Covington 1
Pine Lake 8-1. 1st in the PAC-7
PORTER RIDGE 63, MOORESVILLE 51
Porter Ridge 17- 15 -9- 16 -- 63
Mooresville 15-6-16-11 -- 51
PORTER RIDGE 63 -- Greg Wenger-22 Kyler Harris- 12 Sean Rose -11 CJ Anthony-8 Aaron Hough-8
MOORESVILE 51 -- K Shaw- 21 A.Ezhilan-4 C.Herring -9 P.Broadway-6 L.Kennedy 1J.wise-smith -3 K.Howell- 4 J.Howell-1
FORT MILL 68, NATION FORD 39
Nation Ford: 5, 9, 15, 10 -- 39
Fort Mill: 18, 17, 18, 15 -- 68
Nation Ford 43 -- Chris Roberts 6, Vinny Orlandi 9, Ben Mills 1, Jackson Burnham 11, Q Hand 10, Albert Nguyen 2
Fort Mill 68 -- Jackson Fewster 5, Kyle Neibch 3, Zach Jennings 7, Reed Fanta 19, Daniel Penosky 12, Wade Blythe 2, Gabe Topper 2, Carson Timberlake 4, Vincent Carnevale 3, Miller Shouse 4, Brandon Wingo 7
Overall Record: Nation Ford 1--11. 5A Region III: 0--4
Friday’s Girls Boxscores
NO. 2 NEWTON-CONOVER 64, WEST LINCOLN 46
Newton-Conover 6 23 16 19 = 64
West Lincoln 15 5 13 11 = 46
NEWTON-CONOVER 64 -- Emma Fox 18, Cassidy Geddes 15, Grace Loftin 15, Mia Powell 6, Jayla Woods 6, Hannah Watkins 4,
WEST LINCOLN 46 -- Chloe Norman 16, Farrah Richardson 14, Caroline Robinson 8, Morgan Chapman 6, Brook Beddingfield 2, Zoey Owensby, Anna Biebenich
Records: Newton-Conover 10 - 0; West Lincoln 4 - 6
NO. 12 CANNON SCHOOL 66, COVENANT DAY SCHOOL 23
Cannon School 14 18 14 19- 66
Covenant Day School 10 2 6 6 - 23
Cannon School 60- Reigan Richardson 31, York 6, Wood 6, Hicks 6, Galloway 6, Cherry 6, Dickerson 3, Thompson 2
Covenant Day School 23- Houseton 8, Hailey 6, Giftos 3, Easter 2, Holloway 2, Koulovatos 2
Records: Cannon School 13-5 (7-0 CISAA); Covenant Day School 5-9 (1-6)
Notes: Reigan Richardson 31 points, 10 Rebounds, 10ast
ALEXANDER CENTRAL 67, ST. STEPHENS 32
St. Stephens 5 9 7 11 -- 32
Alexander 26 14 20 7 -- 67
ALEXANDER CENTRAL 67 -- Gracie Harrington 22, Nikki Hagy 13, Reid Pennell 3, Stikeleather 7, Hayes 3, McDaniel 4, Taraban 3, Reid 2, Jarrett 5, Herman 5
ST STEPHENS 32 -- Reid 4, Moulton 2, Pilkenton 8, Turner 4, McGlamery 9, Spatz 5
ARBORBROOK CHRISTIAN 75, UNITED FAITH 56
United Faith 21, 13, 11, 9 -- 56
Aborbrook 16,18, 20, 21 -- 75
UNITED FAITH - - Josie Hester 47, Madelyn Bronson 5, Sophie Sharp 4,
ARBORBROOK -- A. Thrash 18, P Collins 15, R. Sutte 14, T. Thrash 11, E. Rimiller 8, A Phibbs 7, M Owen 2
Notables: Game tied at half. Josie Hester scores 47 points and pulling down rebounds and played at point majority of the game
BANDYS 61, LINCOLNTON 30
BHS - 21 12 19 9 = 61
LHS - 12 5 9 4 = 30
BHS: Logan Dutka 25, Cailyn Huggins 11, Macy Rummage 7, Caroline McIntosh 7, Hope Clements 6, Kate Dutka 2, Liz Carpenter 2, Olivia Little 1
LHS: A. Hough 10, M. Sand-Odom 9, E. Rhyne 7, M. Ross 4
Records: BHS Lady Trojans: Conf. 6 - 4.
CENTRAL ACADEMY 48, ANSON SR. 31
ANSON 7 5 11 8 -- 31
CATA 11 10 15 12 -- 48
Anson Jyanna 13, Dyimond 6, Malyasia 4, Zykeriah 3, Mallory 3,
CATA Zoie Jordan 29, Gamble 5, Studer 5, Smith 5, Kempf 4, Butler 1
Records: Anson 1-7 1-7; CATA 4-5 2-5
DAVIDSON DAY 70, STATESVILLE CHRISTIAN 26
Davidson Day 17 21 20 12 -- 70
Statesville Christian 4 8 9 5 -- 26
Davidson Day -- Mallorie Haines 28, Ashley Fowler 14, Jessie Wiles 14, Juliana Park 9, Callie Pestana 3, Hannah Higbea 2
Statesville Christian -- G. Cole 7, B. Bentley 7, A. Sherrill 6, J. Statts 4, J. Vaughn 2
Davidson Day notable: Mallorie Haines led with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Ashley Fowler and Jessie Wiles both chipped in 14 points. Ashley grabbed 4 rebounds and 3 steals, while Jessie added 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Juliana Park scored 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
EAST LINCOLN 51, NORTH LINCOLN 27
NLHS: 4 6 10 7- 27
ELHS: 12 14 13 11- 51
NLHS: Ashlyn White 18, H. Klein 4, A. Read 2, A. Cada 2, L. Stump 1
ELHS; Ginny Overbay 15, Taliyah Thomas 13, R. Ross 8, M. Self 6, M. Delgado 4, B. Eatmon 3, A. Hege 2
Noteables: Ginny Overbay 15 points 11 rebs, 6 steals, 2 asst. Taliyah Thomas 13 points, 2 rebs, 2 steals, 2 assists
GASTON DAY 46, COMENIUS 45
Gaston Day 8-9- 13-16-46
Comenuis 6- 17-11- 11-45
Gaston Day - Zaria Clark 35, Janiah Shular 7, McKynzie Mauney 4
Comenuis - J. McClure 13, B Swann 10, B. Sanders 9, L. Toscano 5, Z. Pimentel 4, S. Lucas 2, K. Pettus 2
Notable: Zaria Clark career high 35 points and reach 2000 points. Riley Chambers and Laura Mullins both drew charges. While McKynzie Mauney had 9 rebounds. Gaston Day Record 9-6. Starts MAC Tournament on Tuesday, February 9, 2020
KINGS MOUNTAIN 66, HUNTER HUSS 47
KM 21. 12. 24. 9. --66
HH 7. 11. 9. 20. -- 47
KINGS MOUNTAIN 66 -- Saniya Wilson 26 pts, 6 reb, 8 assists, 4 steals; Khalia King, 17 pts, (4 3s); Aaliyah Byers, 11 pts, 7 reb, 4 blocks; Kennedy Barnes, 7 pts, 4 reb; Andrea Melton, 3 pts, 2 steals; Brooke Ferree, 2 pts 2 reb, 2 steals
HUNTER HUSS 47 -- Jamya Daniels 16 pts, Caitlyn Pettis 8 pts, Trinity Swann 5 pts, Lanadia Adams 3 pts, James Love 2 pts, Kenedi Armstrong 2 pts
Notable: Saniya Wilson reached her 1000 career point at KMHS as a junior. (Photo attached). She had reached 1000 career points last year, 283 were scored as an 8th grader playing varsity at Gaston Day. KM improves to 8-1 (7-1 Big South 3A). Will play at Forestview on Monday and at Ashbrook on Tuesday.
LINCOLN CHARTER 49, HIGHLAND TECH 29
LCHS 06 20 13 10 -- 49
CVHS 06 07 09 07 -- 29
LCHS 49 -- Lauren Horton 18, Maddie Wootton 12, Tyler Beller 8, Haleigh Henson 6, Vanessa Cespedes 2, Makayla Futrell 2, Olexa King 1
HTHS 29 -- A. McCraw 17, W. Whitesides 5, A. Seltun 3, C. Michaels 2, R. Thomas 2
Notable: Lauren Horton continues her streak, this season, of 9 straight games with double digit scoring. Freshman Olexa King got her first HS basket. LCHS goes 6-0 in the past two weeks placing them in 1st place of the Southern Piedmont 1A Conference.
MAIDEN 59, LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 44
LNC 6 19 10 9 -- 44
MHS 17 13 18 11 -- 59
LNC 44 – Kailyn Kilpatrick 12, Alese Kerr 11, Brooklin Leak 9, Julia Zelando 6, Jade Taylor 4, Caroline Donaldson 2
MHS 59 – Maggie Andrews 33, Lanie Hentshel 9, Marley Mingus 7, Kennedy Noble 6, Morgan Bohemier 4
ROCK HILL 44, NORTHWESTERN 31
RHHS 09; 13; 12; 10 = 44
NWHS 08; 08; 06; 09 = 31
ROCK HILL 44 -- Laila Hankerson 18, Makayla Street 6, Katie Reed 5, Alyssa Hankerson 3, Gracie Wilson 3, Ashlee Creque 3, Madison Burgess 3, Airez Fobbs 2, De’Ashaj Crawford 1
NORTHWESTERN 31 -- McKenzie Evans 7, Alayah Ervin 7, Darby Grigg 6, Jada Murphy 4, Elena Mahony 2, Lainey Chitwood 2, Megan Hamilton 2, Dekayla Star 1
LATE THURSDAY
DAVIDSON DAY 82, DURHAM MOUNT ZION 43
Davidson Day 21 17 23 21 -- 82
Mount Zion 6 11 10 16 -- 43
Davidson Day -- Mallorie Haines 36, Ashley Fowler 16, Juliana Park 15, Jessie Wiles 13, Hannah Higbea 2
Mount Zion -- L. Monsalve 21, S. Barnhart 8, S. Brown 7, R. Hazell 5, J. Riggibee 2
Davidson Day notable: Mallorie Haines led with 36 points and 6 rebounds while Jessie Wiles logged a double-double with 13 points, 11 assists, and also 7 rebounds. Ashley Fowler added 16 points and 9 rebounds. Juliana Park contributed 15 points and 7 rebounds.
South Mecklenburg announces Hall of Fame
South Mecklenburg officially announced the opening of a Hall of Fame on campus. Nominations are now being accepted for the inaugural class.
Nominees must have graduated from the school at least 10 years prior to nomination or be a non-graduate who made “distinguished contributions” to the school or its community. Nominations can come from current or former staff and students, community members and the board of selectors.
And if you ask us, the first class should include at least some of these former stars:
▪ Basketball players Walter Davis, Bobby Jones, Lew Massey and former coach Dave Price, who helped the school to several state titles in the ‘70s. Girls basketball star Joy Cheek, who led the Sabres to a state title and was a McDonald’s All-American.
▪ U.S. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ricky Berens.
▪ Former Major League baseball players Stu Cole and Carlos Crawford.
▪ Football star Roman Phifer, a three-time Super Bowl champion along with 1981 state championship coach Jim Seacord and stars of that Sabres team: Steve Griffin and Kelvin Crooms.
Cannon School’s Jarvis Moss commits to PAC-12 School
Cannon School senior guard Jarvis Moss committed to Stanford Friday.
Moss, a 6-5 senior, is ranked No. 12 in North Carolina by 247 Sports. He had offers from schools like Buffalo, Furman, Penn and UNC-Greensboro.
This season, Moss is averaging 26 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. He is shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.
Cannon, No. 2 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, is 21-4 overall and 6-0 in the CISAA, after Friday’s win over Covenant Day.
NCHSAA moves state finals to high school campuses
For the first time in 40 years, the N.C. HIgh School Athletic Association state basketball championships will be held on high school campuses.
The NCHSAA announced Friday that this year’s state finals, scheduled for March 6, will be played at Providence Grove and Wheatmore High Schools.
The schools are in Randolph County, about an hours drive from uptown Charlotte.
The decision was made to pursue high school venues due to the lack of availability at college facilities because of COVID-19. In 1981, the NCHSAA moved the boys finals to the Greensboro Coliseum and the girls to Elon. In recent years, they’ve been held at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State.
Spectator attendance will be limited, due to the pandemic.
“We are very excited to host the NCHSAA State Championships at Randolph County School System facilities,” said Stephen Gainey, Superintendent of the Randolph County School System and NCHSAA Board of Directors member. “These events will be great opportunities to highlight our outstanding facilities and personnel while providing a championship level experience for the student-athletes and teams that advance to these State Championships.”
LAKE NORMAN CHRISTIAN TO FACE NATIONAL POWER SATURDAY
Two of the highest-ranked college basketball recruits in America will meet Saturday when Lake Norman Christian takes on national power Ypsi Prep Academy.
The game is set for 2 p.m. at the Davis Field House, on the campus of Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C.
The game’s top names will be Lake Norman Christian guard Mikey Williams, the No. 2-ranked player in this year’s sophomore class; and Ypsi Prep’s Emoni Bates, who is ranked No. 1 in the junior class and is a Michigan State commit.
But each team is loaded with other Division 1 recruits.
“We have a couple connections that helped set this up,” Lake Norman Christian coach Pat McCarthy said. “That enabled us to set up some big games.
“We actually had this game scheduled twice previously, but it got rescheduled.”
McCarthy’s Ospreys (15-5) lost 59-57 Tuesday night to United Faith Christian and will play Friday against winless (0-11) North Hills Christian.
Ypsi Prep (5-1), based in Ypsilanti, Mich., won its most recent game, last Sunday in Pennsylvania, and is ranked 12th this week nationally by Maxpreps.
“The organizers have done a great job of handling all the details,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, we’re really looking forward to this.”
Bates, a 6-8 forward, is averaging a team-high 26.2 points a game. Javaughn Hannah, a 6-4 junior guard, is second in scoring with 10.8 points a contest.
Williams is averaging 21.2 points a game. But the Ospreys are more than a one-player team. Trey Green, a 5-9 sophomore guard, has scored more than 20 points twice this season and is a distance-shooting threat. And the Ospreys will try to counter Ypsi Prep’s inside strength with 7-0 center Jonathan Kurtas and 6-9 forward Adam Allenspach.
Attendance at the game will be limited to 1,200, which is 40 percent of the listed 3,000-seat capacity.
The contest will be televised live online.
-- Steve Lyttle
Saturday’s schedule
CISAA
Charlotte Christian at Charlotte Latin (girls), noon
Charlotte Country Day at Providence Day (girls), noon
Northwestern 3A-4A
Alexander Central at South Caldwell (boys, 1)
McDowell at Freedom (boys, 1)
South Piedmont 3A boys
Concord at Central Cabarrus, 3
Cox Mill at A.L. Brown, 11:30 a.m.
Foothills 2A
Draughn at Hibriten (girls, noon; boys, 1:30)
Western Highlands 1A-2A
Mountain Heritage at Avery County (girls), 2
Nonconference
Asheville School at Charlotte Latin (boys), 2
Carmel Christian at Greensboro Day (girls), 1:30
Carolina Prep at Greater Cabarrus Stallions (boys), 5:30
Charlotte Elite Academy at HA Prep (boys), 2
Christ School at Charlotte Christian (boys), 1:30
Lake Norman Christian vs. Ypsi Prep (MICH), at Greenville, S.C. (boys)
National Christian at Liberty Heights (boys)
University Prep at Combine Academy (boys)
Victory Christian at Trinity Collegiate (girls, 2; boys, 3:30)
Woodlawn School at Sanford Grace Christian (boys), 2
