Tuesday’s girls’ high school basketball rewind: No. 2 Catholic edges No. 1 Independence
Charlotte Catholic All-America senior forward Blanca Thomas said her team was especially focused in Tuesday’s 50-48 win over Independence.
The Cougars were No. 2 in The Observer’s Sweet 16 regional poll. Independence was No. 1, and the winner would get a leg up in the Southwestern 4A conference race.
The stakes, Thomas said, were high.
“Game prep was pretty serious coming into this game because we knew we were No. 2 (in the Observer Sweet 16),” said Thomas, a UNC signee and a McDonald’s All-American game candidate. “We knew coming into it we had to play hard every second and that every possession mattered.”
Thomas was huge for Catholic all night. She connected on three 3-point baskets along with her dominant presence in the paint. She finished with 26 points.
“I don’t know how you guard her when she is hitting threes,” Cougars’ coach Robert Conrad said. “Today she really played like a senior. The moment didn’t get too big for her. The physicality didn’t get to be too much for her. I thought she stepped up and got that feeling when it was time to take over.”
Thomas’s first 3-pointer of the game was banked in. Coming back down the court she gave a slight shrug and grimace. But, seeing it go in led to a bunch more falling.
“I just knew I had to keep shooting,” Thomas said. “(My trainer) Randall (Clark) has been on me about ‘You have to look to score.’ So, I needed to show I’m a threat and what I’ll be able to do at the next level, also. Being able to work all three aspects of my game into it was very important.”
Besides getting their star going, Charlotte Catholic’s goal was to limit touches by Independence four-star guard Kamryn Kitchen. The Cougars did a good job of that in the second half, when Kitchen only scored 3 points.
“Not a lot of people have the size that we do,” Thomas said. “I really feel like we have height at every position. That is definitely an advantage for us. Independence has some great guards so it was a really tough match-up overall.”
Thomas hit two free throws at the end of the game to take a 2-point lead with 9.2 seconds left. One final great defensive possession by the Cougars ended the game.
“I told (the team) there in that last timeout that if we get the last shot we are going to win the game,” Conrad said. “So, I’m just glad we took care of it for 48 seconds.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Blanca Thomas, Charlotte Catholic: Thomas’s 26 points is what will jump out on the stat sheet, but her presence inside altering shots was what was key for the Cougars. When the Patriots were able to find a way into the paint, Thomas was right there to help alter the shot.
Kaylee Carson, Independence: Carson finished the game with 20 points, leading the Patriots. Her 9 points in the fourth quarter helped lead a comeback. Independence tied the game late.
Kamryn Kitchen, Independence: Despite it not being her best scoring performance, Kitchen did have 12 points and a handful of assists in crucial moments. A nice behind the back pass led to a game tying layup under two minutes to go.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Charlotte Catholic (6-0) will host Rocky River at 6 p.m. on Dec. 15 while Independence (7-1) will travel to Garinger, also at 6 p.m. on Dec. 15.
Tuesday’s #BIG5 top performers
Makailah Davis, South Mecklenburg: Davis had 23 points, six assists, five steals and five rebounds in a 69-24 win over Berry.
Misa Garris, Garinger: The 2022-23 Charlotte Observer freshman of the year had 31 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and three assists in a 67-37 win over East Mecklenburg.
Lenise Joesph, North Mecklenburg: Joseph finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks in an 81-18 win over Harding.
Ally Smith, North Lincoln: Smith finished with 33 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists in a 78-71 win over South Iredell.
Blanca Thomas, Charlotte Catholic: Thomas made two free throws with under 10 seconds left to lift her team to a 50-48 win at No. 1 Independence. Thomas, an All-American signed to North Carolina, finished with 26 points.
Tuesday’s box scores
NO. 2 CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 50, NO. 1 INDEPENDENCE 48
Catholic 20 13 11 6 — 50
Indy 13 11 12 12 — 48
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 50 — Blanca Thomas 26, Fava 5, McKain 5, Kernodle 5, Gough 4, Shea 3, McArdle 2
INDEPENDENCE 48 — Kaylee Carson 20, Kamryn Kitchen 12, Worthey 5, H. Moss 4, Brown 4, C. Moss 3
Records: Catholic 6-0, Independence 7-1
NO. 5 MALLARD CREEK 95, HOPEWELL 7
Mallard Creek 38 24 23 11 — 96
Hopewell 4 3 0 0 — 7
MALLARD CREEK 96 — Elle Stone 23, Lili Booker 18, Olivia Robertson 11, Jazmeen Stone 10, Easterling 8, McGuire 5, Campbell 4, Tendall 2, Hennegan 4, Horne 3, Young 2, Biosse 6
HOPEWELL 7 — Wallace 4, Osborne 3
Notable: Mallard Creek junior Elle Stone (23 points, 12 steals, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks), senior Lili Booker (18 points, five steals, two assists), junior Olivia Robertson (11 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists, two blocks) and sophomore Jazmeen Stone (10 points, five steals, three rebounds, two assists) had big games for the Mavericks (7-2, 2-0 Queen City 3A/4A).
NO. 6 MYERS PARK 67, PALISADES 39
Palisades HS 10 8 11 10 — 39
Myers Park 12 18 19 18 — 67
PALISADES 39 — J. Abdullah 12, T. Simpkins 11, Chavis 3, Macho 5, Brown 2, Young 3, Hightower 3
MYERS PARK 67 — Laura Lassiter 15, Reese Wilson 12, Evelyn Jimenez-Willis 14, Jerin Truesdale 12, Barner 6, Evers 1, McDaniel 6, Thomason 1
Records: Palisades - 4-4 (1-1); Myers Park - 8-0 (1-0)
NO. 9 NORTH MECKLENBURG 81, HARDING 18
Harding 2 8 2 6 — 18
North Meck 31 14 19 17 — 81
HARDING 18 — Da. Garris 11, Reaves 4, Chapman 3
NORTH MECKLENBURG 81 — Sahley Reid 18, Morgan Knox 16, Lenise Joesph 16, Hoover 5, Rowe 5, Rivera 4, Davis 4, Leach 4, Johnson 4, Pimental 2, Fullenwider 2
Record: N. Meck 6-2, Conf. 2-0.
Notable: North Meck plays at Mallard Creek Friday. Mariah Fullenwider and Zion Pimentel had five assists each Tuesday.
NO. 13 MARVIN RIDGE 39, NO. 11 ARDREY KELL 37
Marvin Ridge 14 12 4 9 — 39
Ardrey Kell 9 8 4 16 — 37
MARVIN RIDGE 39 — Ella Chepul 12, Kiley Lenahan 10, Kate Schindler 7, Cadence Douglas 4, Kelsie Robitaille 3, Lanie Edwards 3
ARDRY KELL 37 — Burns 14, Washington 10, Glahn 5, Fleck 11, McCoy 2, Keenan 2
Notable: Ella Chepul finished with a double double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
BUTLER 58, PROVIDENCE 52
Butler 7 11 16 24 — 58
Providence 15 7 16 14 — 52
BUTLER 58 — J. Park 12, C. Hasson 9, A. Williams 3, B. Saunders 26, T. Stitt 8
PROVIDENCE 52 — L .Nolan 18, D. Hill 15, M. Whitten 6, J. Skinner 6. I. Hall 4, Z.Brooks 3
Record: Providence 2-5
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF DAVIDSON 44, LINCON CHARTER 37
Lincoln Charter 3 10 11 13 — 37
CSD 6 10 11 17 — 44
LINCOLN CHARTER 37 — Symphani Stevens 9, Kallie Lusk 8, Claire David 8, Martha Guinle 5, Tyler Beller 3, Taylor Riggenbach 2, Brenna Barbier 2
CSD 44 — Tyles 18, Regan 11, Oliva 10, Molly 3, Ally 2
Notable: LCHS had a rough shooting night, losing a conference game against their rivals. Symphani Stevens lead LCHS with 9 points followed by Kallie Lusk and Clarie David with 8 points a piece. LCHS plays at Langtree Charter Friday.
Records: Lincoln Charter 4-4 (1-1 conf.)
GARINGER 67, EAST MECKLENBURG 37
Garinger 16 18 17 16 — 67
East Meck 11 11 10 5 — 37
GARINGER 67 — Misa Garris 31, Donzo 8, Kelly 7, Dillard 5, Mitchell-Williams 7, Patterson 3, Garvin 4
Notable: Garinger’s MIsa Garris had 31 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and three assists. Garinger (8-1, 1-1 Southwestern 4A) hosts Sweet 16 No. 1 Independence Friday.
NORTH LINCOLN 78, SOUTH IREDELL 71
North Lincoln 18 18 18 24 — 78
South Iredell 8 14 30 18 — 71
NORTH LINCOLN 78 — Ally Smith 33, Addison Grice 16, Hailey Hagler 12, Karr 8, A. Black 7, M. Black 2
Records: North Lincoln 6-1; South Iredell 2-6
Notable: Grice had 16 points, six assists; Hagler added 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 69, BERRY 24
South Meck 22 19 11 17 — 69
BERRY 2 8 5 9 — 24
SOUTH MECK 69 — Makailah Davis 23, Brown 15, Hensley 11, Williams 6
BERRY 24 — Parker Breelove 9, Green 7
Notable: Makailah Davis led all scorers with 23 points 6 assists 5 steals and 5 rebounds. She also shot 50 percent from the field. Hensley and Brown combine for 12 steals holding Berry to 33 percent shooting from the field.
Records: South Meck 4-3. Berry 1-8
WEST CHARLOTTE 75, WEST MECKLENBURG 24
West Meck 5 5 8 6 — 24
West Charlotte 18 25 19 13 — 75
WEST MECKLENBURG 24 — M.Marshall 4 , A.Thompson 6 , S. Brown 6 , A. Meadows 5 , T.Dawkins 3 .
WEST CHARLOTTE 75 — Chakira Generette 18 , La’Tayshia Andrews 8 , Kenya Grier 11 , Amari Brown- Hood 9 , Tionna Galloway 9 , Paige Bowman 10 , Roniya Siimmons 8 , Kendra Raymond 2.
WEDDINGTON 62, PARKWOOD 37
WEDDINGTON 62 — Madison Motto 16, Caroline Clark 12, Ella Bergman 12, Page 7, Poole 7, Townshend 5, Sitren 3
Notable: Junior Madison Motto led the Warriors with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Freshman guard Caroline Clark knocked down four three pointers along with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Senior Ella Bergman scored 11 and added five rebounds, three steals and three assists. Junior Emerson Townshend had 13 rebounds.
Record: Weddington 5-3, Parkwood 2-4
PHOTOS: Charlotte Catholic at Independence
Monday’s box scores
NO. 11 ARDREY KELL 41, CUTHERTSON 38
Cuthbertson 17 8 7 6 – 38
Ardrey Kell 14 7 9 11 – 41
CUTHBERTSON 38 — Christian Mundy 19, Christian Johnson 7, Ava Beals 6, Riley Willie 2, Amayah Rogers 2, Riley Howell 2
ARDREY KELL 41 — Molly Burns 14, Skylar Fleck 13, Karly Glahn 8, Bryson McCoy 4
Records: Cuthbertson 3-6 (0-0)
NO. 13 MARVIN RIDGE 57, PROVIDENCE 49
Providence 12 9 13 15 — 49
Marvin 18 12 11 20 — 57
PROVIDENCE 49 — Delanie HIll 25, Marlee Whitten 5, Julia Skinner 6, Lindsey Nolan 6, Isabella Hall 5, Noelle WIlliams 2
MARVIN 57 — Jenny Brigs 3, Kylie Lenathan 11, Lanie Edwards 2, Kelsie Robitaille 2, Ell Chepul 11, Kate Shindler 19, Kate Sheridan 4, Cadence Douglas 5
HIGHLAND TECH 35, BRADFORD PREP 27
HIGHLAND TECH 35 — A. Taylor 9 A.McCraw 8 B.Maiers 6
BRADFORD PREP 27 — R.Felicino 14 A.Delgado 5
Records: Highland Tech 6-1, Bradford Prep 4-3
Notable: Highland Tech’s Addie McCraw had 18 rebounds in the win.
Wednesday’s schedule
Western Foothills 3A
North Lincoln at Statesville
Nonconference
Charlotte Elite Academy at Comenius School (SC) (boys)
Charlotte Lab Academy at Queen’s Grant Charter (boys)
Combine Academy Regional at Oak Hill (VA) Regional (boys)
Corvian Community at Gray Stone Day (girls)
East Rutherford at Mountain Island Charter
Piedmont at Rocky River
Pine Lake Prep at Charlotte Latin
West Iredell at Bunker Hill
S.C. nonconference
Charlotte Elite Academy at Comenius School (boys)
Chester at Buford
Clover at Gaffney
Nation Ford at Indian Land
