Thursday’s Basketball Rewind: North Meck holds off Panther Creek. Meck teams dominate
Heading into Thursday’s second-round playoff game with Cary’s Panther Creek High School, North Mecklenburg had not had a close game since beating West Charlotte 67-61 on Jan. 8.
The Vikings’ average winning margin in their past seven games was nearly 32 points.
So North Mecklenburg coach Duane Lewis wasn’t exactly surprised when the Vikings were down at halftime in a 76-70 win. He knew Panther Creek (13-2) was really good, and he knew his team had to overcome some bad habits it had picked up.
“That was the first time all year long we were down at halftime,” Lewis said, “but the guys listened to the adjustments we wanted to make and the things we wanted to do, and they stuck with our game plan.”
Down 41-38 at halftime, North Meck outscored Panther Creek 22-11 to get the lead back in the third quarter. In the fourth, Panther Creek made a rally, closing to within one score, but the Vikings, the reigning N.C. 4A champions, held on.
North Meck will host South Mecklenburg in Saturday’s state quarterfinal. South Meck upset Hough on the road Thursday.
▪ It was a big night for Mecklenburg County teams in 4A. Three of the final four teams in the west, in boys and girls, are from Charlotte.
On the girls side, reigning 4A state champ Vance beat Durham’s Jordan High 63-46. No. 12 seed Independence upset No. 4 seed East Forsyth 63-44, and Providence beat Cary’s Panther Creek 61-42.
Providence is going to the Elite 8 for the second straight season.
On the boys side, Ardrey Kell beat Durham’s Hillside High 79-54 and South Meck won.
THREE WHO MATTERED
▪ Daylen Berry, Panther Creek: Lewis said his assistants weren’t sure they’d ever seen a performance like the one Berry turned in the first half on North’s court. He finished with 27 points. Lewis said he was glad Berry, a Charlotte 49ers commit, cooled off some (Panther Creek’s Dylan Drinkwater had a team-high 28).
“Charlotte is getting a great player,” Lewis said.
▪ Jeremy Gregory, North Mecklenburg: 6-7 junior had 14 points, 20 rebounds, helping his team control the boards in the crucial second-half push.
▪ Chris Ford, North Mecklenburg: Davidson recruit had 23 points and eight rebounds.
“Jeremy and Chris were unbelievable,” Lewis said. “And I can’t say enough about Chris. People know he’s really good, but he’s so freaking good and he can guard and he’s a mismatch in high school.”
THEY SAID IT
“That was good for us. That is going to help us. There were a couple of times we did things out of character, because they had the lead. But it’s like, ‘Hey, fella, we’ve got 16 minutes left. Let’s settle in there. But this will make us a better team for Saturday and moving forward from there, if we are fortunate enough to win.” — North Mecklenburg coach Duane Lewis
Thursday’s scores, quarterfinal pairings
Thursday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Elijah Gray, Ardrey Kell: 20 points, 10 rebounds in a 79-54 win over Durham’s Hillside High. Peyton Gerald added 15 points, six rebounds for the Knights (8-0), who are in the regionals for the sixth time in 15 years.
Jeremy Gregory, North Mecklenburg: 14 points, 20 rebounds in a 76-60 win over Panther Creek. Chris Ford (23 points, eight rebounds), Jordan Crawford (19 points) and Davion Cunningham (16 points, three assists, three steals) had strong games.
Nyla McGill, Providence: 24 points, nine assists, six rebounds in a 61-42 win over Panther Creek as Providence (8-0) advanced to the girls Elite 8 for the second straight season.
Cole Seagle, North Lincoln: game-high 28 points in a 86-69 win over North Davidson. Jamarien Dalton had 40 for North Davidson.
Jessica Timmons, Independence: Mecklenburg County’s all-time public school scorer had 35 in a 63-44 win over East Forsyth. Independence, a No. 12 seed, upset No. 4 seed East to move to the Elite 8.
Thursday’s Roundup
4A BOYS
Millbrook 86, Fuquay-Varina 82 ... Redford Dunton’s 25 points and 10 rebounds helped the Wildcats (16-0) advance. Chris Daniels added 24 points for Millbrook. Darius Briley scored 21 for the Bengals (13-3), whose first-round victory Tuesday was the school’s first in a state playoff game in 25 years.
Apex Friendship 86, Richmond Senior 70 ... The Patriots (16-0) won behind Gabe Proctor’s 27 points. Proctor, who made five 3-point field goals, scored 22 points in the second half.
3A BOYS
Weddington 77, Central Cabarrus 60 ... Junior guard A.J. Cook scored 22 points and Chase Lowe added 20, as the Warriors improved to 15-0.
West Rowan 61, Cox Mill 52 ... The Falcons (14-1) advanced to a Saturday quarterfinal game against Crest, as Jalen Moss poured in 24 points.
2A BOYS
North Lincoln 86, North Davidson 68 ... Cole Seagle scored 28 points, as the Knights (14-2) advanced to the quarterfinals. Jamarien Dalton scored 40 for North Davidson.
2A GIRLS
Shelby 48, Salisbury 46 ... The visiting Golden Lions (16-0) got 12 points from Maraja Pas. Rachel McCullough scored 15 for Salisbury (14-2).
Thursday’s Boys Boxscores
ARDREY KELL 79, DURHAM HILLSIDE 54
Ardrey Kell 17 22 18 22 — 79
Durham Hillside 9 10 12 23 — 54
Ardrey Kell: Elijah Grey 20, Peyton Gerald 15, Knoah Carver 13, Kyle Hanchard 8, Evan Smith 7, Toni Akenyelu 6, Delani Hammond 2, Brock Rose 2, Camyl Witherspoon 2.
Durham Hillside: Jujuan Nicholls 17
Notable: Ardrey Kell defeats Durham Hillside in the Sweet 16 to advance to the regionals. This is the sixth time that Ardrey Kell has advanced to the regionals in school history. Elijah Grey leads all scorers with 20 points. Peyton Gerald chips in with 15.
LINCOLN CHARTER 80, CHATHAM CENTRAL 48
Lincoln Charter 19 19 25 15 — 80
Chatham Central 12 12 9 15 — 48
Lincoln Charter: Troy Fulton 20, Marcus Farley 14, Elijah Burnett 10, Sam Cogan 10, Seitz 7, Baich 7, Borden 6, Patel 3, Flowers 3.
Chatham Central: Moore 18, Cox 8, Crowley 8
Lincoln Charter 14-2
Notable: Elijah Burnett 10 pts, 9 assists, 11 rebounds, Troy Fulton 6-10 3-pointers made
NORTH LINCOLN 86, NORTH DAVIDSON 69
North Lincoln 20 24 24 18 — 86
North Davidson 11 16 21 19 — 69
North Lincoln: Cole Seagle 28, Jack Carter 19, Jack Waggoner 16, Samari Collins 13, Daniel Carter 8, Jake Terrill 2
North Davidson: Jamarien Dalton 40, Tedric Jenkins 13, Darian Green 7, mason Everhart 3, Sam Odum 2, JaMir McNeair 2, Travarius Moore 2
North LIncoln advances to round 3 of state playoffs.
NORTH MECKLENBURG 76, PANTHER CREEK 70
Panther Creek 23 18 11 18 — 70
North Mecklenburg 22 16 22 16 — 76
PC: Dylan Drinkwater 28, Daylen Berry 27, Amari Odom 10, Snell 3, Thompson 2
NM: Chris Ford 23, Jordan Crawford 19, Davion Cunningham 16, Jeremy Gregory 14, Waters 2, McClary 2
Notable: Jeremy Gregory 14 pts 20 rbs, Chris Ford 23 pts 8 rbs, Jordan Crawford 19 pts, Davion Cunningham 16 pts 3 ast 3 stl
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 49, HOUGH 46
Hough 6 7 6 27 — 46
South Meck 6 12 15 16 — 49
Hough: Graham Worland 12, Rashad McCormick 11, Shryock 9, Riehl 7, Viruso 6, Crawford 1
South Meck: Ferrante 20, Nesbit 9, Boswell 9, Rasul 4, Moye 3, Lose 2
Records: H - 7-2, SM - 6-
WEDDINGTON 77, CENTRAL CABARRUS 60
CENTRAL CABARRUS 60: C. Daniel – 17, J. Thompson – 14, A. Miller – 11, Bost – 9, Glover – 6, Bullock – 2, Daniel - 1
WEDDINGTON 77: A.J. Cook – 24, Chase Lowe – 20, Evan Morton – 13, Brock Bowen – 11, Wetherbee – 5, Frazier – 4,
Notable: Weddington (15-0) Junior PG Chase Lowe had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in the Warriors’ victory in the 2nd round of the 3A state boys playoffs.
Thursday’s Girls Boxscores
CARSON 48, CUTHBERTSON 40
Cuthbertson - 12 - 8 - 16 -4 -- 40
Jesse Carson - 20 - 13 - 9 - 6 -- 48
Cuthbertson - Maddie Dillinger 18, Reagan Iovino 14, Kendall Gallagher 2, Kamaria Sheriff 2, Amanda Sacoto 2, Ruby Williams 2
Jesse Carson - Colsie Perry 17, Hannah Isley 13, Ellie Willhelm 8, Carleigh Perry 8, Lani Isley 2
FREEDOM 70, ASHEVILLE 66
Asheville 12 16 8 30 - 66
Freedom 21 19 9 21 - 70
Asheville 66 - Emma Smith 20, Evangelia Paulk 19, Rucker 1, Hamner 3, Hill 9, Greiner 8, Watt 6, G. Smith.
Freedom 70 - Danisha Hemphill 31, Stevee McGee 11, Walker 6, Rhone 6, Kania 8, Garrison 8, Armentrout.
Freedom will host Hickory in the Regional Semi-Finals on Saturday. Tip off is tentatively set for 3:00.
INDEPENDENCE 63, EAST FORSYTH 44
No. 12 Indy 19 10 14 20 — 63
No. 4 East Forsyth 9 12 12 11 — 44
INDEPENDENCE: Jessica Timmons 35, Carson 9, Milton 9, Breckenridge 4, Moss 4, Burgess 2
PROVIDENCE 61 PANTHER CREEK 42
PROVIDENCE 21 17 9 14 — 61
PANTHER CREEK 11 16 6 9 — 42
PHS: Nyla McGill 24, Eva Butler 2, Madison Skinner 13, Delanie Hill 14, Lindsey Nolan 8
PCHS: Barber 12, Reid 7, Tucker 3, Martin 2, Jordan 7, Pierson 11
Notable: Nyla McGill also add 9 assists and 6 rebounds to her 24 points. Delanie Hill with 4 assists and 4 for 7 from 3. Madison Skinner also with 3 triples.
Records: Providence: 8-0, moves on to the final 8 for the second straight year in the NCHSAA playoffs
SOUTH CALDWELL 47, LAKE NORMAN 45
Lake Norman 11 13 6 15—45
South Caldwell 7 14 16 10—47
LAKE NORMAN 45—Reilly 2, Lowe 2, Lewis 9, Madison Saunders 12, Harwood, Marks 8, Robinson 1, Aly Wadkovsky 11
SOUTH CALDWELL 47—Propst 3, Olivia Miller 19, Anderson 4, Jackson, Syd Austin, Katlyn Wynn 14, Heavener, Faith Curtis 7
Records: South Caldwell 8-6 (2-0)
WEST STOKES 59, NEWTON-CONOVER 41
Newton-Conover 17 5 4 15 = 41
West Stokes 13 11 20 15 = 59
NEWTON-CONOVER 41 -- Grace Loftin 18, Jayla Woods 11, Cassidy Geddes 7, Emma Fox 3, Monet Wilson 2
WEST STOKES 59 -- E. Santoro 18, H. Spainhour 17, S. Cockenham 8, B. Spanhour 8, H. Brcusten 5, H. Davis 3
Records: Newton-Conover 15 - 1; West Stokes 13 - 0
