I-Meck boys' tennis all-conference team

All-Conference Team

Matt Alexander (Hopewell)

Brian Andersen(Hopewell)

Jeremy Anderson (Hopewell)

Collin Black (North Meck)

Jake Combs (Mooresville)

Erik Conley (Mooresville)

Matt Crisp (Lake Norman)

John David Curlis (Hopewell)

Kenny DeHart (North Meck)

Jeremy Dennis (Vance)

Drew Harmon (Lake Norman)

Kyle Richardville (North Meck)

I Meck 4A - Coach of the Year

William Connelly (North Meck)

NCHSAA votes to shorten football, basketball seasons

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep Insiders:

CHAPEL HILL-- The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors concluded its two-day spring meeting on Wednesday.
A number of items were discussed by the Board that had been recommended by a sub-committee which has studied travel, length of seasons and cost containment issues. Those items included the following:
--To play 11 regular-season football games in 11 weeks (including the Endowment game, which is optional), rather than the current 11 games in 12-week format. The Endowment game would be dropped for seeding purposes, starting with 2011-2012 academic year
--Reducing length of winter sport season by one week for competition, but still starting winter sports season practice on November 1, starting with 2010-11 academic year
-- To add to the football seeding process the "pod" format, which means schools would be grouped into four different sections (East, Mideast, Midwest, West), effective with 2010-11 academic year, to help reduce some of the longest trips that occur under the current format

--To allow an "opt-out" declaration for schools who wish not to enter NCHSAA playoffs, with a form that would be signed by athletic director, principal and superintendent and must be submitted by an established deadline prior to the release of the brackets in that sport, effective with 2010-11 academic year

Other actions of the Board included:

--Approved wrestling state championships for a three-day event, with one specific classification to wrestle on Thursday night
--Approved additional weekly combination for scheduling of one tri match and one tournament in wrestling
--Approved holding 2010-13 NCHSAA state cross country championships in Kernersville at Beeson Park
-- Recommend approval if school does not pay outstanding fine by two days before the reporting deadline for a sport, it cannot play in playoffs in that sport, to go in effect academic year 2010-11; if a school has any unpaid fines by June 30 following the academic year, its teams will not be able to participate in playoffs in any sport in the next academic year until fine is unpaid
--Eliminate mandatory use of NCHSAA-assigned clock operators for all second round and subsequent rounds of football playoffs; it is still optional for schools to use if they wish
--"Flagrant contact" will be added as a separate category to ejection policy, with the ejection penalty
--Approved move to six-man crews in NCHSAA football championships in 2010 as pilot program, all eight games

--Approved job title changes since the old job titles from the University are not necessarily applicable anymore and the new titles more accurately reflect the work being done, effective June 1, 2010
--Increase the mileage allotment, lodging and meal allowance for schools in championships in a number of different sports
--Adjust revenue shares to return more to schools; for sectional basketball share for NCHSAA, reduce to 15% to parallel other sports and could help eliminate some deficit games; for volleyball championships: 60% to NCHSAA, 40% to schools, makes volleyball consistent with other sports
--Approved new employee policy and procedures manual for NCHSAA with some editorial changes
--Approved of executive director's contract from June 7, 2010 to June of 2013

-- NCHSAA

Hopewell, North Meck make tennis dual state playoffs

Two I-Meck teams, Hopewell (15-2)and North Meck (6-4), made the state's dual team tennis playoffs. Both teams will start playing tomorrow.

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep Insiders:

Prep tennis rankings and state pairings
DUAL TEAM TENNIS PAIRINGS
4A
First Round Tuesday, May 4th
South View (12-2) at Wilmington Hoggard (14-2)
Southeast Raleigh (11-5) at Pinecrest (14-4)
Scotland (9-2) at Terry Sanford (12-2)
Wilmington New Hanover (14-7) at Clayton (16-0)
Cary (11-6) at East Chapel Hill (16-4)
Raleigh Millbrook (17-2) at Green Hope (17-0)
Jack Britt (12-4) at Raleigh Broughton (20-1)
Apex (15-2) at Durham Jordan (11-3)
Western Guilford (8-5) at Sun Valley (6-6)
Mount Tabor (11-2) at Southwest Guilford (13-1)
Ardrey Kell (9-3) at Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds (14-2)
Ragsdale (14-4) at Greensboro Grimsley (9-3)
South Mecklenburg (11-4) at Charlotte Myers Park (13-0)
North Mecklenburg (6-4) at Charlotte Olympic (7-6)
Watauga (14-2) at T.C. Roberson (8-6)
Charlotte Providence (8-2) at Hopewell (15-2)
3A
D.H. Conley (12-4) at Currituck County (7-5)
Southern Nash(15-2) at South Brunswick (13-3)
Eastern Wayne (13-2) at Rocky Mount (12-2)
Union Pines (15-1) at South Central (15-3)
Chapel Hill (11-6) at Charles B. Aycock (15-0)
Northern Guilford (14-2) at Ledford (16-3)
Asheboro (13-4) at Western Alamance (14-2)
Southern Lee (9-2) at Cardinal Gibbons (18-4)
Statesville (10-2) at J.M. Robinson (15-0)
North Iredell (8-5) at Charlotte Catholic (9-3)
Hickory Ridge (12-2) at Marvin Ridge (12-2)
Concord (12-7) at West Rowan (14-1)
Freedom (8-5) at Forestview (11-1)
Patton (12-4) at Hickory (12-4)
Crest (9-7) at Asheville (15-1)
North Buncombe (16-2) at Franklin (13-4)
2A
Tarboro (14-5) at First Flight (10-1)
Whiteville (7-5) at Topsail (13-3)
Croatan (11-3) at West Bladen (12-6)
Edenton Holmes (11-5) at Greene Central (13-5)
Durham School of the Arts (9-8) at North Johnston (9-1)
Reidsville (11-1) at Fairmont (13-1)
Northeastern (9-5) at Jordan-Matthews (11-2)
Roanoke Rapids (12-4) at Northwood (11-6)
Cuthbertson (7-2) at Salisbury (15-2)
North Stanly (10-6) at Wheatmore (8-4)
North Lincoln (8-2) at Shelby (13-2)
West Davidson (9-4) at West Stanly (10-4)
Trinity (9-4) at Newton-Conover (21-0)
Owen (10-6) at Wilkes Central (13-2)
Polk County (13-4) at Brevard (14-0)
Maiden (16-3) at West Stokes (11-4)
1A
Williamston (5-5)- BYE
Gates County (7-3)-BYE
Dixon (7-3)-BYE
Bear Grass (6-3) -BYE
Ayden-Grifton (11-3) at North Carolina School of Science and Math (15-0)
West Columbus (1-15) at Pender County (4-6)
Goldsboro (2-4) at South Robeson (2-6)
Raleigh Charter (12-3) at Rosewood (10-1)
East Montgomery (16-0)-BYE
Albemarle (6-4) at Monroe Central Academy (10-6)
Challenger (6-5) at North Moore (7-3)
Monroe (1-8) at Highland Tech (10-4)
Hendersonville (13-0) - BYE
East Wilkes (14-4) at Bishop McGuinness (9-5)
Elkin (15-0)-BYE
Mount Airy (12-2)- BYE
4A COACHES POLL
Rank School Points
1 RJ Reynolds 91
2 Raleigh Millbrook 90
3 Raleigh Broughton 89
4 Myers Park 66
5 Green Hope 58
6 Wilmington Hoggard 55
7 East Chapel Hill 32
8 Wilmington New Hanover 30
9 Charlotte Providence 15
10 Ardrey Kell 11
Also receiving votes: Apex (9), Hopewell (2), Watauga (2)
3A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Cardinal Gibbons 77
2 Charlotte Catholic 68
3 Chapel Hill 66
4 Western Alamance 46
5 Southern Nash 44
6 Asheville 40
7 C.B. Aycock 24
8 Marvin Ridge 22
9 North Buncombe 17
10-T Rocky Mount 13
10-T Union Pines 13
2A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Newton Conover 60
2 Salisbury 50
3 Greene Central 43
4 First Flight 36
5 Topsail 33
6 Maiden 29
7 Shelby 17
8 Edenton Holmes 14
9 Reidsville 13
10 Tarboro 9
1A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Mount Airy 49
2 NC Science and Math 45
3 Hendersonville 40
4 Highland School of Technology 33
5 Elkin 32
6 Raleigh Charter 23
7 East Montogomery 22
8 Bishop McGuinness 15
9 East Wilkes 9
10 Albemarle 3
Other Receiving Votes: Ayden-Grifton (2), Rosewood (1), North Moore (1)
Also receiving votes: Wilkes Central (7), Roanoke Rapids (6), DSA (5), Northwood (4), West Stokes (3), Brevard (1)
Also receiving votes: Northern Guilford (4), Eastern Wayne (3), Patton (2), Hickory (2), South Central (1)

Big baseball games moved to tonight

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep insiders:

Tuesday's driving rain and thunderstorms postponed two huge Meck County baseball games. They will be played tonight.

At Hopewell, the Titans (13-6, 6-2) and Mooresville (10-6, 6-2) lead Mallard Creek (14-7, 6-3) and North Meck (11-6, 5-3). Mooresville plays at Hopewell for first place tonight. North Meck is at Mallard Creek.

North Meck's boys, Hopewell's girls make inaugural N.C. lacrosse playoffs

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep insiders:

NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

2010 Lacrosse Championships


Boys First Round Matchups – Friday, April 30 (games must be played by Friday. Unless listed, call home school for date/time)

Kill Devil Hill First Flight Flight (4-8) at Wilmington Hoggard (12-4)

Carrboro (10-5) at Holly Springs (13-2)

Durham Riverside (8-6) at Wilmington Ashley (11-6)

Raleigh Enloe (7-7) at Apex (11-3)

Cary Green Hope (11-4) at Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (17-0)

Chapel Hill (9-5) at Raleigh Broughton (11-4)

Hillsborough Cedar Ridge (7-7) at Durham CE Jordan (12-3)

Apex Middle Creek (8-7) at East Chapel Hill (16-0)

Kernersville Bishop McGuinness (7-5) at Greensboro Page (11-3)

Western Alamance (9-5) at Northwest Guilford (14-0)

Greensboro Grimsley (9-4) at Winston-Salem RJ Reynolds (14-1)

Charlotte Ardrey Kell (8-6) at Hickory (5-6)

Winston-Salem Mount Tabor (7-7) at Lake Norman (14-2)

Southeast Guilford (8-5) at Charlotte Myers Park (14-1)

Pfafftown Ronald Reagan (7-5) at Charlotte Catholic (13-3)

Charlotte Providence (11-3) at North Mecklenburg (8-2)



Women’s First Round Matchups – Friday, April 30


Wilmington Hoggard (14-1), bye

Raleigh Broughton (8-6) at Apex (13-1)

Cary Green Hope (14-1), bye

Wilmington New Hanover (7-6) at Wilmington Ashley (14-2)

Raleigh Wakefield (10-4), bye

Raleigh Athens Drive (9-5) at Wilmington Laney (10-4)

East Chapel Hill (12-1), bye

Chapel Hill (7-6) at Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (9-6)

Western Guilford (14-0), bye

Huntersville Hopewell (8-4) at Waxhaw Marvin Ridge (9-4)

Watauga (8-5), bye

Northern Guilford (7-6) at Greensboro Page (10-4)

Charlotte Myers Park (12-2), bye

West Forsyth (6-4) at Northwest Guilford (11-3)

Charlotte Catholic (14-2), bye

Charlotte Providence (7-7) at Lake Norman (9-2)

Hopewell, North Meck golf teams roll into regionals

The North Meck boys' golf team won the I-Meck golf tournament Tuesday afternoon by 11 strokes over Hopewell. The Titans and Vikings will both advance to regionals.

Hopewell's Logan Harrell and North Meck's Danny Pizetoski were named co-most valuable players of the conference.

The following players also made the all-conference team, automatically advancing to regionals.

All-Conference: Danny Pizetoski (NM), Logan Harrell (H), Conner Lewis (NM), David Sargent (H), Norm Krise (Lake Norman), Luke Robbins (Mooresville), Dillan Schaffer (H), Ryan Abbott (NM).

Lake Norman's Andrew Johnson also qualified for regionals as an indvidual.

 

Mooresville upsets Lake Norman in softball

After 14 straight wins to begin the year, the Lake Norman (14-1) softball finally lost a game to archrival Mooresville.

Margaret Whitehouse led the Blue Devils (6-2) getting the win on the mound with six strikeouts while collecting two hits including the go-ahead run.

Lake Norman softball team still perfect

The Lake Norman girls softball team is still perfect at 14-0, 5-0 in the I-Meck standings going into the second half of the season. The Wildcats, No. 7 in the state according to the N.C. Softball Coaches' Association, are hitting over .400 as a team at the plate.

Seven different batters are hitting above or around .400 including, Chloe Archer (.442), Shelby Bailey (.462), Stacey Houser (.467), Mariah McGuffey (.463), Kayla Pine (.486), Dominique Wilson (.488) and Arin Hall (.388).

Magic softball hits eight scholarships

The Magic softball organization, an all-star travel team based out of (North) Charlotte, now has helped eight of its nine regular players on the U18 team sign national letters of intent to play collegiate softball next season.

The Magic, founded by current Jay M. Robinson softball coach Jim Allen in 1996, currently has three teams from U16 to U18. The U18 has mostly been together since they were eight years old.

The following players have signed at their respective future colleges including:

P-1B Sara Allen (North Meck HS) - Winthrop University
C-P Lauren Beaver (North Davidson HS) - Winthrop University
1B-3B Shelby Holland (West Meck HS) - Newberry College
OF Megan Mabes (Robert B. Glenn HS) - Surry Community College
OF Andreya O'Brien (Ashbrook HS) - Lees McRae
SS-OF Chelsea Varner (Starmount HS) - Mars Hill
(3B Camry Wagner (Robinson HS) - UNC Wilmington
OF Katie Zavodny (Robinson HS) - Liberty

Hopewell's DeMon Brooks commits to Davidson

Hopewell senior forward DeMon Brooks has committed to Davidson and will sign next week.

The 6-foot-8 forward, also the I-Meck conference player of the year, will join Titan teammate Jordan Downing as a Wildcat.

Brooks, who originally committed to Howard, was released from his commitment when the Bison's coach Gil Jackson was fired last month.

Hopewell senior forward Bryce Hawkins committed to Lenoir-Rhyne while Titan point guard Earl McLaurin was accepted to the Naval Prep Academy prep school.


--Langston Wertz, Jr.

Davidson Day hires football coach

The football era at Davidson Day School has officially begun as Chad Grier has been named the first head football coach in school history. The former East Carolina University football standout comes to Davidson Day following a two-year stint as offensive coordinator at Southlake Christian Academy.

“We conducted a national search for this highly important position, only to find that the ideal candidate was right in our back yard,” Davidson Day Headmaster Bonnie Cotter said. “Chad is an exceptional mentor of children, a man of high integrity, and is extremely passionate about football. He’s a perfect fit.”

Grier brings a wealth of experience to Davidson Day, on both the high school and college landscape, as a player and a coach. Prior to arriving at Southlake, Grier was an Offensive Assistant Coach at Charlotte Latin (2004) where he also starred as an all-state quarterback under local coaching legend, Larry McNulty (1986).

"I am very excited and honored to be part of such a great school,” said Grier. “Davidson Day is a first class school; from the headmaster, to the faculty, and to the students. And my immediate goal is to bring the school a first class football program."

A local native of Charlotte, N.C., Grier’s collegiate career began at the University of Richmond where he started at quarterback as a freshman. Grier later transferred to East Carolina University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. While at East Carolina, he played under nationally known coaching figures, Kevin Gilbride and Mark Richt. Gilbride is currently the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants and Richt is currently the head football coach at the University of Georgia. Grier makes it clear that he plans to use the qualities that he learned from these coaching legends and implement them to the DDS football program.

“I have been blessed with the opportunity to learn the game from some of the most knowledgeable and inspirational men I have ever met, none more so than (Charlotte Latin coach) Larry McNulty, whom has been like family to me for 25 years. We will model our program in the image of what he has built at Charlotte Latin, and our immediate term goal is to work hard every day to earn that type of consistent success for our students and our entire community.”

Grier is married to his wife Nila, and has three sons: Will 15; Nash 12; and Hayes 9.

--Davidson Day press release.

MVP Performers

Two of the North Neighbors best basketball players showed they were amongst Charlotte’s best at the Charlotte Pro-Am All-Star Classic last weekend (March 27). Hopewell’s DeMon Brooks had 24 points to lead the East squad to an 84-82 victory. Brooks, a 6-foot-8 senior, was named MVP for his performance.

North Meck’s Lauren Lewis had a similar day for the East girls’ team, who won 80-72 in overtime. Lewis was named MVP for her team after scoring 15 points, including back-to-back three-pointers to open the overtime period.

North Meck track quartet sets record

The North Meck 1600-meter relay team set a 29-year old record last weekend (March 27) at the Queen City Relays at Myers Park High School. The relay squad, which included Briana Brazile, Lindsey Lang, Alexis Jordan and Trikeria Johnson broke the record set in 1981 (by Menchville HS (Va.), with a time of 3:59.16. The same quartet also won the 800-meter relay run.

Lake Norman softball off to perfect start

The Lake Norman softball team is a perfect 11-0 (4-0 I-Meck) this season, and have dominated nearly every team in their path, outscoring their opponents 102-14. The Wildcats, led by head coach Bob Hall, have notched their two biggest victories in the last two weeks, beating I-Meck rivals North Meck and Hopewell. After beating the Vikings 1-0, Lake Norman scored five runs in the 7^th inning to for an improbable comeback win over the Titans to take sole possession of first-place in the I-Meck.

Eddie, Larsen, Wright named all-state

Three Lake Norman/Cabarrus County area players were named to the Associated Press all-state basketball this week after helping their teams to standout seasons.

Lake Norman senior forward Paul Larsen, who helped lead the Wildcats to their first state title in school history, was an all-state selection. Larsen, who will continue his career at Mercer next season, was also MVP of the state championship game.

Cannon's Jarrell Eddie was also an all-state AP selection. Eddie, who will play basketball at Virginia Tech next season, averaged nearly 25 points this season and score well over 2,500 points in his Cougar career.

East Lincoln's Lindsy Wright was the only female from the area named to the all-state squad. Wright, a senior who will play at Wake Forest next season, averaged 21 points and nine rebounds per game for the Mustangs and led her team to a SPC tournament title.

Hough High to hold booster club meeting

William A. Hough High School, which is scheduled to open in Cornelius next fall, will be having an athletic booster club meeting at Bailey Middle School in Cornelius on Tuesday, March 30 at 6:30 pm in the Media Center.

Davidson Day names new boys' soccer coach

Davidson Day School has selected Josh Wagner as its new head boys soccer coach. The former collegiate soccer standout comes to Davidson Day following a stint as head coach for the North Mecklenburg boys' junior varsity soccer team (2008-2010), where the team finished last season with an impressive 21-8-1 record.

“There are few teachers and coaches who are more engaged in the Lake Norman youth athletic community than Josh Wagner,” Davidson Day Athletic Director Kevin Buechler said. “He is a rising star in scholastic soccer at the high school, middle school, and youth levels. So many of our elementary aged students know and love Mr. Wagner for his teaching. We are extremely excited to see him build a program based on integrity, diligence, and a passion for the game.”

When it comes to soccer, Wagner is a very popular figure in the Lake Norman area. In addition to his coaching duties at North Mecklenburg, he is also the head boys soccer coach at Bailey Middle School, where he started the program from the ground up (2006-present). He also is a recreation coordinator for the Town of Davidson Parks and Recreation, where he plays a key role in facilitating soccer camps throughout the year (2006-present)

"Words cannot explain how excited I am to join the Davidson Day family. To finally begin my dream of running a varsity program; with my philosophy of the game, and applying it at such a high level of play,” said Wagner. “I have been waiting for this position for two years now. The timing is perfect, and the potential of this soccer program has no boundaries."

With soccer being a clear passion for Wagner, it wasn’t the only factor that attracted him to Davidson Day. “What attracted me the most to Davidson Day was the philosophy of the school and the passion for not just athletics, but also academics. The opportunity to have full support from the administration is something I couldn’t ignore. I live in this community, and have a vested interest, so what better way to continue to impact this community in such a positive way and to mold future leaders than to be at Davidson Day School.”

A native of Rochester, NY, Wagner earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education from Baptist Bible College (Clarks Summit, PA) in 2003. While at Baptist Bible College, he was a four-year starter for the men’s soccer team. During his junior and senior year, he led the team to an East Regional Championship.

Davidson Day hires new girls' basketball coach

Former Davidson Wildcats guard Jessica Mitchell was named the head girls basketball coach at Davidson Day Tuesday, March 9. The former Davidson basketball standout comes to Davidson Day following a stint as an assistant coach for the Wingate University Women’s Basketball program (2009-2010).

“Anyone who watched Davidson athletics in recent history knows what a fierce competitor Jessica Mitchell is and what an exceptional leader she is on and off the basketball court,” Davidson Day Athletic Director Kevin Buechler said. “She learned from some of the best coaches in the area in Wingate coach Barbara Nelson and Davidson College coach Annette Watts. We are thrilled to add such a talented young coach and exceptional role model to our Patriot coaching family.”

Mitchell brings a wealth of experience to Davidson Day, on both the Division I and Division II college landscape, as a player and a coach. Prior to arriving at Wingate University, Mitchell was a Graduate Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Augusta State University in Augusta, GA (2008-2009).

"I am very excited to be taking my first head coaching job at Davidson Day School. I feel as though I have learned a lot over the last six years, both as a player and as a college coach, and I am ready to bring some of that experience to the program and DDS,” said Mitchell. “It's a tremendous opportunity."

In addition to having the chance to head a basketball program, another factor in Mitchell’s decision was the opportunity to come back home to Davidson.

“I really enjoyed my four years at Davidson College, athletically and academically," she said. "I found that after I left this area, I could really appreciate how incredibly special it was. The relationships that I established here have continued to be staples in my life, even after my college career was over. I feel blessed to be back to the place that I still identify as "home." There really is no other place like it.”

Davidson Women’s Basketball Coach Annette Watts had this to say on the hiring of Jessica Mitchell: "I think the young women of Davidson Day are in for a learning curve, great time and exciting basketball. Jessica was a fundamental player and I know she will be a fundamental coach. I cannot wait to watch the girls’ basketball program grow.”

A native of Wilkesboro, N.C., Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Davidson College in 2007. While at Davidson, she was a three-year starter for the women’s basketball team. During her senior year, she was elected team captain and led the team to a 23-9 record; the best in school history.

--Davidson Day press release

Lake Norman wins state title

By Langston Wertz Jr.

Charlotte Observer.

Lake Norman won its first state boys' basketball championship Saturday courtesy of a furious finish.

The Wildcats beat previously unbeaten Fayetteville Sanford 63-46 at Reynolds Coliseum. Sanford, which tied its lowest point total of the season, scored only 15 points in the second half. Sanford scored five points in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs (31-1) led 39-34 with 1 minute, 39 seconds to go in the third quarter, but was outscored 29-7 the rest of the game.

Sanford shot only 27 percent in the second half and made just 5-of-13 free throws.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Lake Norman coach Brandon Jolly, whose team finished the season at 25-3. "It's something special. These guys have worked so hard. They deserve it and I'm so proud of them."

Jolly's team started the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run, running out to a 50-41 lead with 3:54 to play. Sanford managed only six shot attempts the rest of the way, making only two.

"We're all very disappointed," Sanford coach Bill Boyette said. "However, when I look at what these young men and our basketball team has done for Terry Sanford High School and what it's done for our community, I somehow ... smile. "

Sanford got 13 points and five rebounds from point guard Chris Wilson and 11 points and 7 rebounds from Robert Carpenter.

Lake Norman was led by 20 points and three rebounds from senior guard Reggie Price and 18 points and 8 rebounds from championship MVP Paul Larsen.

Price said the difference in the game was an adjustment his team made at halftime, going to a pressure defense they call "50 Plus."

"They really started getting fidgety," Price said, "and they started turning the ball over. As soon as they did, I thought we had them."

Sanford's Boyette said he was disappointed that his team missed five straight free throws late in the third quarter and early in the fourth as Lake Norman was pulling away.

"We missed on some critical possessions," he said, "and this was stunning to me, but we had three straight defensive possessions where I'm not so sure we knew who we were guarding. That never happens to us. I thought that was the difference in the game."

South Point wins East Lincoln girls' soccer tourney

East Lincoln High School hosted the third annual Andy Kosmala Memorial Soccer Tournament last week, featuring teams from South Point, Salisbury, South Iredell and East Lincoln.

The tournament raised money for St. Judes Childrens Hospital in honor of Andy Kosmala, the bother of one of East Lincoln's senior varsity players Emily Kosmala, who passed away three years ago with brain cancer at just 12 years old.

Thanks to sponsors Little Ceasers of Denver, National Property Inspectors, A2Z Solutions and News at Norman, this year the tournament has raised approximately $1000 to be donated to St Judes.

South Point was crowned the champions after winning all three matches.

Scores:

South Point 2, Salisbury 1
East Lincoln 1, South Iredell 1

South Point 3, South Iredell 1
East Lincoln 0, Salisbury 3

South Point 2, East Lincoln 0
Salisbury 2, South Iredell 2

Offensive MVP: Madison Kennedy, Salisbury.
Deffensive MVP: Kaelee Scruggs, South Point.

All-Tournament Team:

Rebekka Glass, East Lincoln
Kasi Benskin, East Lincoln
Aaliyah Jackson, South Iredell
Ashlyn Pierce, South Iredell
Karen Presnell, Salisbury
Whittney Brown, Salisbury
Sierra Davis, Salisbury
Molly Fisher, South Point
Meredith Levy, South Point
Shannyn Holder, South Point
Rebecca Ludwig, South Point

Mustang soccer players sign letters of intent

East Lincoln girls' soccer players Kasi Benskin and Rebekka Glass each signed letters of intent to play soccer in the fall at Erskin College and Pfieffer College, respectively, on Feb. 11.


Benskin is a four-year varsity starter at East Lincoln and is a senior captain of this year's team. She was an all-conference and all region player both her sophomore and junior years.

Benskin was a member of the gold medal West Team at the 2009 N.C. State Games. She has recieved a combination of athletic and academic scholarships totaling over $20,000 to play soccer for Erskin College next fall.

She is the only fall 2010 recruit for Erskin and is expected to make an immediate impact on her team. Last spring Benskin scored 20 goals and had eight assists for the Mustangs, helping lead them to the state quarterfinals and a No. 8 ranking in 2A. Benskin played her last year of club soccer for the Charlotte Soccer Academy's U-18 premier squad coached by Lee Horton.


Glass is a four-year varsity starter at East Lincoln and is in her second year as captain of the Lady Mustangs. She was an all-conference player her freshman, sophomore, and junior years, all-region her sophomore and junior year and all-state her junior year.

Glass played for the West Team in the N.C. State games in both 2008 and 2009. She has recieved a combination of athletic and academic scholarships totaling approximately $28,000 to play soccer for Pfieffer College next fall.

Glass was recruited by numerous colleges and is excited to have found a fit with Pfieffer. Last spring, she was named the conference player of the year with 13 goals and 18 assists. Rebekka played her last year of club soccer for the Charlotte Soccer Academy's U-18 Region 3 Premier squad coached by Brad Wild and Dan Dudley.

Hopewell, Lake Norman win I-Meck match

Hopewell's Logan Harrell finished second overall and led his team to a tie for first-place with Lake Norman in the squad's first I-Meck match this season.

Harrell, the No. 1 golfer in the state and No. 38 golfer in the nation (his age group) according to golfweekly.com, shot a 36 for the Titans. Harrell is committed to play golf for South Carolina next season.

Meanwhile, Lake Norman's Zac Stevens had the top individual score with a 31 to help his team tie Hopewell at the top.

North Meck's Sean Priester led the Vikings with a 41.

Hopewell beat Lake Norman, wins HLC tennis tournament

The Hopewell boys' tennis team breezed throught the Huntington Learning Center (HLC) Invitational Saturday and Sunday to take their first title in three-year history of the event.

The Titans blanked Crest (9-0) and then handled 3A defending state champion Lake Norman (7-2) to win the HLC title in dominant fashion. Hopewell got four wins each, including two singles and two doubles matches, from Brian Andersen, Tyler Roberts and CJ Rapp. The Titans' John David Curlis and Jeremy Anderson won three times in four matches.

Lake Norman had won the first two HLC titles beating Hopewell in the finals both times.

Lake Norman to play in state title game

The Lake Norman boys basketball team has had its best season in school history.

Saturday night, they could make it even better as the Wildcats (25-3) take on undefeated Sanford High at 7:30 in Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

Lake Norman beat West Charlotte 82-73 in overtime last Saturday to move into the finals for the first time ever. The Wildcats were led by regional MVP Reggie Price, who scored 25 points, including 13 of his team's 16 points in the extra period.

Senior Paul Larsen added 20 point and 13 rebounds to power the Wildcats over the Lions.

Lake Norman, who is doing all of this in their first season in class 4A, went 25-2 last season before losing to Concord in the sectional finals.

Hopewell to host tennis invitational

The Hopewell boys' tennis program will host the third annual Huntington Learning Center Invitational on March 5-6. The invitational will have a four-team dual-match format, with two matches being played on Friday. The winners of these matches will play Saturday morning at 10 am to determine the champion, with the other two teams playing for third place.

Hopewell will host Boiling Springs Crest in the first match. The second match will feature last season’s 3A state champion Lake Norman and Raleigh Athens Drive. Both of these matches will begin at 4 p.m. Friday. The winners/losers will play the following day at 10 a.m. to determine the overall tournament champion. Lake Norman is the two-time champion of the HLC Invitational.

For more information, log on to http://pages.cms.k12.nc.us/hopewellmenstennis/

Huntington Learning Center Invitational

Friday, March 5: Both Matches begin at 4:00 pm.

Match A: Hopewell versus Boiling Springs Crest

Match B: Lake Norman versus Raleigh Athens Drive

Saturday, March 6: Both Matches begin at 10:00 am.

First place: “Winner A” versus “Winner B”

Third place: “Loser A” versus “Loser B”

All matches will be played at Hopewell High School.

Belfield, Bremner and Sullivan invited to Carolina Challenge

Cannon School junior Keith Belfield is among the 80 North Carolina high school basketball players hand-picked to participate in Dave Teleps Carolina Challenge, to be held Saturday, March 27 at Cary Academy in Cary, N.C.

North Mecklenburg juniors Carlin Bremner and Bernard Sullivan will also attend.

Now in its fourth year, the Carolina Challenge is the signature event for the state’s top players. Only the best freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have been chosen for this invitation-only, one-day academy that showcases the talent in the state and emphasizes what it means and takes to become a college basketball player.

Players will be divided into eight teams of 10 players each for scrimmages, and will also attend skill sessions conducted by Denny Kuiper, a former Michigan high school coach and academic advisor for the Marquette University basketball program.

Here is the full list of players:

JUNIORS (CLASS OF 2011)

1 Wykevin Bazemore Windsor NC Bertie

2 H. Keith Bellfield Concord NC Cannon School

3 Deuce Bello High Point NC Westchester Academy

4 Devince Boykins Forest City NC East Rutherford

5 Carlin Bremner Huntersville NC North Mecklenburg

6 Marcus Burton Charlotte NC Butler

7 John Cannon Burnsville NC Mountain Heritage

8 Bishop Daniels Raleigh NC Word of God

9 Jacoby Davis Charlotte NC West Charlotte

10 Chad Frazier Charlotte NC Metrolina Christian

11 Anthony Gill Charlotte NC Charlotte Christian

12 P.J. Hairston Greensboro NC Dudley

13 Tabarris Hamilton Winston Salem NC West Forsyth

14 Donta Harper Winterville NC South Central

15 Demarcus Harrison Arden NC Christ School

16 Tony Kimbro Arden NC Christ School

17 Jacob Lawson Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

18 Travion Leonard Durham NC Kestrel Heights

19 Tony Menton Charlotte NC Waddell

20 Quincy Miller Winston Salem NC Quality Education Acad.

21 James Milliken Siler City NC Jordan-Matthews

22 Jacquise Moore Concord NC Concord

23 Michael Neal Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

24 Ike Nwanu High Point NC Westchester Academy

25 Reggie Perkins Greensboro NC Western Guilford

26 Keynan Pittman Burgaw NC Pender

27 Marshall Plumlee Arden NC Christ School

28 Tyler Poole Hickory NC Hickory

29 Jervon Pressley Charlotte NC Waddell

30 Marquis Rankin Charlotte NC Vance

31 Jaleel Roberts Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

32 Tyquan Roberts Jamestown NC Ragsdale

33 Paris Roberts Charlotte NC United Faith

34 Jordan Robertson Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

35 Aaron Roundtree Wilson NC Beddingfield

36 Jerome Seagears Red Springs NC Flora McDonald

37 Jackson Simmons Smoky Mountain NC Smoky Mountain

38 Worth Smith Charlotte NC Charlotte Christian

39 Anthony Stitt Charlotte NC Butler

40 Bernard Sullivan Huntersville NC North Mecklenburg

41 Mike Thorne Fayetteville NC Trinity Christian

42 Mike Tyson Kinston NC Kinston

43 Dezmine Wells Raleigh NC Word of God

44 Terry Whisnant Cherryville NC Cherryville

45 Anthony Williams Whiteville NC Waccamaw Academy

46 Terrence Williams Charlotte NC West Mecklenburg

47 Chris Wilson Fayetteville NC Terry Sanford

Sophomores, Class of 2012

1 Montay Brandon High Point NC Wesleyan

2 Adam Coble Greensboro NC Northwest Guilford

3 Justin Cousin Graham NC Graham

4 Reggie Dillard Greensboro NC Dudley

5 Carlton Ford Fayetteville NC Westover

6 Torian Graham Durham NC Hillside

7 Rob Grey Forest City NC East Rutherford

8 Xavier Griffin Greenville NC Oakwood School

9 Montarius Hall Charlotte NC Victory Christian

10 Julius Hamilton Charlotte NC West Charlotte

11 Montrezl Harrell Tarboro NC North Edgecombe

12 Terry Henderson Raleigh NC Neuse Christian

13 Madison Jones Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

14 Shawn Lester Mooresville NC Mooresville

15 Tyler Lewis Lewisville NC Forsyth Country Day

16 John McBeth Greensboro NC Northern Guilford

17 Josh Newkirk Raleigh NC SE Raleigh

18 Braxton Ogbueze Charlotte NC Vance

19 Carlos Rankins Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

20 Joseph Uchebo Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

21 T.J. Warren Durham NC Riverside

22 Quayshad Williams Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

Freshmen, Class of 2013

1 Marcus Bryan Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

2 Tyrek Coger Raleigh NC Upper Room Christian

3 Alerick Freeman Charlotte NC United Faith

4 Anton Gill Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

5 Isaiah Hicks Oxford NC Oxford Webb

6 Greg McClinton Winston Salem NC W-S Prep

7 Kennedy Meeks Charlotte NC West Charlotte

8 Rodney Purvis Raleigh NC Upper Room Christian

9 Quinton Ray Apex NC Middle Creek

10 Donte Reynolds Kinston NC Kinston

11 Jaquel Richmond Greensboro NC Dudley

12 Deion Robinson Winston Salem NC Mount Tabor

13 Patrick Rooks Charlotte NC United Faith

Cannon star named to All-NCISAA team

Cannon School senior Jarell Eddie was named to the All-NCISAA 3A team after Cannon made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Eddie was joined by teammate Keith Belfield, a junior, on the All-CISAA conference team.

The full teams:


GIRLS

ALL CISAA

Garland Austin—Latin
Nneka Awuruonye—PDS
Gigi Bailey—Christian
Christal Barnett—Christian
Cailan Howey—PDS
Tiffany Mitchell—PDS
Maryah Mayzak —Christian
Brittany Powell—CCDS
Janice Roberts—CCDS



2010 NCISAA 3A Girls All-State Basketball Team

Hannah Allgood - Senior - Forsyth Country Day School
NNeka Anuruonye - Senior - Providence Day School
GiGi Bailey - Freshman - Charlotte Christian School
Erin Bratcher - Senior - Ravenscroft School
Chelsea Douglas - Senior - Hickory Grove
Tiffany Mitchell - Sophomore - Providence Day School
Janice Roberts - Senior - Charlotte Country Day School
Erica Williams - Freshman - Rabun Gap School

BOYS

ALL CISAA

Keith Belfield Cannon
Richard Brown CLS
Jarell Eddie Cannon
Anthony Gill CCS
Wake Hamilton CCDS
Kevin Hickson PDS
Akil Mitchell CCS
Connor Sullivan PDS
Trent Walker CCS


2010 NCISAA 3A Boys All-State Basketball Team

Luke Davis - Senior - Ravenscroft School
Jarrell Eddie - Senior - Cannon School
Anthony Gill - Junior - Charlotte Christian School
Damarcus Harrison - Junior - Christ School
Tony Kimbro - Junior - Christ School
Tyler Lewis - Sophomore - Forsyth Country Day School
Akil Mitchell - Senior - Charlotte Christian School
Eric Smith - Senior - Christ School

Honeycutt, Thompson win individual state championships

Lake Norman's Harrison Honeycutt and Mooresville's Santonio Thompson won individual 4A state wrestling championships Saturday in Greensboro.

Honeycutt, the defending state champ in the 189-lb. class, won the 215-lb. weight class for his 104th straight win including a 50-0 record this year.

Meanwhile, Thompson won 135-pound 4A title for the first time.

Cannon's Glen Taylor gets 300th win

Cannon School’s first-round win in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) basketball tournament was especially sweet for head coach Glen Taylor. The Cougars (16-13) defeated Durham Academy 60-42 on Feb. 23, giving Coach Taylor his 300th career win.

Virginia Tech-bound Jarell Eddie led Cannon with 26 points while teammate Keith Belfield added 11. Coach Taylor will go for win number 301 when Cannon School faces third-seed Ravenscroft School (22-5) on Thursday, Feb. 25 at Greensboro Day School.

Taylor is in his first year as Cannon’s varsity coach. He came to Cannon from Christchurch School in Christchurch, Va., where he led its varsity basketball team to four consecutive Virginia Prep League championships during his five years as coach.

Prior to coaching at Christchurch School, Taylor spent six years as head varsity and junior varsity coach at Kerr Vance Academy in Henderson, N.C., during which he was a four-time Coastal Plains Independent Conference varsity basketball coach of the year. He began his coaching career at Lawrence Academy in Merry Hill, N.C., and received the Tarheel Independent Conference varsity coach of the year award twice during his four-year tenure.

Cannon School’s varsity basketball team was co-champion of the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) during the 2008-09 season, its first in the highly-competitive conference. In the three years prior to joining the CISAA, Cannon won three consecutive Metrolina Athletics Conference titles and won the NCISAA 2A state championship in 2006.

--Cannon School press release

SouthLake finishes fifth at state swimming meet

The SouthLake boys' and girls' swim teams both finished fifth at the NCISAA 1A/2A state swimming championships Monday.

Top SouthLake finishers include:

Third place, girls' 200-yard medley relay (Mattie Anderson, Taylor Wilson, Moriah Anderson and Taylor Harkey).

Second place, boys' 200-yard medley relay (Brian Davis, Michael Gonzalez, John Baker and Ryan Scott).

Taylor Wilson, third place girls' 200-yard IM, fourth place 100-yard breaststroke.

Brian Davis, fifth place boys' 200-yard IM.

John Baker, fifth place boys' 100-yard butterfly, fourth place 500-yard freestyle.

Fourth place, girls' 200-yard freestyle relay (Taylor Harkey, Moriah Anderson, Mattie Anderson, Taylor Wilson).

Fifth place, boys' 200-yard freestyle relay (Matt Belter, John Baker, Ryan Scott, Michael Gonzalez).

East Lincoln forfeits first round win

The East Lincoln Mustangs boys' basketball team was forced to forfeit their first round win in the 2A NCHSAA tournament and ended their season early because of a ineligible player.

Coach Neil Hodges said in an e-mail that a player's physical had expired on Feb. 12. The team was not aware of this until Feb. 23 (the day after their first round game) and self-reported the case to the NCHSAA.

The Mustangs (19-8, 10-4 Southern Piedmont Conference) beat East Burke 76-60 on Monday and would have advanced to play Berry Academy in the second round.

Berry beat East Burke 72-29 last night.

Hopewell falls in the second round

The Hopewell basketball team has fallen apart over the last three weeks. After looking like the team to beat in the state and earning No. 1 rankings in the Sweet 16 and the state for most of the season, the team lost three games and got knocked out of the second round of the state tournament.

The Titans lost 63-53 to a wild card Myers Park team that they beat twice earlier in the season. The upset once again prevented a third Hopewell v. Lake Norman matchup.

Vance gave Hopewell it's first loss toward the end of the regular season, then West Charlotte upset them in the semifinals of the I-Meck tournament, preventing a Hopewell v. Lake Norman final.

Read the full story about the game here.

Other results from around the area:

2A girls:

Salisbury 53, East Lincoln 36.

4A girls:

Lake Norman 53, Olympic 45.

Lake Norman will face Asheville Reynolds in the sectional finals Friday.

Hopewell 53, Porter Ridge 39.

Hopewell will host McDowell in the sectional finals Friday.

4A boys:

Lake Norman 96, West Mecklenburg 76.

Lake Norman will host Myers Park in the sectional final.

Myers Park 63, Hopewell 53.

Basketball first round results

Public schools played their first round games Monday and private schools played yesterday in the first round of the state tournaments. Here's how local schools did.

Girls

NCHSAA 1A West:

East Wilkes 74, Lake Norman Charter 53.

NCHSAA 2A West:

East Lincoln 62, TW Andrews 45.
The Mustangs will play at undefeated Salisbury tonight.

NCHSAA 4A West:

Olympic 46, North Mecklenburg 43.

Lake Norman 65, Sun Valley 47.
Lake Norman will play at Olympic tonight.

Hopewell 63, Providence 40.
Hopewell will play Porter Ridge tonight.

NCISAA 2A:

Carolina Day School 64, SouthLake Christian 38.

Boys

NCHSAA 4A West:

Hopewell 66, East Mecklenburg 59.
Hopewell will host Myers Park tonight.

Lake Norman 69, McDowell 63.
Lake Norman will play at West Mecklenburg tonight.

NCISAA 1A:

Davidson Day 78, Lawrence Academy 34.
Davidson Day will play United Faith on Thursday.

NCISAA 3A:

Cannon School 60, Durham Academy 42.
Cannon will play Ravenscroft Thursday.

Jordan Handy of East Lincoln wins regional title

East Lincoln's Jordan Handy won the 140-pound 2A Western Regional tournament this weekend. The team finished 14th at the regional with 45.5 points.

The top four wrestlers from each weight class will move on to compete at states.


103 Lbs:
1st: Ryan Lewis Owen 11 score: 10-8
2nd: Chad Stamey West Lincoln 11
3rd: Juan Vera North Henderson 9 score: 2-0
4th: Ian Canrobert Newton Conover 10
112 Lbs:
1st: Cody Roberts Madison 11 score: fall 1:34
2nd: German Ramirez North Henderson 11
3rd: Austin Edwards Owen 11 score: fall 2:08
4th: Ty Conant West Lincoln 11
119 Lbs:
1st: Nate Smith North Lincoln 11 score: fall 1:15
2nd: JJ Davis Madison 12
3rd: Jesse Poovey Maiden 12 score: fall 3:37
4th: Zackary Barber North Henderson 11
125 Lbs:
1st: BJ Tomlin East Burke 12 score: 12-4
2nd: Thomas Lunsford Bandys 11
3rd: David Sailors West Lincoln 10 score: 6-4
4th: Ben Reinhardt Newton Conover 12
130 Lbs:
1st: Jake Nelson North Lincoln 11 score: 2-0
2nd: Tyler Knopp Newton Conover 11
3rd: Brandon Hicks Bunker Hill 11 score: 5-3
4th: Emory Greer Lincolnton 12
135 Lbs:
1st: Enrique Vera North Henderson 12 score: 9-5
2nd: Ricky Shelton Madison 10
3rd: Matt Wooten West Caldwell 10 score: 2-0
4th: Austin Setzer Newton Conover 12
140 Lbs:
1st: Jordan Handy East Lincoln 12 score: 8-2
2nd: Seth Ratchford Bandys 11
3rd: John Luke Sapp Owen 10 score: 5-4
4th: JC Ray Madison 11
145 Lbs:
1st: Taylor Barber West Lincoln 12 score: 5-1
2nd: Felix Soto Shelby 12
3rd: Randy Ortega Newton Conover 12 score: fall 2:25
4th: Stephen Pressley Pisgah 12
152 Lbs:
1st: David Middleton Madison 12 score: Inj
2nd: Henry Bustle South Iredell 11
3rd: Jesus Figueroa Owen 12 score: 5-4
4th: Richard Kerekes Maiden 10
160 Lbs:
1st: Gene Goodson Lincolnton 12 score: fall 2:54
2nd: James Turner South Iredell 11
3rd: James Maxwell Polk County 11 score: 22-6
4th: Phillip Hicks Bunker Hill 11
171 Lbs:
1st: Glen Self West Lincoln 11 score: 5-1
2nd: Caleb Huffman East Burke 12
3rd: Travis Smalling Pisgah 11 score: 7-3
4th: Colt Kale West Caldwell 11
189 Lbs:
1st: Cody Wesson Bandys 12 score: 5-4
2nd: John Navey West Lincoln 12
3rd: Jacob Shepherd Bunker Hill 11 score: fall 1:58
4th: Gage Norris Pisgah 11
215 Lbs:
1st: Josh Metcalf Polk County 11 score: fall 1:09
2nd: Kris Haney Pisgah 10
3rd: Joseph Platt Newton Conover 11 score: 9-5
4th: Oliver Sanchez Chase 11
285 Lbs:
1st: Andrew Tremain Newton Conover 11 score: 3-2
2nd: Seth Stewart Owen 12
3rd: Bo Henson Pisgah 11 score: 2-1
4th: Tyler Philpott Polk County 11

Davidson Day hosts first playoff game

After an impressive run this season, going 21-6 after winning just five games last year, the Davidson Day basketball team will make school history by hosting the athletic program's first home playoff game.

Davidson Day begins its quest for a state championship as they take on Lawrence Academy (Merry Hill, NC). The game will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd. Tipoff is at 7:00 pm.

The Patriots are seeded 7th in the 2010 NCISAA 1A boys' state tournament, while Lawrence Academy is seeded 10th with a current record of 16-7.

Hough High announces coaches

Principal Terri Cockerham of Hough High School, which will open this fall in Huntersville, announced several of the coaches who will be leading the Huskies in their first year.

Two successful North Mecklenburg coaches, Tim Queen (swimming) and Sandi Skidmore (volleyball), will move to the new school. Also, Hopewell assistant basketball coach Justin Batts will be the Huskies' first basketball coach.

From Prep Insiders:

Former Providence Day assistant coach Bobby Collins will be the first football coach at Hough High, a new school opening this fall in northern Mecklenburg County. Hopewell assistant Justin Batts will be the school’s first boys basketball coach.

Hough principal Terri Cockerham announced the majority of the school’s coaching hires Monday. She continues to interview for other positions.

“I was very impressed with the quality of the candidates,” said Cockerham, who was principal at Providence from July 2005-June 2009. “The chemistry seemed good. They’re all good coaches and good teachers and have good ideas about building a new program. I’m very pleased with those who decided to join us and I look at them as teachers and coaches, and they know that.”

Other new coaches at Hough: Tim Queen, swimming (Queen comes from North Meck); Sandi Skidmore, volleyball (Skidmore comes from North Meck); David Smith, soccer (Smith comes from Vance); Sonja Tate, girls basketball (Tate comes from Ardrey Kell), Jimmy Cochran, baseball (currently Monroe Parkwood coach); Tripp Rogers, wrestling (former state champ at East Gaston and current assistant at Belmont Abbey).

Lake Norman wins 4A Western Regional Title

The Lake Norman wrestling team has had a record breaking season. After winning a school record 33 matches, the I-Meck dual tournament and advancing to the state quarterfinals as a team, the Wildcats added another notch to their belt Saturday, earning the 4A Western Regional title.

"This is the best season we've ever had (at Lake Norman)," Lake Norman wrestling coach Morgan Fore said, in his first season as head coach at Lake Norman. "I think we accomplished a lot of things and winning a regional title is just another stepping stone on the way to a state championship (next year)."

Lake Norman got individual regional titles from Harrison Honeycutt, Josh Smith and Cody Karns, while Nick Rodrigues, Mike Hayes and Collin Foster were runners-up in their respective weight classes. Lake Norman's Ryan Renfroe and Mike Rubino also qualified for the 4A state individual meet next Friday and Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Honeycutt, the school's only defending state champion, won his 100th consecutive match, and is 46-0 this season after going 54-0 a year ago.

Mooresville finished in a tie for second with Alexander Central. The Blue Devils got regional championships from Hunter Hefner and Dalton Pierce, while Santonio Thompson and Tyler Bruton were runners-up in their weight classes. Mooresville's Matt Krider and Zach Brown also qualified for states.

Hopewell's Joseph Acquarulo and North Meck's Joe DiDonato also qualified for the state individual meet next weekend.

Mooresville wrestles their way to 4A Western Regional lead

The Mooresville wrestling team has a one point lead over archrival Lake Norman going into the second and final day of the 4A Western Regional meet at Bojangles Arena.

The Blue Devils and Wildcats are 15 points ahead of the rest of the field as Alexander Central, T.C. Roberson and Olympic round out the top five.

The Blue Devils boast seven wrestlers in the individual semifinals to start the day including Matt Krider (112-lb.), Justin Yox (119-lb.), Hunter Hefner (130-lb.), Santonio Thompson (135-lb.), Dalton Pierce (145-lb.), Tyler Bruton (160-lb.), Zach Brown (215-lb.).

Thompson and Pierce are the No. 1 seeds in their weight classes.

The Wildcats have eight wrestlers in the semifinals, including Cody Karns (103-lb.), Ryan Renfroe (119-lb.), Nick Rodrigues (130-lb.), Mike Hayes (145-lb.), Josh Smith (152-lb.), Mike Rubino (160-lb.), Collin Foster (189-lb.) and Harrison Honeycutt (215-lb.).

Smith and Honeycutt are No. 1 seeds in their weight class. Honeycutt is a perfect 42-0 this season.

Hopewell's Joseph Acquarulo is also the No. 1 seed at the 119-lb. weight class and the only Titan in the semifinals. North Meck's Joe DiDonato advanced to the semifinals for the Vikings.

West Charlotte, Hopewell take I-Meck conferene tournament titles

The West Charlotte boys' basketball team seemed like they would go as far as senior guard J.T. Terrell could take them. But in the second half of the I-Meck tournament championship game, Terrell played the decoy while his teammates led the way to a 75-70 win over host Lake Norman as the Lions earned the I-Meck tournament title.

Terrell had 20 points to lead West Charlotte, but got a lot of help from his friends, as Brandon Richardson (18 points), Jacoby Davis (14 points) and Anthony Estes (11 points) all had double figures to make a balanced attack.

"I really deferred to my teammates in the second half," Terrell said, who scored 16 points in the first half, but only four in the second 16 minutes. "I knew that I couldn't force anything, because we had a lead. My teammates did a great job of making plays."

Terrell made most of the plays over the three-game tournament as he had 44 points Tuesday night against Mallard Creek, 45 points against Hopewell Thursday night, totalling 109 points for the event (36 ppg). The Lions beat the top two seeds (Hopewell and Lake Norman), who are also No. 2 and No. 3 in the state, respectively, in consecutive nights.

The Lions (19-9) move into the No. 2 seed from the I-Meck with win, going into the playoffs, which could earn them up to two home games if they advance. Lake Norman slides to the No. 3 seed, which will force them to go on the road.

Hopewell remains the top seed because they won the regular season title.

On the girls side, Hopewell won the I-Meck tournament title 56-49 over Lake Norman. The Titans (21-4) earn the conference's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, breaking the three-way tie between Lake Norman, Hopewell and Mallard Creek (regular season standings)

The Titans got 20 points from Margaret Spaulding in the title game and 15 points apiece from Sharee Boyd and Hannah Early.

Lake Norman to face West Charlotte in title game tonight

Lake Norman has beaten every team in their path this year, except Hopewell. Tonight, in the I-Meck tournament championship they will get West Charlotte instead off the Titans, after the Lions upset the conference's No. 1 seed 80-77 last night.

West Charlotte senior guard J.T. Terrell, who will play at Wake Forest next season, had 45 points against Hopewell, including eight three-pointers, on the heels off a 44-point explosion against Mallard Creek in the I-Meck quartefinal Tuesday night.

Lake Norman (20-2) has been just as impressive rolling past Mooresville (78-55) before taking out No. 9 (in the state) Vance for the third time this year last night. Senior Matt Eller led the way with 26 points, while Reggie Price and Kevin Canevari had 16 points, apiece.

The Wildcats swept West Charlotte in the regular season beating them 89-78 on the Lions' floor Jan. 8 before winning at home 71-66 Feb. 4.

Lake Norman will being making their second consecutive conference tournament final, after winning the North Piedmont Conference (NPC) conference tournament championship last year.

I-Meck Conference tournament pairings

The I-Meck girls' tournament starts today and the boys' tournament starts tomorrow. Here arethe final conference rankings as well as the schedule for the tournament this week.

From Prep Insiders:

I-Meck girls
1. Hopewell 19-4, 10-2
2. Lake Norman 19-4, 10-2
3. Mallard Creek 15-6, 10-2
4. North Mecklenburg 14-9, 6-6
5. Mooresville 8-14, 4-8
6. Vance 3-19, 2-10
7. W. Charlotte 2-22, 1-11

Girls Monday at Vance

Hopewell, bye;

North Mecklenburg vs. Vance, 4:30;

Mallard Creek vs. Mooresville, 6;

Lake Norman vs. W. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.

Girls Wednesday at Lake Norman

Mallard Creek/Mooresville winner vs. Lake Norman/W. Charlotte winner, 6;

Hopewell vs. North Meck/Vance winner, 7:30 pm.

Girls Friday at Lake Norman:

Semifinals winners in championship, 6:30 p.m.

I-Meck boys
1. Hopewell 21-1, 11-1
2. Lake Norman 19-2, 10-2
3. Vance 17-5, 9-3
4. W. Charlotte 14-9, 5-7
5. Mallard Creek 8-13, 3-9
6. North Meck 13-10, 2-10
7. Mooresville 7-15, 2-10

Boys Tuesday at Vance

Hopewell, bye;

W. Charlotte vs. Mallard Creek, 4:30 p.m.;

Vance vs. N. Meck, 6;

Lake Norman vs. Mooresville, 7:30 p.m.

Boys Thursday at Lake Norman

Lake Norman/Mooresville winner vs. Vance/North Meck winner, 6;

Hopewell vs. W. Charlotte/Mallard Creek winner, 7:30 p.m.

Boys Friday at Lake Norman

Semifinal winners in championship, 8 p.m.

Schedule and seedings for SPAA tournament

The boys' and girls' Southern Piedmont Athletic Association tournament starts on Tuesday. Here's the full schedule of the tournament and the tournament seeding.

Tuesday Feb. 16 at Gaston Day School

6 p.m.: Girls: No. 5 Davidson Day School vs. No. 4 Gaston Day School
7:30 p.m.: Boys: No. 5 Statesville Christian School vs. No. 4 Gaston Day School

Thursday Feb. 18 at Victory Christian Center School

3:00 p.m.: Girls: Davidson Day/Gaston Day winner vs. No. 1 Victory Christian Center School
4:30 p.m.: Girls: No. 3 United Faith Christian Academy vs. No. 2 Statesville Christian School
6:00 p.m.: Boys: Statesville Christian/Gaston Day winner vs. No. 1 United Faith Christian Academy
7:30 p.m.: Boys: No. 3 Victory Christian Center School vs. No. 2 Davidson Day School

Friday 2-19 @ Victory Christian Center School

6:30 p.m.: Girls final (Semifinal winners)
8:00 p.m.: Boys final (Semifinal winners)

Lake Norman Charter wins Piedmont Athletic Conference tournament

The Lake Norman Charter Knights won the Piedmont Athletic Conference tournament title with a 43-35 victory over Covenant Classical School Friday night.

The Knights were led by Katie Fabian with 15 points and Jamie Williams with 12.

Rebekah and Kayla Kernall led Covenant Classical with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The extremely young Knights (with all underclassman and one junior, who has been out with an injury) move to 18-3 on the season, their first in the NCHSAA.

YMCA to host iHoops Skills Challenge

The Lowe’s YMCA in Mooresville is giving local youngsters ages 9 to 14 the opportunity to participate in the inaugural iHoops Skills Challenge.

This national basketball skills competition provides boys and girls a free opportunity to showcase their basketball abilities in a time-based, half-court obstacle course. The iHoops Skills Challenge focuses on basketball skill development while encouraging participation in the game.

The Lowe's YMCA will host the skills challenge on Saturday, Feb. 20, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The branch is located at 170 Joe V. Knox Ave., Mooresville, N.C.

“We are excited to offer local youth the opportunity to showcase their basketball skills and get active,” said sports director Doug Parker. “The Lowe’s YMCA is the only location in Greater Charlotte hosting a local competition, so we are looking forward to serving children from across the area.”

Participants may register the day of the event and must bring a copy of their birth certificate and complete a registration/waiver form prior to the start of the competition. A copy of the registration/waiver form is available online at www.iHoops.com/skillschallenge or at the Lowe’s YMCA.

First-place champions from the Lowe’s YMCA local competition will have the opportunity to advance to the Charlotte Bobcats Regional Competition, one of twenty-nine Regional Competitions occurring in NBA team markets across the country, in hopes of advancing to the National Finals in Orlando, Florida.

For questions concerning the Lowe’s YMCA Local Competition, please contact Doug Parker at (704) 716-4000 or douglas.parker@ymcacharlotte.org.

For additional information on the iHoops Skills Challenge, please visit www.iHoops.com/skillschallenge.

No. 1 Hopewell falls

In a surprising upset Tuesday night, the undefeated top-ranked Hopewell boys fell in conference play to I-Meck foe Vance 56-52.

The Titans must now beat rival North Mecklenburg Thursday to win the conference outright.

Read the full story at CharlotteObserver.com.

McDonald's All-American nominees announced

Several local players made the nominee list for the 2010 McDonald's All-American games.

Hopewell's DeMon Brooks and Jordan Downing made the list, along with fellow I-Meck stars Paul Larsen from Lake Norman High and J.T. Terrell from West Charlotte.

Cannon School's Jarrell Eddie is also a nominee.

On the girls' side, East Lincoln standout Lindsy Wright, who will play at Wake Forest next year, made the list.

For the full list of nominees, go to www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com/2010_Nominees.pdf.

Local swimmers make splash at regional meet

The 4A western regional meet last Saturday featured some of the best talent in the state. A number of Lake Norman area swimmers showed they were amongst the best of the best.

North Meck did the best as a team finishing second in both the boys and girls' to champion Providence.

The Vikings got regional titles from: Linsay Cooper (100 butterfly) and the 400-freestyle relay (Cooper, Molly Sanborn, Kaitlyn Poff, Payton Schrum).

Lake Norman finished fourth in both the boys and girls' regional championships.

The Wildcats got regional titles from: Heather Isetts (100 and 200 freestyle), Haley Powell (50 free) and Logan Heck (100 butterfly and 200 IM).

The Hopewell girls' also finished fifth overall, getting regional championships from: Amanda Rubel (200 IM), Ali Kitchens (100 backstroke), the 200 IM relay (Emily Conway, Rubel, Kitchens and Mary O'Doherty) and the 200 freestyle relay (Conway, A. Rubel, Emma Rubel and Kitchens).

Lake Norman wins I-Meck wrestling tournament

Lake Norman High School won the I-Meck Conference wrestling tournament held Saturday at Hopewell High School.

The Wildcats amassed 208.5 points, beating second place Mooresville by 10.5 points.

Santonio Thompson of Mooresville won the most outstanding wrestler award for his performance in the 135-lb. weight class.

Final standings

1. Lake Norman 208.5

2. Mooresville 198

3. Mallard Creek 125.5

4. West Charlotte 102

5. Hopewell 77

6. North Mecklenburg 43

West Lincoln wins Southern Piedmont Wrestling Tournament

West Lincoln continued their dominance in the Southern Piedmont Conference wrestling tournament, finishing over 100 points ahead of second place East Lincoln.

East Lincoln had several second place finishes, but were only able to win one event at the tournament when the Mustangs' Robert Sparrow defeated Lincolnton's Dakota Fish in the 189-lb. bracket.

Kurtis Snyder (152 lbs.), Jordan Handy (145 lbs.), Jeremy Tarleton (140 lbs.), Will Saxon (112 lbs.) and James Daniel (103 lbs.) all picked up second place finishes in their brackets for East Lincoln, leading the Mustangs to a second place finish overall.

Handy and Sparrow were also all-conference selections.

Regular Season Conference Standings
1. West Lincoln: 6-0/20-6
2. Lincolnton: 5-1/10-8
3. East Lincoln: 4-2/16-3
4. North Lincoln: 3-3/5-9
5. Cherryville: 2-4/7-17
6. Highland Tech: 1-5/1-19
7. Challenger: 0-6/0-12

Conference Tournament Standings
1. West Lincoln: 221.0
2. East Lincoln 111.5
3. Lincolnton: 109.0
4. Cherryville: 99.0
5. North Lincoln: 94.5
6. Highland Tech: 22.0

Southlake wins MAC swim meet

In just their third year as a team, the Southlake swim team swept the MAC Conference Meet on Saturday. The girls' team won by nine points while the boys' team won by 91 points, giving them a 100-point win in the combined category.

Girls - Team Scores

1 Southlake 396
2 Covenant Day School 387
3 Westminster Catawba Christan School 280
4 Hickory Grove Christian School 230
5 Gaston Christian School 223

Boys - Team Scores

1 Southlake 458
2 Covenant Day School 367
3 Hickory Grove Christian School 248
4 Westminster Catawba Christan School 247
5 Gaston Christian School 195

Combined Team Scores

1 Southlake 854
2 Covenant Day School 754
3 Westminster Catawba Christan School 527
4 Hickory Grove Christian School 478
5 Gaston Christian School 418

North Meck, Lake Norman go for regional championships

The North Meck and Lake Norman boys and girls' swimming teams battled all season for the I-Meck title. Now, the two teams are amongst the favorites to win the 4A Western regional meet this Saturday.

North Meck, who won both the boys and girls' conference titles two weeks ago in the I-Meck's first year, has won 24 straight league titles. Both Vikings team have a chance to grab a regional title, with the North Meck boys' squad, the 2008 4A state champs, likely the favorite overall.

North Meck has two No. 1 seeds going into regionals, including: senior J.T. Stilley (200 freestyle) for the boys and sophomore Payton Schrum (100 breaststroke) on the girls' side, with a wealth of depth in nearly every event.

The Providence boys' squad, who lost to the Vikings by only three points at states, will also be strong with No. 1 seeds in four events, including: Anderson Sloan (50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke), Kyle Darmody (100 freestyle) and Kip Darmody (100 backstroke)

The Lake Norman boys' swim team, who won the 3A state title last season, will also be a major contender at regionals.

The Lake Norman boys team has four No. 1 seeds going into the regional meet including two individual events for sophomore Logan Heck (100 butterfly and 200 individual medley) and the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

On the girls' side, North Meck and Lake Norman are probably the top two teams with Hopewell and Providence right behind them.

Lake Norman has six No. 1 seeds going into regionals, including Haley Powell (50 and 100 freestyle), Heather Isetts (200 freestyle), Kyle-Lynn Kotowski (1-meter diving) and the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The Wildcat girls' finished 4th overall at 3A states last year.

The Hopewell girls' could also be a factor with No. 1 seeds in four events at regionals, including:
Emily Conway (100 butterfly and 200 individual medley) and the 200 individual medley relay team.

Hopewell v. Lake Norman delayed again....

According to the Prep Insiders blog, the much-anticipated rematch between Hopewell and Lake Norman that was originally scheduled for Friday and was pushed to Monday after the snow has now been canceled again because of schools being closed today.

They have not announced a new date for the game.

Also affected is the Mallard Creek vs. Vance game in the I-Meck.

UPDATE: Hopewell will play Lake Norman and Mallard Creek will play Vance on Wednesday at 6. West Charlotte vs. Mooresville has been rescheduled to Friday at 6 p.m., all according to the Prep Insiders blog.

Hopewell (No. 1) and Lake Norman (No. 2) top the latest CarolinaPreps.com poll, while Vance sits at No. 9.

North Meck swims to another title

For the 24th straight year, the North Meck boys’ and girls’ swimming teams won their conference title. This year was the first time they have won the I-Meck title in the league's first season.

The North Meck boys won the meet by 65 points over Lake Norman. Meanwhile, Viking girls edged the Wildcats girls by only 16 points.

The North Meck boys team was led by senior J.T. Stilley, who won three races. while the Vikings’ Tyler Fleming (500 freestyle) and Jake Matysek (100 breaststroke) also won their respective events.

Lake Norman’s boys’ team, who won the 3A state title last year, was led by sophomore Logan Heck’s four wins, including the 200 individual medley, the 100 butterfly and two relays (200 and 400 freestyle races).

The North Meck girls’ just outlasted Lake Norman by 16 points. The Vikings won only one event, the 200-individual medley relay, led by Linsay Cooper, Payton Schrum, Kaitlyn Poff and Katie O’Brien.

Meanwhile, the Wildcat girls’ won seven of the 12 events, led by junior Haley Powell and sophomore Heather Isetts, who both won four events, each.

BothNorth Meck and Lake Norman advance to the regional meet, Saturday, February 6th at the Huntersville Family Fitness and Aquatic Center.


Results
BOYS
North Meck 517
Lake Norman 452
Hopewell 362
Mallard Creek 357
Mooresville 111

GIRLS
North Meck 529
Lake Norman 513
Hopewell 364
Mallard Creek 258.50
Mooresville 117.50
Vance 28

--Jay Edwards

Lake Norman-Hopewell, Part II should be a classic (Preview)

One week from tomorrow, the game everybody has been talking about will finally be here.

Lake Norman versus Hopewell, No. 1 versus No. 2 (Observer Sweet 16), with the lead in the I-Meck conference on the line.

The game pits two of the state’s best teams over the last two seasons.

Hopewell (17-0, 5-0 in I-Meck play) has won 46 of their last 47 games, dating back to the beginning of last season, with their only loss coming to No. 1 and (2009) state champion Mount Tabor in the state semifinals.

Meanwhile, Lake Norman (13-1, 5-1) has been nearly as good, winning 38 of their last 41 games, with their only blemishes coming against Hopewell, and at West Rowan and at Concord (in playoffs) last year.

This season, the teams have been at their best with a combined 30-1 record, the only blemish on either side coming when Hopewell beat Lake Norman 64-60 on the road December 17.

**Records as of today, Jan. 21st.
Lake Norman at Hopewell
Boys Basketball Preview
Date: Friday, January 29th, 2010 - 7:45 p.m.

Hopewell
Head Coach: Eric Davis
Record: 17-0, 5-0.
Rank: No. 1 in Observer Sweet 16, beat Lake Norman 64-60 Dec. 17.
Streak: Won 46 of the last 47 games, started 29-0 last year.


PG Earl McLaurin…steady floor leader scored 17 pts. in win over Vance last week.
SG Adrian Addie…three-year starter is team’s glue guy.
SF Jordan Downing…future Davidson guard has showed he’s amongst the best in state.
PF DeMon Brooks…double-double machine is Titan’s best option inside.
C Bryce Hawkins…solid sidekick to Brooks playing well.
Key Reserves: Elliott Pope, Justin Avery, Michael Russell…bench adds toughness.

Lake Norman
Head Coach: Brandon Jolly
Record: 13-1, 5-1.
Rank: No. 2 in Observer Sweet 16, lost @ Hopewell 64-60, Dec. 17.
Streak: Won 23 of last 25 games, started 15-0 last year.

PG Kevin Canevari…steady floor leader doesn’t make mistakes and 7 assists per game.
SG Reggie Price… the price has been right about 18 ppg this season.
SF Matt Denyes…a threat on every play, does whatever the teams needs.
PF Matt Eller…versatility to play 3-4 positions invaluable.
C Paul Larsen…on monster streak of 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds.

Key Reserves: Brian Whalen, Chris Patterson, Austin Eisenhofer.

Lake Norman U-15 lacrosse team wins bronze

The Lake Norman United Select U-15 Lacrosse team captured the bronze medal in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Tournament of Champions held in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Jan. 1 –3.

This places them third in the country in their age group, the inaugural year for this division at the tournament. The team qualified to play in this event, the only national championship for club and travel teams, after winning the Southeast Championship in Georgia last May.

After defeating teams from Ohio, New York and Florida, Lake Norman’s only loss of the tournament and the season came at the hands of the eventual champions from Maryland FCA.

“This is a special group of very talented boys that should be proud of what they have accomplished here in Florida,” said head coach Mikko Red Arrow. The team was assisted in Florida by Chris Schiemer and during the regular season by James Brugger.

The team is comprised of ninth and tenth grade students at Lake Norman High School.

Pictured above, from left: (front row) Anthony D’Auria, Jake Nanney, Eddie Hendrickson, Miles Cawley, Alec Castillo, Austin Grassey, Perrin Robinson, Brandon Adams, Brian Kos, Kyle Gradert. (Second row): Coach Mikko Red Arrow, Mat Kos, Danny Brown, Cole Maxon, John King, C.J. Scheimer, Will Scott, Ryan Bremen, J.T. DelTufo, J.D. Bunch, Ian Radcliff, Coach Scheimer.

Lake Norman swims past Hopewell

The Lake Norman boys and girls' swimming teams cruised past Hopewell last night. The Wildcats girls won 189-93, while the Lake Norman boys rolled was 175-108.

Double event winners were Haley Powell and Heather Isetts for the Lake Norman girls; while the Wildcat boys got two wins from Tyler Hill, Logan Heck, and Michael Blinn.

Heck broke the school record in the 100 freestyle, and the medley relay team of Hill, David Stamm, Heck, and Reed Wheeler also broke a school record.

"We definitely face a huge challenge in the I-Meck (conference) with North Meck being our main competition," Lake Norman swimming coach Karen Steger said. "But, we are working to get better and peak at the right time."

This was the Wildcats last regular season meet of the year. Lake Norman will compete in the Iredell County championships this weekend before the I-Meck conference meet later this month. Both teams have lost only one meet this season to North Meck.

--Jay Edwards

Area football team finishes undefeated

The North Lake Optimist Club Knights 11- and 12-year-old football team finished out a perfect season at 19 wins and no losses.

They won the Super Bowl of the Mid-Atlantic Carolinas American Youth Football League and also brought home two separate national championships during bowl competitions in December.

The Knights swept their own Mid-Atlantic AYF conference with a perfect 9-0 record, winning the league Super Bowl Championship by a score of 64-0 over the Polk County Wolverines.

After an impressive regular season, the Knights traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., where they beat other undefeated teams from Michigan, North Carolina and Alabama to win the Battle in Rocky Top Youth Football Classic.

The Knights also traveled to Easley, S.C., for a two-weekend bowl tournament, competing in the Upstate Football Invitational Championship. The Knights again went undefeated in all seven of their games, beating six All-Star teams from three states and their local rivals, the Pumpkin Center Panthers, who were the Southland AYF Super Bowl Champions.

The Knights outscored their opponents 688 to 68. The team was led by head coach Michael Cox, with assistant coaches Ken Drum, Will Bartlett and Chris Shaw.

Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic: Day 3 results

Here are the results from the final day of the Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic hosted by East Lincoln High School.

Girls

Seventh Place Game

Northwest Cabarrus Trojans 36
South Meck Sabres 23

Northwest Cabarrus: Johnson 2, Imani Williams 12, Kelsie Pethel 10, Merriman 5, Broome 3, Allen 0, Blakeley 0, Herring 2, Bostick 2

South Meck: Cobb 0, Sanderson 0, Coughlin 2, McArthur 0, Saunders 2, Raft 3,
Jasmine Wallace 14, Sheltra 2


Fifth Place Game

East Gaston Warriors 58
Mooresville Blue Devils 53

East Gaston: LaCresha Gore 11, Hayley Black 16, Hawley 7, Shelby Winchester 7, Coleman 2, Hayes 0, Carly Kluttz 2, Clippard 0

Mooresville: Faulkner 6, Sullivan 1, Pridgen 5, Ellis 0, D.D. Stockton 19,
Shakirah McLaughlin 10, Jasmine Berryman 8, Thomas 2, Holbrooks 2, Tatum 0


Third Place Game

East Lincoln Mustangs 69
North Meck Vikings 57

East Lincoln: Courtney Ashley 16, Long 19, Frazier 0, Davis 10, Lindsy Wright 24,
Miller 0, Bailey 0, Forney 0, Messmer 0

North Meck: Lauren Lewis 21, Kayla Lemke 15, Lehnert 6, Bullock 2, McKee 8, Garst 5, Beasley 0, Destefano 0


Championship Game

Myers Park Mustangs 60
Hickory Ridge Ragin Bulls 45

Myers Park: Iacopetti 6, Cherry 0, Rebecca Raffler 2, Carly Hammack 7, Hunter 0,
Smith 1, Timpton 7, Mason Jeffries 10, Herring 8, Winn 0, Tiffani Stephens 19

Hickory Ridge: Scott 0, Buddenbaum 0, Robson 4, Ferguson 0, Tanquay 5,
Candra Mathis 11, Akysia Resper 8, Yeargin 2, Yeager 0, Jordan Strode 13, Darnley 2


Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team

South Meck - Jazymn Saunders
Northwest Cabarrus - Kelsie Pethel
Mooresville - D.D. Stockton
East Gaston - Hayley Black
North Meck - Lauren Lewis
East Lincoln - Lindsy Wright
Hickory Ridge - Candra Mathis
Hickory Ridge - Jordan Strode
Myers Park - Carly Hammack
Myers Park - Nikki Iacopetti

Most Valuable Player

Myers Park - Tiffani Stephens

Boys

Seventh Place Game

East Lincoln Mustangs 53
J.F. Webb Warriors 39

East Lincoln: Marquise McLean 12, Antwaine McLean 0, Wilson 0, Gaston 0, David 0,
Rendleman 5, Corona 0, Creed 10, Kendall Bethea 26, Hills 0

J.F. Webb: Thomas 6, Devante Hicks 0, Isaiah Hicks 0, Darquis Thomas 4, Lyon 11, Leon Greene 9, Seifert 5, Cooper 2, Richardson 0, Hamlet 0, Richardson 2


Fifth Place Game

Mallard Creek Mavericks 79
Northwest Cabarrus Trojans 55

Mallard Creek: Drabot 2, Rodney Cobia 15, Williams 0, Raymond Moye 13, White 2, Dominique Williams 10, Whaley 7, Gordon 4, Terrell Stembridge 13, Bradley Robinson 9, Patterson 2, Venable 2

Northwest Cabarrus: Tyler Honeycutt 6, Broome 9, Justin Seager 8, Chris Lockridge 12, Jackson 9, Arlan Wallace 2, Church 1, C. Seager 5, Lane 1, Rhinehart 2


Third Place Game

Myers Park Mustangs 63
Mooresville Blue Devils 62

Myers Park: Carter Seawell 13, Brafford 0, Atkins 0, Frank Elliot 4, Griffin Shaw 8, Wilson 0, Powell 6, Michael Humphries 25, Jenkins 4

Mooresville: Shawn Lester 23, Isaiah Johnson 6, O'Brien 5, Willis 0, Caldwell 0, Howell 0, Kendrick Johnson 16, Dantae Carson 10, Miller 0, Haslett 2


Championship

Forestview Jaguars 60
East Gaston Warriors 52

Forestview: Preston Holmes 9, Jack Sumner 12, Calvin Johnson 4, Catrell Boyd 12, Chris Johnson 10, Tyshem Sharpe 2, Hancock 2, Adams 9

East Gaston: Clark 2, O'Meara 3, Trevor Burgess 9, McGee 5, Vidol Crawford 3, John Floyd 22, Sterling 0, Thrams 8


Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team

J.F. Webb - Darquis Thomas
East Lincoln - Kendall Bethea
Northwest Cabarrus - Justin Seager
Mallard Creek - Erik Whaley
Mooresville - Shawn Lester
Myers Park - Michael Humphries
East Gaston - Trevor Burgess
East Gaston - John Floyd
Forestview - Preston Holmes
Forestview - Catrell Boyd

Most Valuable Player

Forestview - Chris Johnson

Davidson Day upsets Victory Christian

First year head coach Ron Johnson and the Davidson Day Patriots boys' basketball team pulled out a huge 10-point upset of private school power Victory Christian Monday.

The Patriots (10-3) have now doubled their win total from last year.

The teams were tied at 22 at halftime, but Davidson Day outscored Victory 19-11 in the third quarter to pull away and seal the win.

The Patriots have their next game Friday against Caldwell Academy.

Here's the box score:

Davidson Day 58, Victory Christian 48

Victory Christian: 13 9 11 15 - 48
Davidson Day: 19 3 19 17 - 58

Davidson Day: Rashun Davis 14, Clay McLean 12, Albritton 9, Mercer 9, Gates 6, Smith 7, Brown 1.

Victory Christian 48: S. Tillett 10, Gumwell 7, Simmons 4, Bakheit 5, Hall 4, J. Clyburn 18.

Hopewell gets to lucky number 13

The Hopewell boys' basketball team is off to a perfect 13-0 start after beating Victory Christian 56-38 to claim their second straight Bojangles Shootout.

The Titans won 29 straight games last season, before falling to eventual state champion, Mount
Tabor in the 4A state semifinals. Hopewell has now won 42 of their last 43 games dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.

Hopewell, No. 1 in the Observer Sweet 16 and No. 2 in the state, has been strong this season with wins over Ardrey Kell, Charlotte Christian, Concord, Providence and West Charlotte, who have also been ranked (in the Sweet 16).

The Titans, who are known for their stifling defense, are at it again allowing less than 50 points per game this season including 39 and 38 points to Ardrey Kell and Victory Chrisitan, in their last two games.

“Everything starts with our defense,” Hopewell basketball coach Eric Davis said. “We have always preached that defense is what wins games, and that has been the backbone of this team for the last few seasons.”

The Titans offense isn’t too bad either led by double-double machine DeMon Brooks, who is churning out 19 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Brooks, who has committed play basketball at Howard next season, has a lot of help just in his own frontcourt with Jordan Downing and Bryce Hawkins.

Downing, who will play at Davidson next season, is averaging 17 points and five rebounds per game, while Hawkins is scoring 11 points per contest while nabbing seven rebounds.

The Titans resume conference play (I-Meck), traveling to Mooresville Tuesday night before hosting Mallard Creek Friday.

--Jay Edwards