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Virginia now has a proposal on the table to legalize NIL for high school athletes as soon as July. Tennessee has already adopted NIL for high school athletes. That would be half of the border states for NC.

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McNair’s heroics send Knights back to NCISAA semis

By Andrew Schnittker
aschnittker@wilsontimes.

Star junior point guard Serenity McNair and the Greenfield School girls basketball team point-blank refused to allow their season to end in the NCISAA 2-A quarterfinals on their home court Tuesday night.

Despite trailing by eight early in the fourth quarter, despite trailing by two with seven seconds left in the game, the Knights dug deep, found a way and came up with a 60-58 overtime win over visiting Rocky Mount Academy, punching their ticket to the final four for the second year in a row.


“We are absolutely ecstatic,” McNair said. “We knew this was our last time playing on our home court. So for our seniors, and for Clara (German exchange student Clara Graf), we knew this was it — it was win or go home. We fought very, very hard. … I’m very proud of how we continued to fight the entire time, and we stuck together.”

McNair, fittingly, as the star that stirs the drink for the Greenfield offense, made the game’s two biggest plays, hitting 2-of-3 free throws to send the game to overtime after drawing a foul on a last-second 3-point shot, and then winning it in overtime with a layup with five seconds left.


“As a coach, I knew she would at least get us into overtime,” said Greenfield head coach Willie McNair, Serenity’s father. “As her dad, I was terrified. I think they were up by two with a minute or something left
in overtime, and I said, ‘Serenity, you’ve got to do it.’ We were in a good position where we had some good defensive plays. When the game’s tied with 20 seconds left, Serenity’s, in my opinion, the best guard in the state to have the ball in her hands, because she’s so quick. She made the right play and won the game for us.”

The fourth-seeded Knights (17-11) of the 2-A/3-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference led by two at halftime but trailed by eight early in the fourth quarter against the fifth-seeded Eagles (15-6) of the 1-A/2-A Coastal Independent Conference, before the Knights’ furious rally.

Serenity McNair was the Knights’ hero, and leading scorer with 22 points, but the Knight’s entire starting five played key roles. Darcy Dean came up with 12 points, six of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime, and some big offensive rebounds. Clara Graf added 11 points, senior Jeallen Holland drilled three big 3-pointers for nine points and Tori Coleman hit a pair of 3s.

Isabella Daza led the Eagles with 18 points, followed by Berkeley Miller with 12.

With the Knights down 58-56 with a minute left in overtime, Dean laid in the rebound of a McNair missed 3, and a turnover out of bounds on RAM gave the Knights the ball back with about 50 seconds left.

After GFS pulled down a pair of offensive rebounds, Willie McNair called a full timeout with 27.1 seconds left to draw up a play. Serenity McNair drove to the rim and finished with about five seconds left to put the Knights up 60-58, and a Rocky Mount turnover sealed the deal, kicking off a spirited celebration for Greenfield.

“I saw the basket, and I knew that we had to score,” Serenity McNair said. “So I just took it. I did what I did.”

Greenfield senior Jeallen Holland shoots a 3-pointer during a home win over Rocky Mount Academy in the NCISAA 2-A quarterfinals. Carl Copeland | Special to the Times
After back-to-back buckets from Jessica Proctor in the final 30 seconds gave the Eagles a 54-52 lead, McNair flew down the court and heaved up a desperation 3 at the buzzer… and drew a foul in the process.

As McNair lined up for the biggest three shot attempts of her career, she missed the second, and a chance to win the game. She quickly shook that off, however, as she still had a chance to tie it, and made good, swishing the final two shots to send proceedings to overtime.

“I knew I was going to make them,” McNair said. “I was honestly surprised when I missed. I knew I was going to knock down the last two. I spend too many nights in the gym shooting them to miss it.”

Rocky Mount pushed its lead to eight early in the fourth quarter, but the Knights responded with their season on the line, turning up their press and ripping off a 9-0 run, with a 3-pointer from Holland giving them the lead.


“I think we moved the ball well and we got to our spots,” Serenity McNair said. “Personally, I think the lead opened up for us when I was able to get to my spots, which I wasn’t taking from the beginning, hence us being down like we were. I think we worked really well as a team.”

After a slew of empty possessions for each team with the Knights up two, a pair of Greenfield turnovers allowed Proctor to breakaway down the court twice for back-to-back buckets in the game’s final 30 seconds, the second of which came with seven left, to put RMA up 54-52 ahead of McNair’s clutch free throws.

“It’s good that we learned from this game and we won the game, so that next time, if we’re in the same position, we know exactly what not to do,” Willie McNair said

The Knights took a 29-27 lead into the second half thanks to 12 second-half points from McNair, but RMA took a 43-38 advantage through the third quarter, largely thanks to winning the battle on the boards.

The victory sends the Knights into the NCISAA final four in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history, in their first year in the 2-A ranks and in McNair’s first year as head coach.


“That was the goal, to make it to at least where we were,” Willie McNair said. “I know what’s ahead of us, but I don’t fear any team. I try to pass that along to the girls. I know what they can do. Once they tap into it, and hopefully we’ll tap into it Thursday, it’s going to be a basketball game. We’re not going to lay down, and we’re going for it. It was great to make it back to the final four, but I’m trying to go a step further.”

The Knights’ semifinal opponent will be one they’re quite familiar with: CPIC archrvial Wayne Country Day, the top overall seed in the 2-A bracket.

Greenfield will be out for both a trip to the state title game and revenge after losing to the Chargers, who beat Fayetteville Christian 58-23 Tuesday, twice in the regular season.

“We’re always fired up when it comes to them, but this has a little bit more meaning to it,” Serenity McNair said.

ROCKY MOUNT ACADEMY (58)

Daza 18, Miller 12, Davis 8, Proctor 7, Carmichael 7, Rogers 5, Wright 1.

GREENFIELD (60)

McNair 22, Dean 12, Graf 11, Holland 9, Coleman 6.

Score by quarters:

RMA 12 15 16 11 — 58

GFS 14 15 9 16 — 60

No. 1 Carmel Christian loses big lead, gets it back in semifinal win over Providence Day.

BY CAMERON WILLIAMS UPDATED FEBRUARY 22, 2023 12:37 AM

MATTHEWS Carmel Christian, No. 1 in The Charlotte Observer Sweet 16 poll, appeared to have Providence Day figured out early in the teams’ NC Independent Schools state semifinal. Until the Cougars didn’t.

Carmel ran out to big first half leads in Tuesday’s 72-55 win, only to watch Providence Day come all the way back -- before the Cougars found their footing to advance. Carmel Christian (28-3) will play Christ School (30-4) in Saturday’s state championship game at Forsyth Country Day.

Carmel Christian will be trying to win for the second straight year. Christ School will be looking for its first state title in 12 years.

“We obviously wanted to get to this point,” Carmel Christian coach Joe Badgett said after the win.

“Now we just had to prepare and get ready for a great Christ School team (that) is very talented. We just have to get ready for that one on Saturday.”

The Cougars came out strong in the first half, shutting down Providence Day offensively and running off to an 18-point lead. Senior guard Khamani Wertz was shooting the ball at a high clip from range – and in contrast to his prior outing against Charlotte Latin – he looked locked in.

“The thing with Khamani is just getting him to understand how well he can shoot,” Badgett said. “I think that has been the challenge since he has been here because he was just so hesitant to take shots. I’m like, ‘Man the way you shoot the ball, you can’t pass up open shots.’ He is going to make more than he misses most of the time because his shot is just so pure.”

For Wertz -- who hit a huge 3 to end Providence Day’s biggest run in the third quarter -- he has taken what coach Badgett said to heart. “Coach just talks a lot about the rotations and I think Jaeden (Mustaf) and Bryce (Cash) did a really great job of finding me,” Wertz said. “They found me open and I was able to make some shots tonight.”

The Cougars did get that scare though. Providence Day went on a 13-0 run in the third quarter before Wertz hit a 3 pointer to end it. They would draw level with the Cougars heading into the fourth quarter at 42 all.

“This is a game of basketball where you find out how tough your team is when it’s adversity time,” Badgett said. “We sucked it up and the kids locked back in defensively. Jaeden (Mustaf) and Bryce (Cash) did a great job.”

This is how great: Carmel won the fourth quarter 30-13, dominating all facets of the game in the final period of play. Afterwards, Cash was honored for scoring 1,500 points in his high school career, which included three years at Charlotte Christian before this one.

“It’s been a long journey,” Cash said. “Since freshman year till now, I have just been blessed to be able to play here at Carmel and it has just been fun man.”

Cash knows the job isn’t finished though and they have a tough game ahead against Christ School.

“Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we are going to scout and do our practices,” Cash said. “We will be prepared.”

Wertz echoed Cash’s remarks. While he is excited about the win, he knows there is still one more game for the Cougars to acheive the goal they set out for before the season began.

“I’m excited for sure,” Wertz said. “But, you can’t get too high and you can’t get too low because we have one more – and that is our goal.”

THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Riley Allenspach, Providence Day: The 6-foot-10 Western Kentucky commit put his team on his back in the third quarter during his team’s comeback. He finished the game with 19 points as well as a handful of blocks. He had what was the highlight of the game to close the first half as he drained a half court buzzer beater to close the half. Find more sports news, plus coverage from Sports Illustrated.

Khamani Wertz, Carmel Christian: Wertz got it going from deep early, and kept it going. Despite getting in a little foul trouble towards the end of the game, Wertz finished with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists on a highly efficient shooting night.

Jaeden Mustaf, Carmel Christian: He is a 4-star prospect for a reason. When his team needed him the most, he rose to the occasion hitting huge shots in the fourth quarter stretching the Cougar lead back out.

CARMEL CHRISTIAN72 -- Freeman 3, Khamani Wertz 16, Jaeden Mustaf 18, Bryce Cash 11, Siler 4, Smith 2, Burnham 9, Marcus Jr 9
PROVIDENCE DAY 55 -- Riley Allenspach 19, Trajan Thompson 15, Hailey 9, Youakim 2, Winston 2, Appling 6, Dyer 2
CARMEL 28-3 PDS

Cougars win, return to state finals
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Feb 21, 2023 Updated 6 hrs ago
HIGH POINT – High Point Christian fought its way back to the state finals.

The second-seeded Cougars struggled at times offensively but held third-seeded John Paul II in check defensively in winning 60-38 on Tuesday at HPCA in the semifinals of the NCISAA 3A girls basketball playoffs.

HPCA will face top-seeded Concord Academy in the state championship game Saturday at 2 p.m. at Calvary Day in Winston-Salem.

“I felt we played pretty well in spurts,” Cougars coach Brittany Drew said. “The biggest thing was – playoffs, you never know what’s going to happen. The scouting report could be totally different from when the ball tips.

“I’m just glad we fought through adversity and we were able to finish the game. That’s what we’ve been talking about this whole season.”

Kylie Torrence scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds – securing a double-double in the first half – to lead HPCA (20-8), which will make its second straight finals appearance after falling to Asheville Christian in overtime last year.

Nadiya Hairston added 13 points as both teams had a cold shooting night – the Cougars shot 37% from the field while the Saints shot 23%. But HPCA warmed up during critical stretches, especially in building a lead in the second quarter.

“It’s exciting, invigorating,” said Torrence, a sophomore wing. “We’ve handled a lot of adversity, a lot of things going on with this team. But God did that for a reason and now we’re here.”

The Cougars, trailing by two after one quarter, went on a 10-0 run to start the second – scoring on five straight possessions to begin the quarter. That gave them an eight-point lead 2 1/2 minutes in, as they built a 25-15 lead into halftime.

HPCA forced turnovers on five of John Paul II’s first six possessions of the second, in which they outscored the Saints 15-3. The Cougars forced 20 turnovers for the game, as they stretched their lead to 23 in the third and again in the final minutes of the game.

“We did notice they were playing our speed, but our speed was a little hectic,” Torrence said. “So we needed to control it and slow it down. We needed to have good shot selection. Because when we have good shot selection, we can get offensive rebounds. And that’s where most of our points came from.”

Ariana Atkinson scored 12 points to lead John Paul II (18-6), which got within 13 midway through the fourth before HPCA scored on eight straight possessions to push its lead back out beyond 20 in the final minutes.

Now the Cougars, who have won eight straight games since losing to Concord Academy in mid-January, will look to break through in the championship Saturday.

“It’s very fulfilling,” Drew said. “I’ve dreamt about the loss in the state championship. And the fact that I wanted to get back and the girls worked hard day-in and day-out to get back, I’m pleased. Now we just have to have a different result.”

mlindsay@hpenews.com | @HPEmichael

HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN GIRLS 60, JOHN PAUL II 38

JPII 12 3 8 15 – 38

HPCA 10 15 15 20 – 60

JOHN PAUL II

Ariana Atkinson 12, DeeDee Koesters 11, Ramsey Cureton 11, Cox 4

HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN

Kylie Torrence 21, Nadiya Hairston 13, Utley 7, Taylor 6, Krajisnik 5, Walker 4, Limbacher 2, Couillard 2

BOYS

CARMEL CHRISTIAN 72 PROVIDENCE DAY 55
CARMEL CHRISTIAN72 -- Freeman 3, Khamani Wertz 16, Jaeden Mustaf 18, Bryce Cash 11, Siler 4, Smith 2, Burnham 9, Marcus Jr 9
PROVIDENCE DAY 55 -- Riley Allenspach 19, Trajan Thompson 15, Hailey 9, Youakim 2, Winston 2, Appling 6, Dyer 2
CARMEL 28-3 PDS

BOYS

CONCORD ACADEMY 74, ASHEVILLE SCHOOL 64
Concord Academy 4 26 19 25 -- 74
Asheville School 16 14 14 20 -- 64
CONCORD ACADEMY 74 -- JJ Moore 16, Avion Pinner 21, Isaiah Tate 2, Sergej Cvetkovic 2, Noah Van Bibber 18, Jake Benham 15
ASHEVILE SCHOOL 64 -- Ryan Soulis 6, Holdbrock 9, Kenan 3, Derrin Savan 36, Kocaman 6, Donlon 2 Notable: Avion Pinner 21p 9r 5a, Jake Benham 5-6 3pfg. JJ Moore 16p 8a 2s
CA Record 31-6

BOYS

GREENFIELD 73 FAYETTEVILLE ACADEMY 50

FA 22 8 10 10 — 50
GFS 21 10 25 17 — 73

FAY--Xavier. Johnson 14, Cooper 9, Green 7, J. Johnson 7, Easterling 4, Henderson 3, Anderson 2, Walker 2.
GFS—Hampton Evans 18, Matt Kirby 14, Kobs Edwards 11, Kyshon Atkinson 10, N. Edwards 9, Baptiste 4, C. Evans 2.

GIRLS

Pungo Christian Academy girls lost in the NCISAA 1A Final Four to Crossroads Christian of Henderson, 67-28 to end the season 23-4. It was the third straight trip to the Final Four for the Lady Raiders. Senior Reagan Stoop had a team-high 11 points.

Colts sweep playoff doubleheader, advance to Final Four
By Bryant Baucom bbaucom@henderson
dispatch.com; 252-436-2840


HENDERSON — After earning No. 4 seeds in the N.C. Independent School Athletic Association Tournament, Crossroads Christian swept a home playoff doubleheader on Saturday, as both varsity boys and girls basketball programs advanced to the state semifinals.

Head coach Cammy Simmons and the Colts increased their highest single-season win total in school history, knocking off Lawrence Academy, 69-26, to improve their record to 24-3 overall.

Similar to the season’s first 26 games, Crossroads was exemplary on defense, holding the Warriors to single digits in all four quarters.

Scoring 20 points in both the first and second quarter saw Colts take a 40-10 lead into the halftime break, all but securing their first Final Four appearance in program history.

In a game where Lawrence Academy held the advantage for a total of 10 seconds, Crossroads showcased their high-powered offense and why they are heralded as one of the best teams in the state.

The Colts will compete in their first ever Final Four on Tuesday, as they travel to No. 1 seed Pungo Christian Academy (23-3).

In the nightcap, Crossroads improved to a perfect 2-0 on the day as the boys’ varsity program, led by head coach Scottie Richarson, downed No. 5 seeded Ridgecroft School (22-2), 83-57, to advance to the state semifinals.

Opening up the contest on a 7-0 run, the Colts seemed prime to run away with the contest from the tip. The Rams instead had plans of their own, putting together an immediate 8-0 run, thanks in part to two three-point baskets and a breakaway layup, to take their first lead of the game.

A back and forth first quarter was capped off by junior guard Will Alston, whose floater from the right wing gave Crossroads the 14-13 lead heading into the second period.

Back-to-back triples from senior guards Shane Anthony and Sam Boyd extended the Colts’ lead to seven at 28-21. Both teams would swap buckets in the final three minutes of the half, as the No. 4 overall seed took a 36-29 advantage into the locker room.

The second half brought forth a greater intensity from Crossroads, who created a fast pace contest that led to high-percentage opportunities and open looks from beyond the arc.

Richardson’s squad doubled their lead over Ridgecroft in the third quarter at 57-43 before exploding for 26 points in the final eight minutes.

Saturday’s 26-point victory marked the 18th time this season that the Colts defeated their opponents by 20 or more points.

With the win, Crossroads will travel to No. 1 overall seed United Faith Christian Academy (30-2) on Tuesday with a spot in the state championship on the line. The two programs squared off in a non-conference contest in early January, with the Falcons emerging victorious, 100-67, on their home floor in Charlotte.

The winner will take on either No. 2 seed Northside Christian (20-14) or No. 3 seed Victory Christian Center School (14-13) on Saturday with the state title on the line at Forsyth Country Day School.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the Queen City.

Providence Day-Carmel highlights ‘Big Tuesday’ for private schools in NCISAA playoffs
BY CAMERON WILLIAMS FEBRUARY 21, 2023 6:00 AM


Tuesday night, the NCISAA state playoffs continue with quarterfinal and semifinal play. In all, 14 Charlotte-area teams are still alive. That includes six girls teams (Northside Christian, Victory Christian, Statesville Christian, Concord Academy, Providence Day, Cannon) and eight boys (United Faith, Victory Christian, Northside Christian, Gaston Day, Concord Academy, Gaston Christian, Providence Day, Christian boys are at Northside Christian. Victory Christian’s girls will host Northside in 1A.
And in 4A, , No. 1 in The Sweet 16, is the defending state champion. Providence Providence Day is at Carmel Christian in the area’s top game of the night. Carmel Christian Carmel Christian).
Three of Tuesday’s semifinals will include area teams facing each other. In 1A, the Victory Day, once among the Carolinas’ top programs, are hunting a big upset. And that’s why Carmel Christian feels like it’ll have to play better than it did in Tuesday’s 66-50 win over Charlotte Latin to advance to the state final for a third straight season.

“It’s going to be a lot like this game (against Latin),” Carmel forward Bryce Cash said. “There’s going to be a lot of fans because it’s a highly anticipated matchup.”

Providence Day has recovered from a five-game losing streak in December and overcome the loss of a starter who transferred to a public school and another key player who left the team. The Chargers have won three in a row and upset Rabun Gap 49-44 Saturday in Georgia, led by 17 points and seven rebounds from 6-5 sophomore Trajan Thompson.
Carmel, meanwhile, has been a state title favorite all season despite returning four players from last season’s state championship team. And coach Joe Badgett said only two of them, guard Boston Smith and center Kaleb Siler, played any meaningful minutes.
The Cougars added four high profile transfers -- Bryce Cash (Charlotte Christian), Mike Marcus (Covenant Day) Jaeden Mustaf (DeMatha, MD) and Khamani Wertz (Providence Day) -- and have been ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams for much of the season. Badgett feels his team’s 27-3 record, against of the toughest schedules in the state, has been built with defense.

To continue to advance in the playoffs, Badgett feels, that emphasis must remain.

“It’s the same thing for us, we have to defend,” Badgett said. “They (Providence Day) are going to play hard, they are well coached. We have a game plan and we know how we want to defend them.”
A year ago, Carmel clipped the Chargers by just one point, 60-59, in a regular-season game. So, there will be some added motivation for the Chargers, and the Carmel players are expecting a large Providence Day crowd and a maximum Providence Day effort.
“It’s going to be a great game,” Mustaf said. “I’m pretty sure they will bring a student section. It’s a semifinal game so we are going to do the same.”

Wesleyan girls advance to semifinals

BY GREER SMITH ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER Feb 18, 2023 Updated 11 hrs ago
HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian made enough plays at the end and defeated North Raleigh Christian 49-47 in the third round of NCISAA 4A girls basketball playoffs Saturday at Wesleyan.

The fourth-seeded Trojans improved to 23-9 and play at No. 1 Cannon in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Ashley Browne and Lily Pereira led Wesleyan (23-9) with 15 each. Taylor Hawley, whom McRae was unsure would play because of a severe cold and was limited to playing in short stretches, added 13.

Wesleyan led most of the way but North Raleigh, which finished the season 17-10, went on a 9-2 run in the second and went up 36-35 on a bucket with 6:30 left. The Trojans responded with a 11-3 run, that included eight points from Browne and three from Pereira, for a 46-38 advantage, then made enough free throws to keep the margin from dipping below three.

“The girls were tough,” Wesleyan coach Daniel McRae said. “I told them during a time out that they had to be tough.”

Brown hit a runner with 5:14 left that put the Trojans ahead 37-36 and they didn’t trail again. Her three-point play with 2:45 to go made it 43-38. Pereira hit a runner with 2:08 left and Brown put the Trojans up eight when she hit a free throw with 1:58 to go.

Brown’s 15 was a season high.

“She’s had the best week of practice this week,” McRae said. “She’s in the gym all the time working and working. All the drills we did in practice, she was lights out shooting, Part of her problem is confidence. She’s on a team with other primary scorers so she’s trying to pass and deliver the ball. She’s thinking distribute, distribute, distribute. But with Taylor a question mark, I told her that she had to step up. ... She made a floater and an and-one and 4 of 6 free throws. She had eight points in the fourth quarter.”

The Knights started fouling with a little over a minute left and the Trojans made just three of six, going 1 of 2 on three occasions as they finished out making 8 of 17 at the line in the fourth quarter. Wesleyan went up by four when Pereira hit the last one with 10.2 seconds left and the Knights managed a jumper at the buzzer.

Wesleyan went on its big fourth-quarter run after Knights guard Anaya Harris, who is headed to Appalachian State, fouled out.

“That was huge,” McRae said. “Whoever they subbed in, they had a matchup problem.”

Khloe Naye led North Raleigh with 15 and McKenzie Graves added 10.

gsmith@hpenews.com

HPCA boys fall in OT at GDS
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Feb 19, 2023

GREENSBORO – High Point Christian had its shots at upsetting Greensboro Day. But it just couldn’t get them to fall.

The seventh-seeded Cougars had the second-seeded Bengals on the ropes much of the game, setting up shots to win at the end of regulation and overtime.

But neither shot dropped and Greensboro Day escaped with a 59-58 win in an overtime thriller Saturday afternoon in Dillard Gym in the quarterfinals of the NCISAA 3A boys basketball playoffs.

“I’m just so proud of our guys,” HPCA coach Joseph Cooper said. “They battled. They gave GDS everything and more. Our guys executed, they played hard and we were in position to win the game at the end. I’m just really proud of our guys.”

Isaiah Sanders scored 23 points – hitting a number of clutch shots down the stretch – to lead the Cougars (19-14), who were without senior guard Taft Johnson after he suffered a head injury in the first half and sat out the rest of the game.

Adam Grier chipped in 12 points while Toot Clay had nine as HPCA, last year’s state runner-up, erased a five-point deficit early in the fourth to lead by eight with 52 seconds left. But the Bengals – perennial state contenders – rallied hard in the final minute.

Greensboro Day (28-5), last year’s 4A runner-up, scored on its final three possessions to quickly make up ground as Jaydon Young scored on a three-point play with 46 seconds left following a steal and sank a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left.

But, despite a couple late miscues, the Cougars had a shot to win – taking an outside jumper just before the buzzer that hit off the back iron.

In the four-minute overtime, the Bengals twice led by four – the last time with 1:21 left. And HPCA answered with back-to-back 3s by Benny Limbacher and Amori McLeod to lead by two with 31 seconds left.

But Young again sank a 3 from the top of the key with 11 seconds left to give Greensboro Day back the lead. The Cougars, out of a timeout with 8.8 seconds left, dribbled upcourt and were able to snake to the basket for a close shot.

But the ball bobbled in and out as time expired.

Young finished with 24 points for the Bengals, who edged HPCA by a total of just nine points in their three meetings this season. Greensboro Day will face third-seeded Gaston Christian in the semifinals.

“We only have one senior starter, so we’ve got four guys coming back,” Cooper said. “Our future is bright. We’re excited about the next few years. We’ve got some really talented kids and, even more so, they’re good kids. So we’re looking to the future for sure.”

The Cougars, who shot 49% from the field while the Bengals shot 48%, will graduate seniors McLeod, Johnson, Darius Kane and Bryce Thomas. But HPCA, which expects to return a number of key contributors, looks to make another run next season.

“It’s enough to keep you up at night for months at a time,” said Cooper, with a laugh, looking back at the last couple seasons. “For us to win 19 games minus an all-state guard (Kane, who was injured this season) and for us to scrap everything and start anew, from where we started to now it’s tremendous growth.

“The fact that we went out and played people this year – I don’t know if we’ve ever had a schedule as tough as this year’s. And for these young guys – we had two freshmen who started every single game – to get this experience, I think it sets up well for the future. But hats off to our guys for working their tails off all season long.”

mlindsay@hpenews.com | @HPEmichael

Knights dominate in playoff opener


The Greenfield School boys basketball team didn’t leave any room for suspense in its first game of the NCISAA 2-A playoffs Saturday, dispatching visiting Freedom Christian Academy 103-49.

The third-seeded Knights, who improved to 27-10 on the season, got an all-hands-on-deck performance as they set exactly the tone they wanted to begin the postseason.

“Our tempo and pace was as good as it’s been since the end of November,” said Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. “We really pushed the ball, we picked up tempo defensively. We worked on that that all week. We had to really get back to the basics this week. Our guys just came out, we shared the ball, we didn’t over dribble, I think we took three charges. We played with a lot of energy. I’m very proud of the guys.”

Cole Evans led Greenfield with a season-high 27 points, knocking down nine 3-pointers.

“He was phenomenal, and our guys did a great job finding him,” Salter said. “Cole’s been a phenomenal shooter all year in practice. Sometimes in a game, his footwork speeds up. He was just in great rhythm. He ran the floor and got to the open spots.”

Hampton Evans added 15 points, Kyshon Atkinson notched 14, Matt Kirby posted 13 and Kobe Edwards chipped in 10.

“It was just good to have everybody back,” Salter said. “It was the first time we’ve had our whole team in about five weeks, probably. The strength of this team has been the depth. I think that showed. We know what the formula is to win, we’ve just got to carry it over and do it during the game.”


The Knights led 25-19 after one quarter, but found themselves ahead 58-36 at halftime as Freedom Christian (15-11) could not match the Knights’ pace.

“I knew they couldn’t keep up the pace,” Salter said. “They were trying to run with us, and then we started making shots. We can be very dangerous when we do that.”

It was Greenfield’s first game since an 81-56 loss to rival Wayne Country Day in the 2-A/3-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference championship game, and Salter said he was pleased with the Knights’ response to that defeat.

“We’ve had a very hard week of practice,” Salter said. “We went back to the basic fundamentals. We changed some things. The guys weren’t very happy after that game. I told them, ‘That’s over with, everybody’s 0-0, we can get hot and make a run too.’ We’ve shown that at times we can play at a state championship level. We’ve just got to do it one game at a time.”

Greenfield will take on sixth-seeded Fayetteville Academy, which defeated Harrells Christian 78-62 Saturday, on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. tip-off.

“They have great size and a lot of talent,” Salter said. “It’s going to be a tough task for us.”

BOYS

CONCORD ACADEMY 63, FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY 57
Concord Academy 14 13 14 27 — 63
Forsyth Country Day 14 18 13 12 — 57
CONCORD ACADEMY 63: JJ Moore 12, Avion Pinner 18, Isaiah Tate 8, Magnus Swinger 5, Noah Van Bibber 14, Jake Benham 6
FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY 57: Iverson King 20, Jahon Foster 10, Draven Pilson 12, Q Williams 11, Germinski 4 Notable: CA Played without 6’10 Petar Asceric (out with injury).

The top-seeded Carmel Christian Cougars defeated the Charlotte Latin Hawks 66-50 to clinch a NCISAA semifinal berth Saturday using a furious defensive effort. The Cougars offense was a bit stagnant in the early going, but the No. 1 team in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 really turned things up in the third quarter.

“This is a fairly new bunch,” Carmel coach Joe Badgett said.
“We only had four kids on our roster that played in the state finals last year. It’s new for these guys, so I expected them to be a little tight.”
Cougars senior forward Bryce Cash led his team with 26 points in the win. He hit three 3-point baskets and scored inside. Cash really provided the spark for the Cougars on offense in the second half as they turned a 26-20 halftime lead into a consistent double-digit lead in the second half.
“I really let my defense give me the energy just to go out there on offense and play freely,” Cash said. “Coach Badgett trusts us as players to play freely and my defense is my motor. It’s easy to hit shots when you have that motor.”

The Cougars made it difficult on Latin star Ned Hull all game, despite him scoring 17 points. He wasn’t allowed any clean looks, and the Cougars were forcing him to bring the ball up the floor, which was adding to his fatigue.

“I think for the most part Khamani Wertz just did a great job of chasing him,” Badgett said.

“Then we had guys stepping up and being where they needed to be to hedge him off of their screen actions so he wasn’t just getting clean looks. Later on you could see that it got to him a little bit the way those shots were really tough.”

Despite a scoreless first quarter for Carmel’s Jaeden Mustaf, a top-40 national recruit in the class of 2024, he got things cranked up in the second and third quarters. Mustaf drew fouls, made free throws and made some timely scores. He finished with 16 points. Like Cash and Badgett, Mustaf credits the win to the high-level defense that his team showed during the entire game.

“We did a great job tonight playing defense,” Mustaf said.

“We had a game plan, and I think we followed it pretty much exactly how we wanted to. We scouted them a lot and really just did what we were supposed to do.”

Coach Badgett knows how hard it is to win championships. His teams have won state championship in three of the past five years, including winning the 4A title in 2022. He also knows that a team’s success doesn’t always come on the offensive side of the ball. Badgett feels defense is more consistent — and that’s what he wants his team to focus on.

“If you are playing in the state (playoffs) and you are worried about your offense then you will be in trouble,” Badgett said. “That isn’t what it comes down to. It is about who can guard. We have to be disciplined.”

THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

Bryce Cash, Carmel Christian: The senior forward led his team in scoring, and he did it in a variety of ways. He stretched the floor by shooting 3s and in doing so, it was opening up dribble-drive opportunities for himself as well.

Ned Hull, Charlotte Latin: He seemed to be the main weapon for the Hawks. He is a sharpshooter who can make teams pay if they sag off of him, even for a split second. He finished the game with 17 points, nine of which came off 3-point baskets.

Jaeden Mustaf, Carmel Christian: The 4-star junior might not have had his best scoring night by his standards, but he made up for it on the defensive side of the ball, hounding his matchup and forcing a few turnovers in the process.

WHAT’S NEXT Carmel Christian will host Providence Day on Feb. 21 in what can be expected to be a capacity crowd.
Scoring Summary

Carmel Christian 14 12 20 20 — 66
Charlotte Latin 9 11 9 21 — 50
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 66: Cash 26, Mustaf 16, Freeman 11, Wertz 4, Smith 5, Silver 4
CHARLOTTE LATIN 50: Hull 17, Jones 7, Levy 6, Pence 3, Rose 15, Swimmer 2

1A BOYS

VICTORY CHRISTIAN 73 NORTH HILLS 26
NHC : 6-7-8-5---26
VCC : 27-22-8-15---73
NHC—Champ Hayden 15, Drye 7, Strong 1, Strickland 0, McInnis 3, R.Talbott 0,
NHC 12-16 VCC 14-13

BOYS

CALDWELL ACADEMY 56, WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 49
Westminster Catawba 16 7 10 16 — 49
Caldwell Academy 13 11 14 16 — 56
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 49: Tim Hall Jr 27 Points, 15 Rebounds, 5 Blocks, Booker 4, Derek Bradley 10, N. Hamrick 8
CALDWELL ACADEMY 56: Goodman 5, Jaylen Cross 16, Ayden Johnson 11, JJ Swindell 19, Neal Swindell 4, O’Neil 1
Notable: In the Sweet 16 of the NCISAA 2A state playoffs (3rd Round) Westminster dropped a tough loss to Caldwell Academy (Greensboro). In his last high school game Tim Hall Jr had 27 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks. Hall finished his high school career with over 2,000 points and over 1,000 rebounds.

BOYS
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 66 LATIN 50
Carmel Christian 14 12 20 20 — 66
Charlotte Latin 9 11 9 21 — 50
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 66: Cash 26, Mustaf 16, Freeman 11, Wertz 4, Smith 5, Silver 4
CHARLOTTE LATIN 50: Hull 17, Jones 7, Levy 6, Pence 3, Rose 15, Swimmer 2

BOYS
BETHEL ASSEMBLY CHRISTIAN 71, MOUNT CALVARY CHRISTIAN 44
Mount Calvary Christian’s season came to an end Thursday in the first round of the Mid-Atlantic Christian Athletic Association state tournament.
The Warriors ended the season 5-17.

1A

BOYS

PUNGO 18-8 @ UNITED FAITH 29-2
RIDGECROFT 22-1 @ CROSSROADS CHRISTIAN 25-7
NORTH HILLS 12-15 @ VICTORY CHRISTIAN 13-13
CAPE FEAR CHRISTIAN 15-15 @ NORTHSIDE 19-14

GIRLS

CAPE FEAR CHRISTIAN 9-13 @ PUNGO 22-3
LAWRENCE 22-5 @ CROSSROADS CHRISTIAN 23-3
RIDGECROFT 13-6 @ NORTHSIDE 20-10
CRESSET CHRISTIAN 10-8 @ VICTORY CHRISTIAN 17-6

‘The Store’ finds new life

Harrells, population 161 per the 2021 census, is home to an academy sharing the namesake of its host. An old one town store shrouded in a mythic origin tale. In this town is a school that has brought a small piece of history back to life in the internet age.


Since their inception in 1969, they have participated in sports since and the Harrells Crusaders have remained a major highlight for the town on the edge of the county. Since they’ve opened they’ve racked up an impressive amount of hardware to add to the trophy cabinet. The Crusaders dubbed their athletic complex “The Store.”

“The Store” moniker comes from the original store that started the entire town. The “Harrells Store” actually appeared on maps as the town’s actual name in the late 1800’s. According to another patron of Crusader sports said the proposed store site isn’t far from the school at all. As time goes on, the moniker may have dropped from history if not for the local folklore keeping it alive.

It started with two coaches who introduced the nickname to the athletic program, Clayton Hall and Jack Holley in 2008. He told me the tale about how Holley referenced the complex as “The Store.” This caught his attention being a new coach and he asked him about it. It was then that Holley told him the story of the local store that used to exist down the road.

Fast forward five years to 2013, Coach Hall has been hired as the new athletic director and is looking to bring something new to the program.

He said, “I was just looking for something fresh for social media posts. I researched Coach Holley’s story and saw the area on the map was called ‘Harrell’s Store.’”

Harrells Christian Academy had been given an identity that ties it into the community. The symbiotic relationship between school sports and community brings a tiny town’s history back into the limelight. A program that has brought 22 state titles over various sports back to Harrells.

Clayton Hall replied humbly when asked how he felt about his role in preserving a piece of history.

“I never thought about it. The school was excellent before I existed and it will continue to flourish long after I’m gone. I haven’t done anything special, just happy to be a part of it.”


Coach Jason Arnette, head coach for the football program, a position held since 2016, and remarked how tradition runs deep at Harrells.

“Harrells Christian is a special place with a lot of great history and coaches. Our fans and supporters care about football and our tradition. That means a lot. A really small town, a small school and a lot of pride.”

Randolfo Sandoval, the soccer head coach, took the position three years ago. The team has since posted back to back winning seasons aiming to add some soccer gold to the “Store” cabinet. He had this to say about his experience coaching for the program.

“I’m very proud of coaching the Crusaders and every one of my players through these years. Many of whom made sure I felt welcome from day one. Harrells, to me, is an extension of family.”

Harrells basketball finished their regular season with an impressive 19-4 record and is poised for a long run in the postseason. Needless to say, “The Store” will be alive and well for many years to come.

Arendell Parrott uses huge second-half run to defeat Grace Christian
.
One halftime conversation spurred an epic run for Arendell Parrott.

The Patriots scored the first 25 points of the second half on the way to a 59-35 victory over Grace Christian of Raleigh in the second round of the NCISAA 3A state playoffs. APA heads to High Point Christian Academy Saturday at 1 p.m. after defending home court well in the first two rounds.

APA coach Kelly Johnson said the team had to change its mindset and it worked after a halftime conversation.
"I told them we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win, and there's a difference," Johnson said. "They really stepped up in the second half and played to win."

There were five ties and two lead changes in the first half as the teams were tied going into the second quarter. Grace Christian went on a 7-0 run, capped off by a Katie Lavelle 3-pointer and a basket by Kynndal Morris out the Eagles up 28-22 with 1:13 in the second.

Those were the last points Grace Christian scored for more than 13 minutes as APA exploded. Rachel Okonkowo scored to bring the team within 28-24 at the break, then she added eight points and three assists in the third quarter. When she hit two free throws to end the frame, the Patriots led 42-28.

"I knew it was my last home game and had to bring the energy," Okonkowo said. "At halftime, we had a big reset and listened to Coach, who told us to play to win. All I was thinking about was not losing, but was able to just focus on the game."

By the time Morris hit a free throw with 4:12 remaining, the Patriots had a 49-29 lead after a 27-0 run.

"Things weren't going our way and we weren't communicating with each other," APA's Caroline Ouano said. "Coach told us to get back to talking on the court and really believing in each other."

Okonkowo scored 22 points with nine rebounds, five assists and five rebounds to lead the Patriots. Ouano and Marlene Hille added 10 points each.

HPCA boys beat Grace, will face GCS in quarterfinals
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Feb 16, 2023 Updated 7 hrs ago

HIGH POINT – High Point Christian didn’t execute as well as it would’ve liked. But it got the job done to move on in the playoffs.

The seventh-seeded Cougars kept building leads then falling back even until finally breaking free late to beat Grace Christian-Raleigh 57-48 on Thursday at HPCA in the second round of the NCISAA 3A boys basketball playoffs.

HPCA advanced to face second-seeded Greensboro Day in the quarterfinals Saturday at 3 p.m. in Greensboro.

“We’d get up four, five points and I felt like we took our foot off the gas for some reason,” Cougars coach Joseph Cooper said. “That happened a lot tonight. I don’t know if that’s having a lot of young guys or just being in the playoffs and having some extra nerves.

“But we know we’re going to have to be better Saturday against GDS. We can’t play like that. We’ve got to be more locked-in. We’ve got to be more engaged leading up to the game. We’ve got to put 32 minutes together. We finally made some layups and hit some free throws down the stretch.”

Isaiah Sanders scored 17 points – including a run of nine straight for his team in the fourth – to lead HPCA (19-13), last year’s state runner-up. Taft Johnson added 12 points while Toot Clay and Adam Grier each had nine points.

“For my last home game, I’m just happy to get a win,” said Johnson, a 6-foot-5 senior guard. “I felt like we barely escaped, but having two games before going to GDS on Saturday is probably going to be helpful.”

The Cougars – who never trailed – led by eight in the first, six in the second and four in the third. But the Eagles (21-14) tied it four times, stayed within 30-27 at halftime and remained within three with 4:56 left in the game.

Both teams shot under 40% from the field for the game – HPCA shot 38%, missing a number of shots near the basket, while Grace shot 33%. And the Eagles struggled with 18 turnovers but were still within reach late.

But finally the Cougars made a crucial 8-2 run – sparked by a couple layups by Sanders – to lead by nine with 52 seconds left. HPCA, which made 17 of 27 free throws, made six straight from the line to help pull away.

“I think we were lacking focus most of the game,” Johnson said. “And then we got our confidence up at the end. We were like, ‘Hey, it’s time to pull away.’ So we finally focused up, even though it took three quarters to do so.”

Julien King scored 24 points to lead Grace.

Next the Cougars, who won 80-30 against Thales-Rolesville in the first round Tuesday, will take on familiar foe Greensboro Day. The Bengals won both meetings in PTAC play – but by just three in Dillard Gym and by five at HPCA.

“If you can’t get up for this game Saturday, then I don’t know what you’re doing,” Cooper said. “Playing GDS with a chance to move on to the final four of the state tournament – this is all you can ask for. We’ll have our work cut out for us.”

mlindsay@hpenews.com | @HPEmichael

BOYS
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 57, CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 51
Country Day 10 17 18 12 -- 57
Charlotte Christian 7 13 12. 19-- 51
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 57 -- Carter Alessi 17, Fletcher Bigham 13, Dallas Gardner 12, Hewett 6, Bethel 5, Turner 4
CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 51 -- Gilbert 19, Lash 15, Jamison 7, Guandolo 8, Daniel 2
Notable: Carter Alessi led Country Day with 17 points including six for six on the free throw line. The Bucs advanced to the quarter finals where they will play number two seed Christ School in Asheville on Saturday. The win makes the Bucs 20-11 on the season.