Crossroads concludes successful regular season on the hardwood
By Bryant Baucom bbaucom@hendersn
dispatch.com; 252-436-2840

HENDERSON — It was another successful regular season for the varsity basketball programs at Crossroads Christian, as both the girls’ and boys’ teams captured a Mid-Carolina Conference title.

Each team finished league play with a perfect 6-0 record and amassed over 20 wins.

On the girls’ side, the Colts recorded their best regular season in program history, winning a school record 21 games with a .880 winning percentage.

They are currently riding a six-game winning streak and have emerged victorious in 14 of their last 16 contests.


Sophomore guard Elyssa Phillips leads the way on offense for Crossroads, scoring an impressive 20.4 points per game on 48%% shooting.

Halle Brown (14.1 points) and Isreal Thorpe (12.0 points) are the remaining Colts to average double figures in scoring. Brown, who has appeared in just seven games, is the team leader with 8.1 rebounds per game and Thorpe paces the roster in assists with four per game.

The Colts’ success on the boards and in forcing turnovers is a big reason for their historic season on the hardwood. They averaged over nine offensive rebounds per game and tallied 15 steals per game.

In turn, they were able to score second chance points and create high percentage looks through their fast break offense.

Their dominance throughout the 24-game regular season was evident by the eye test and in the box scores. Crossroads defeated their opponents by an average of 33 points per game.

They held teams to under 20 points a total of nine times and reached the 60 point mark on 16 different occasions.


As the Colts enter postseason play, head coach Cammy Simmons has them playing their best basketball of the season. They will host No. 4 seed Lee Christian on Thursday in the semifinals of the MCC tournament.

Scotte Richardson guided the boys program at Crossroads Christian to a 23-7 record, ending the regular season as winners of 11 of their last 12 games.

The Colts tested themselves with a rigorous out of conference schedule, facing NCHSAA opponents and the state’s best at the NCISAA level.

University of Lynchburg commit John Henderson Jr. is the team’s leading scorer at 13.9 points per game.

Junior forward Ben Gladeiux averages 12.5 points per game in the frontcourt, while guard Shane Anthony is right behind with 12.4 points per contest.

Anthony has been outstanding from beyond the three-point line, connecting on 39% of his 127 attempts.

Senior D’Markus Tucker, who is averaging 10 points on the season, is the team’s leading rebounder, pulling down 5.9 boards per game.

Crossroads excelled offensively, shooting 50% from the floor and 36% from beyond the arc.

The Colts reached the 70 point mark 20 times and scored a season-high 108 points in a victory over Cresset Christian Academy in December.

They assisted on 14 baskets per contest and were aided by their aggressive defense, garnering over 12 steals a game.

With the postseason on the horizon, they are set to host the MCC Tournament semifinals and championship if they were to advance.

Crossroads will begin their postseason journey on Thursday, as they welcome No. 4 seed Cresset Christian to Henderson for a semifinal matchup.

Both the girls and boys championship games will take place on Friday with the state playoffs beginning next week.

The Varsity Boys Basketball Team defeated Faith on Senior Night on Friday by a score of 59 to 30. Will Tharin led the scoring with 12 points, Parker Eatmon added 11 points, while Timoni Barnes chipped in 9. Isaac Lewis led in rebounding pulling down an impressive 13 boards to go along with his 8 points. This win clinched the regular season title and the Eagles will be the top seed in the tournament starting Friday at 6pm.

The Varsity Girls remained undefeated in the CIC, securing a 53-39 win against the Lady Patriots. The Lady Eagles will take the court for the next time at Faith Christian School in the Championship Game on Saturday at 4:00.

The JV Boys clinched a win in the final seconds of the game defeating Faith Christian 45-42! The JV Boys, remaining undefeated in conference play, and 19-2 for the season, will next compete for the championship title on Saturday at 2:30 at Faith Christian School.

The JV girls came out strong last Friday winning securing a 44-12 win over Faith. The next game will be against the Faith Christian Patriots again on Thursday at 4:30 at Faith Christian.

The MS Girls basketball team will be traveling to Halifax Academy for a 4 PM game at Halifax on Tuesday. The boys team will be hosting Halifax Academy at 4 PM on Tuesday. Winners of each game will head to Faith for the Championship Games that start at 10 AM on Saturday.

BOYS STATEWIDE RANKINGS NCISAA

Rk School Rec Prvs

1 Carmel Christian 25-3 1
2 United Faith 27-2 2
3 Cannon 26-6 4
4 Greensboro Day 26-4 3
5 Christ School 26-4 8
6 Gaston Christian 21-8 9
7 Concord Academy 26-6 5
8 Asheville School 16-5 7
9 Wayne Country Day 25-6 NR
10 Rabun Gap 21-7 6

RIDGECROFT 60 OAKWOOD 41
RID : 23-5-16-16---60
OWS : 8-8-11-14---41
RID—Sawyer Chamblee 20, Baylor Edwards 12, Justin Peterson 10, Savage 4, Lewis 5, P.Edwards 7, Vaughn 1,
RIDGECROFT 18-1 OAKWOOD 2-13

NEW BERN CHRISTIAN 35 COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN 32
NBC 6 7 14 8 — 35
CCS 9 11 3 9 — 32
NBC--Scott 1, Eason 11, Huffman 9, Andrews 4, Lajoie 6, Weatherly 4.
CCS--Jackson 18, C. Carter 5, Ventura 3, Holmes 6.

Mount Calvary Christian girls basketball team finds hot streak


HOOKERTON — The team with the longest winning streak locally resides at Mount Calvary Christian.

The Lady Warriors are currently on a seven-game streak, which started with a victory over Bethel Christian in a tournament Jan. 7. Six of the wins have come by 15 points or more, and the other one was a 40-39 victory over Ahoskie Christian where Hannah Rice scored with two seconds left.

MCCU dropped the first game against Ahoskie Christian 38-25 on Dec. 5, in the midst of a rough patch — the Warriors ended up dropping six of seven games.

Heading into Friday’s game against Fellowship Christian — a team MCCU beat 55-16 on Jan. 20 — the Warriors are 7-1 in 2023 and at 12-9 have already eclipsed their win total from last season when they went 11-15.

“Early on, we dealt with some sickness and injuries, but now that we’ve been able to get everyone healthy we caught fire in the second half of the season,” Rice said. “The kids are playing for each other and that’s something we emphasize. They’ve put in a lot of time in the offseason, developing fundamentals.”

Losing Bailey Wade for several games early contributed to the team’s skid. Wade was playing point guard for the first time in her career and when she was out, the duty fell upon eighth-grader Emily Buck while other players had to do more in Wade’s absence.

“It affected both the offense and defense,” Hannah Rice said. “My whole life I played in the post, but had to play more like a guard when Bailey was out. Now that she’s back, everyone can work on their own positions.”

Wade said it’s been a transition but one she’s appreciated.

“I feel like I’m getting more comfortable as the season goes on,” Wade said. “Since my shchool is small, playing varsity in the sixth grade has prepared me for where I am today. I’m still growing as an athlete and I try to be a positive teammate.”

Buck said playing point guard did help her out despite the challenges, not just being in the position but adjusting to varsity play.

“There’s a lot of pressure, but playing point guard helped me a whole lot,” Buck said.

The Warriors are led offensively by Hannah Rice (12.7 ppg, 17.1 rpg, 2.4 spg), Wade (9.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.1 apg, 3.7 spg, 2.0 bpg) and Buck (9.8 ppg). Rice leads the state in rebounds according to Maxpreps and defensively, Holly Jo Brick is seventh in the state with 3.8 blocks per game while also grabbing 8.7 rebounds.

“I’ve just been working on timing,” Brick said. “I hurt my knee and missed a couple games so I’ve been working on getting my jump back, and of course my height helps.”

The future is even brighter for Mount Calvary Christian, as the team has no seniors. Melanie Hall is the elder stateswoman as a junior with three sophomores — Rice, Wade and Brick — and middle schoolers.

“We have a young varsity team, but there’s a lot of talent and heart,” Frank Rice said. “They’re unselfish and we’re teaching them how to play the right way. The core will be together for another three years and if we stay injury-free, the way this team is gelling, a state championship could happen.”

The Warriors are hosting the Mid-Atlantic Christian Athletic Association championships, which run from Feb. 16-18.

A senior night to cherish for Cyclones

By Tom Ham Special to the Times

Thursday night’s renamed North Carolina Christian Athletic Association 2-A North-South war provided a Senior Night to cherish for the five senior members of the Community Christian School varsity boys basketball team.

The seniors – 6-foot-7 Seth Huston, Rylan Gay, Bryce Pittman, Ayden Smith and Noah Pierce combined for 72 points as the Cyclones of the North region won the war with a 75-53 triumph against New Bern Christian Academy of the South region inside Eastern N.C. School for the Deaf’s Barney Williamson gym. The Cyclones avenged a 14-point loss nine days earlier at New Bern.

The rematch did not count in the region standings for either team. But should a tiebreaker surface between the teams in the postseason, CCS gets the nod.

The Cyclones of head coach Derrick Atkinson took over the North lead at 5-2 and hiked their overall record to 14-5. New Bern emerged tied for the South top spot at 6-1 and possesses a 17-7 overall mark.

“This was the most complete game we have played,” assessed Atkinson. “We wanted to start out fast and stay that way. We wanted to pressure them and keep the pressure on.”

Setting a scorching pace for CCS was Huston with a career-high 35 points and 18 rebounds. Huston had missed the previous two games because of an injury.

Pittman, who ignited the blistering start, drilled in 17 points and claimed seven rebounds. Gay, a prominent playmaker in working the ball to Huston, tossed in 11 points, Smith six and Pierce a pair.

As Huston began to assert his presence, Gay, Pittman and Smith committed themselves to get the basketball in Huston’s hands.

“He was out the last two games,” Atkinson noted of Huston, “and we wanted to get him back in the groove so we could go inside-out.”

Huston finished on at least a half-dozen putbacks and feasted inside on cutters. His excitement got the best of him in the fourth quarter – when he was whistled for a technical for taunting following an accurate mid-range jumper.

“He doesn’t usually do something like that,” Atkinson noted, “but he was so excited.”

Commented Huston: “I wasn’t thinking much about (Senior Night) until the guys started telling me how many points I had. To do well on Senior Night is definitely something to be proud of.

“I was trying to get as open as possible because they couldn’t stop me. I am glad (teammates) trusted me and know I can get it done. That goes a long way.”

Of dominating the backboards, Huston, the tallest player on the court, remarked: “I can read the ball and tell where it’s going.”

The Mustangs owned a 3-0 beginning before Pittman jump-started CCS. The Cyclones responded with seven unanswered points and Huston led the Cyclones to a 17-7 first-quarter cushion.

CCS played at a frenzied pace in the second quarter, stretching the lead to 25-9 as Gay buried a pair of 3-point shots. Huston was still dealing and making frequent trips to the foul line as the margin expanded to 33-12.

“No. 2 (Pittman) has been shooting the ball really good the last three games,” Atkinson said. “No. 12 (Huston) has been big all year long.”

The Mustangs showed life in the third quarter, cutting the 15-point halftime deficit to 10 behind senior Levi Romero and 5-foot-3 senior Micah Coghill, the son of head coach Scott Coghill, who swished four shots from 3-point land.”

Coach Coghill revealed the Mustangs were missing their starting center and said: “”We didn’t have our composure and lacked the discipline necessary. But (CCS) played well.

“Our goal was to get their lead down to 10 points. We did that, but then had a turnover and started to foul. Their lead was back to 15 pretty quick.”

Also, leading scorer K.C. Peter, a sophomore, fouled out in the third quarter.

“We knew he was in foul trouble,” Atkinson acknowledged of Peter. “We knew they were coming, but we spread the offense out. We wanted to play smart defense so we could keep an eye on (Peter).”

CCS fans among the live-wire onlookers roared when Peter fouled out.


Romero’s 13 points paced the Mustangs. Micah Coghill scored 12, while senior Geo Smith and Peter netted 11 each.

The proceedings were frequently chippy.

“They are new to our conference,” Coach Coghill explained. “Everybody comes after New Bern – and that’s good.”

NEW BERN CHRISTIAN ---Smith 11, Puchalslic 3, Romero 13, Coghill 12, Peter 11, Cahoon 3.

COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN--Gay 11, Smith 6, Pittman 17, Pierce 2, Williams 2, Pittman 2, Huston 35.

Score by quarters:

NBC 7 15 12 19 — 53

CCS 17 20 14 24 — 75

CHARLOTTE LATIN TO NAME FLOOR AFTER LEGENDARY COACH

Jerry Faulkner won nearly 900 games as a high school basketball coach and guided Charlotte Latin to five state championships. On Friday night, the gym floor at Charlotte Latin will be named for him.

Faulkner, who coached the Hawks from 1985 through 2007 and then had a successful career at two coastal South Carolina schools, will be honored at halftime of the Charlotte Latin-Charlotte Country Day boys’ game. Charlotte Latin officials say they expect more than 50 of his former players to be on hand for the ceremony.

In his 22 seasons with the Hawks, Faulkner compiled a record of 515-157. Only once did Charlotte Latin have a losing record with Faulkner at the helm. Many of his players went on to play in college, and one, Anthony Morrow, played in the NBA and is now an executive with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He was selected as head coach of the East team in the 2001 McDonald’s All-American Game. Faulkner moved to the Hilton Head, South Carolina, area after leaving Charlotte, but it didn’t take him long to get back into coaching. He coached at Hilton Head Christian, took a brief break, and then took over the Hilton Head Prep job in 2012.

Faulkner coached Hilton Head Prep to the S.C. Independent Schools’ 2A state championship in 2019. He retired from Hilton Head Prep last year.

Virginia high school cancels basketball season after 22-year-old poses as JV player during game
• BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS, Richmond Times-Dispatch


RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia high school has canceled the rest of the JV girls basketball season after a 22-year-old former assistant coach played in a game by pretending to be a 13-year-old player.

The story, first reported by WAVY television in Hampton Roads, has led to the cancellation of the season, and the television station reported that the team's head coach was fired.

The Churchland High School Truckers basketball team in Portsmouth had one of its players, a 13-year-old, out of town at a club basketball tournament.

So instead, the 22-year-old former assistant coach, who WAVY reported as Arlisha Boykins, suited up and played in the game on Jan. 21 against Nansemond River.


Online records now show the game as a forfeit, with Nansemond River the winner. Prior to the game, Churchland had won four straight.

Boykins can be seen in video of the event posted by the NFHS Network, which broadcasts many high school games on the internet.

A school spokesperson told reporters the Churchland administration held a meeting and the players and parents opted to sit out the rest of the season.

WAVY reported that the parents of the player who was not in attendance have asked for an apology from the school division.

BETHEL CHRISTIAN 56 COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN 52

KINSTON — Less than two weeks after hanging at 17-point loss on Bethel Christian in Wilson, the Community Christian varsity boys basketball team found the Trojans to be equally unaccommodating on their home court Monday as the Cyclones were dealt a 56-52 defeat.
Bryce Pittman led the Cyclones, now 13-5 overall, with 13 points while Tavares Williams produced 12 points and seven rebounds. Rylan Gay added 11 points while Ayden Smith yanked down 12 rebounds.
CCS will host New Bern Christian on Thursday at ENCSD’s Williamson Gym.

CCS—Bryce Pittman 13, Tavares Willimas 12, Rylan Gay 11, Smith 4, Pierce 4, Kovach 8,
CCS 13-5 BCA 7-15

CCS can’t overcome Trojans
KINSTON — Community Christian was after its second varsity girls basketball win of the season Monday but host Bethel Christian wasn’t having it and prevailed 34-29 in the smallest margin of defeat for the Cyclones this season
Senior Abigail Jackson led CCS (1-13), which only trailed by two through three quarters, with 14 points to go with 15 rebounds and six steals. Claire Carter added nine points and four rebounds for the Cyclones, who will host New Bern Christian on Thursday at ENCSD.
Bethel Christian exited 4-12.

: HPCA’s Cooper, Drew to coach in Triad ASG
HIGH POINT — High Point Christian’s boys coach Joseph Cooper and girls coach Brittany Drew have been selected to coach in this year’s Triad All-Star Classic basketball games.
Cooper will coach the East boys while Drew will coach the East girls teams. Tyler Bentley from North Surry will coach the West boys and Ken Leak from Parkland will coach the West girls.
The 12th annual Triad All-Star Classic will be Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, at TW Andrews. Player rosters for the unsigned seniors game and all-star games are expected to be released soon.

Westminster Catawba, starting to find stride, stops SouthLake
BY LANGSTON WERTZ JR.

Just in time for the playoffs, Ed Addie’s Westminster Catawba team is beginning to hit its stride.

“I hope so,” Addie said after Tuesday’s 62-44 win at home over SouthLake Christian.

“We’re trying to figure a couple things out. We don’t have a true point guard, so we’re having to play a couple different people there, but it’s working.”

Since suffering a 3-game losing streak earlier this month, Addie’s team has won four of its past five games. On Tuesday, Jalen Booker got his team going scoring several early buckets and Kenyon Addie got hot outside.

Star Tim Hall had 24 points and 20 rebounds. Westminster got control early in this one, leading 33-19 at halftime. SouthLake Christian (8-21) lost its second straight game. Senior Christian Monroe, son of coach Rodney Monroe, the former N.C. State star, had a team-high 17 points.

WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 62, SOUTHLAKE CHRISTIAN 44
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA: 62 - Tim Hall Jr 24 Points, 20 Rebounds 4 Blocks, Derek Bradley 11, Nick Hamrick 10, Jalen Booker 9, Kenyon Addie 8
SOUTHLAKE CHRISTIAN: 44 - Mason 5, Gazzaway 5, Brzovic 2, Gardner 2, C. Watson 15, C. Moore 17

Bragging rights: Tigers top Knights for 1st time on Minter’s late 3
January 29, 2023
By Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808


With big games looming in the immediate future for both the varsity boys basketball teams at Wilson Prep and Greenfield, Saturday’s second meeting this season between the Tigers and Knights was a chance for one last nonconference test for both squads to prepare for the postseason.

Forget all that.

This was about bragging rights that now reside with Wilson Prep after junior Leslie Minter buried a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds to give the Tigers a thrilling 65-62 victory – their first in six games against Greenfield since 2018 – and set off a jubilant postgame celebration inside the packed WPA gym.

“It feels very good,” said Minter. “Everybody in the city thinks they’re (the Knights) the top dog. We just showed them that’s not true.”

For WPA head coach Anthony Atkinson Jr., it felt very good to finally get his first win in five tries against not only his alma mater but against his former coach and good friend Rob Salter.

“We needed that monkey off our back!” said a drained Atkinson after a game that saw 12 lead changes and four tie scores. “That monkey’s been on our back. Even when we won the state championship, that’s all people said: ‘Well, you didn’t beat Greenfield.’ This year they said, ‘You didn’t beat Farmville, you didn’t beat Greenfield.’”

Indeed, the Tigers, who won the NCHSAA 1-A championship in 2021 after starting the COVID-shortened season with back-to-back losses to the Knights, dropped their 2022-23 season opener at Greenfield, 81-68, as part of the Hoop State Network’s 252 Tip-Off showcase in November.

Salter, while disappointed with his team’s lack of focus early in the game, was impressed with the resilience of the Tigers, indicating the amount of growth since that pre-Thanksgiving matchup.

“First of all, hats off to Wilson Prep,” Salter said. “They were fantastic. They played hard. I thought they came out with so much intensity and focus. They executed when we made mistakes. They really hit the big shots when they needed to. I thought we missed a lot of easy shots and when we did, they capitalized. I’m happy for Ant, man. That’s a big-time win and they completely deserved it. They outplayed us, no doubt about it.”

The Tigers, ranked third among NCHSAA 1-A East teams by MaxPreps.com, rose to 14-6 with their seventh straight victory while the Knights, top-ranked in the NCISAA 2-A tabulation, dropped to 22-8.

“You learn more from losses and this year with this team, if we don’t do what we do well, if we break off it, we’re just an average high school team,” Salter said. “If we play the way Greenfield is capable of playing, then we can play with anybody.”

Senior Jahmar Jones, whom Atkinson called “the best 6-(foot)-1-and-under player in the state,” led Wilson Prep with 22 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists while junior point guard Matt Kirby paced Greenfield with 13 points.

In the first half, the Knights were just trying to keep up with the Tigers, who looked like they were on a mission despite starting the game down 2-0 after having a technical foul assessed for Minter’s “dunk” during warmups. Kirby hit both free throws to give the quick lead to the Knights, who were without 6-5 junior Hampton Evans while he’s still under concussion protocol. Wilson Prep made sure to push the ball into the paint as often as possible, but Jones assured that was the game plan regardless.

Most of that attack came through 6-8 junior center David Ellis, who grabbed 15 rebounds, including eight off the offensive glass, to go with eight points on the night.

While every Wilson Prep player on the floor seemed eager to make something happen, the Knights looked hesitant in the early going, as though they were waiting for one player to light their fuse. Greenfield senior Kyshon Atkinson, who finished with 12 points, said the fervent atmosphere in the “Tiger’s Den” was a distraction.

“The first half, we were just rowdy,” he said. “We didn’t come out composed. We came out kind of feeding into the crowd. That’s what got us in the first half but the second half, we calmed down, we were more poised and then we came back and were playing like us.”

Senior Bryson Wall scored nine of his 11 points in the game over the final 5:20 of the second quarter to keep Greenfield within six points at halftime. But Anthony Atkinson knew the Knights would answer eventually.

“I told our guys in the third quarter, I said they hadn’t made a run yet, because we pretty much controlled the first half,” he said. “They hadn’t made a run and I told them, I said, ‘It’s coming.’ I told my coaches, ‘I know it, I know it! It’s coming.’”
person of Kirby, who had seven of his team-high 13 points in the third quarter.

“Matt kind of took over the game in the third and really changed the tempo for them,” the Tigers head coach said. “We knew that he can get downhill with the best of them. Matt’s a very underrated point guard. He’s fast, he’s herky-jerky and he’s heady. He took over there for a minute.”


Greenfield closed the third quarter on a 13-2 run to go up 51-47 while Jack Adair and Micah Sherrod did their thing on the defensive end to spark the Knights.

The Tigers tied the score on baskets by Brandon Anderson, who had a quiet 17 points, and Jones before Nik Edwards hit a 3-pointer and Micah Sherrod, who came off the bench for 12 points, got a putback to give the Knights their biggest lead at 56-51.

“They made a run but we never let it get past five,” Anthony Atkinson said. “But my guys, I’m so proud because all year long, we’ve talked about battling and competing every play. And we were so resilient tonight and we answered every run with a run of our own.”

Consecutive baskets by Ellis, Jones and Minter returned the lead to the Tigers at 57-56 with just under five minutes to play. Adair’s layup gave Greenfield the advantage again before Anderson canned his second 3 of the night to put WPA back up 60-58. Kirby tied the score again with 2:42 remaining for his only points of the quarter. Atkinson credited Jones and Hicks for helping to stifle Kirby.

Two Tigers turnovers gave the Knights several chances to reclaim the lead but part of Greenfield’s fourth-quarter issues were an 0-of-6 showing at the foul line, part of a 12-of-20 night at the line.

“That’s what gets you in these games,” Salter groaned. “We missed free throws and layups and then at the end, we just weren’t smart.”

With the score still knotted at 60-all, Anderson drew a critical charging foul on Kirby with just 63 seconds to play and this time Wilson Prep didn’t give up the ball. Instead, Jones penetrated and dished to a wide-open Ellis for a go-ahead dunk with 31 seconds to play. Greenfield answered on Sherrod’s second-chance goal to tie the score for a final time with 23.9 seconds left, giving the Tigers the ball with a chance to win.

Anthony Atkinson noted that Minter, one of the team’s top scorers who recently moved to a reserve role as the first one off the bench, struggled in the Tigers’ 73-31 romp at 1-A Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference foe Northwest Halifax on Friday.

“That was the first game in two weeks he hadn’t done anything,” Atkinson said of Minter, who had just two points Friday. “I texted him on the ride home last night from Northwest and I told him, ‘I don’t know what it is, but you’re going to do something special tomorrow. You’re still a big-time player no matter what happens, but tomorrow you’re going to do something special.’”

With the clock running down, Jones found Minter on the left wing behind the 3-point arc. The Greenfield player guarding him gambled in trying to poke the ball away from Minter, who calmly dribbled a step to his right to set up for a wide-open look that was never in doubt on the WPA bench.

“When he pump-faked – he does that all the time in practice – I turned to the coaches and said, ‘That’s good,’” Atkinson said.

Minter, who finished with 11 points and five rebounds, said: “My team had confidence in me and I had confidence in myself, so I knocked it down for my team

The splash created a frenzy of spectators and players erupting before WPA officials moved quickly to clear the floor with 1.7 seconds left. After a timeout, the Knights got a half-court heave from Sherrod that fell well short of the iron and the Tigers finally had their first win against Greenfield.

“All this game was about was respect,” Jones reminded. “That’s all we needed. We needed to be disciplined. This was for bragging rights.”


GREENFIELD (62)

K. Edwards 2, N. Edwards 5, Kirby 13, Atkinson 12, Adair 7, Sherrod 12, Wall 11.

WILSON PREP (65)

Jones 22, Hicks 5, Anderson 17, Minter 11, Ellis 8, Eatmon 2.

Score by quarters:

Greenfield 13 18 20 11 – 62

Wilson Prep 15 22 10 18 – 65

CAPE FEAR ACADEMY 43 HARRELLS 27
CFA : 9-11-11-12===43
HCA : 7-7-8-5---275, DHCA—Antonio McCoy 11, Bennett 3, Funes 0, McNeill 8, Brunsen 0, Gibbs 0, Spell 5, D.McCoy 0,
CFA 15-6 HARRELLS 19-2

CARDINAL GIBBONS 56 SANFORD GRACE CHRISTIAN 53
The #4 (via HighSchool OT) Lady Crusaders came up just three points short against the #14 Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders. Sarah Strong (20 pts), Halisi Whitley (12 pts), & Miyah Campbell (11 pts) led the Crusaders with Whitley and Campbell hitting 7 threes between the pair. Gibbons came out with big shots pulling out to an 8 point lead. This game was back and forth the entire contest with Grace pulling ahead by four in the second half; but our home Crusaders lost the foul, rebound and turnover battle and in a game this close the margin for error was razor thin. Grace held the visiting Crusaders to only one shot in the 3rd quarter but Cardinal Gibbons grabbed 12 rebounds that quarter stalling the ability of the home Lady Crusaders to get any separation. With fouls piling up and some late game mistakes this one did not go our way. Your Lady Crusaders move to 23 – 3 overall and will be back in action Thursday, 1/26 at home versus South Wake Sabres. The Raleigh area conference tournament will begin the week of Feb 6th with the NCISAA state playoffs the week after.

Beloved CCS Baseball Coach Greg Simmons passed away after a battle with lung cancer, stepping into his eternal home with our Savior. Our prayers go out to his wife, sons and grandchildren, that God will bless and comfort them in the days ahead. We love you #42.



Charlotte Christian’s Greg Simmons, a 16-time state champion, dies after cancer battle BY LANGSTON WERTZ JR. UPDATED JANUARY 28, 2023 1:17 PM


When Hal Bagwell got the news that 16-time state championship baseball coach Greg Simmons had died, he said he didn’t know how to feel.

“It’s just an empty feeling,” said Bagwell, the longtime South Mecklenburg and Ardrey Kell baseball coach about to start his third year at Indian Land (SC) High.

“It’s a sad, sad day, not only for the baseball community but for the Charlotte Christian community. He just had such a positive impact on so many people in such a great way, and he was one of the most humble men I’ve ever known.”

Simmons died after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 57. Simmons started teaching at Charlotte Christian in 1989 and took over the baseball team in 1992, building one of the state’s most dominant programs. In 30 years with the Knights, Simmons’ teams won 733 games and 16 state titles. His teams also won 22 CISAA conference titles and Simmons coached 95 players who played in college and 10 who became Major League draft picks. In 2016,

Simmons was inducted into the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was named regional coach of the year by the Charlotte Observer five times. No N.C. private school baseball coach had as many wins as he did. His final team, last spring, won the state title, too.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife, Renee, and their family — sons, Tyler, Matt and Hank, and four grandchildren, and we pray that God will bless and comfort them in the days ahead,” Charlotte Christian head of school Barry Giller said.

Simmons played baseball at Liberty University from 1986-88 for former New York Yankee great Bobby Richardson, and also served as a graduate assistant coach during the 1989 season. His passing comes during the same week that longtime Charlotte Christian football coach Jason Estep resigned after winning eight state championships in 17 seasons.

Bagwell, who won a public school state title at Ardrey Kell in 2009, said Simmons will leave a legacy like no other.

“He’s probably the top coach ever out of this county,” Bagwell said. “But this is just awful news. He made an unbelievable contribution to people and kids. It’s immeasurable really. He’ll be sorely missed, man, that’s for sure.”

Cougars earn split with Greensboro Day
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Jan 27, 2023 Updated 1 hr ago

HIGH POINT – High Point Christian was again neck-and-neck with one of the top teams in the state. But Greensboro Day again escaped with a hard-fought win.

The Cougars built a sizable lead early but fell behind double digits late, going cold during a couple pivotal stretches. They stayed within reach in the final seconds before falling to the Bengals 45-40 in PTAC boys basketball Friday night at HPCA.

In the girls game, HPCA – hitting shots and playing strong defense – raced ahead in the first half, continued to pull away and rolled past Greensboro Day 52-29.

“I wanted to see us take a step forward, and I definitely saw that tonight,” Cougars boys coach Joseph Cooper said. “We competed. They’re a lot bigger than us, and for us a big point of emphasis for us was physicality and competing.

“We definitely did that. Obviously we’ve got to shoot the ball better from the free-throw line. We also missed a lot of point-blank shots, especially in that third quarter. But we’re right there both times we’ve played them. We just have to get over the hump.”

Isaiah Sanders – who left with a hand or arm injury with two minutes left in the game and didn’t return – scored 10 points to lead HPCA (14-12 overall, 3-3 conference), ranked No. 93 in the state overall and No. 7 among NCISAA 3A teams. Benny Limbacher and Adam Grier each added nine points.

The Cougars, who shot 31% from the field for the game while the Bengals shot 43%, led by six in the first quarter and extended it to eight midway through the second. But GDS pulled even at 19-19 into halftime. HPCA still led with 3:20 left in the third before the Benglas scored the final eight points of the quarter to lead 33-26.

GDS – which struggled with 16 turnovers while HPCA had six – extended its lead to 10 with 3:14 left in the game after the Cougars came up empty on four of their first five possessions of the fourth, including back-to-back trips on which they missed a tough layup and then the follow at the basket.

HPCA, which missed all seven of its free-throw attempts in the fourth, did rally – getting as close as four with 54 seconds left and again with 10 seconds left. But the Bengals, ranked No. 11 in the state overall and No. 2 in the NCISAA 3A, hit four of their final six free throws to stay just far enough ahead.

Jaydon Young scored 19 points while Joseph Bachman added 10 points to lead GDS (25-3, 6-0), which won the team’s previous game 46-43 earlier this month.

“They’re playing against big-team players,” Cooper said. “Adam Grier was just guarded for four quarters by a kid going to Virginia Tech. So, this should give them a lot more confidence. And hopefully down the stretch we’ll be a lot more confident for it.”

Griffins, Spartans tangle in Oxford
By Bryant Baucom bbaucom@hendersondispatch.com;
OXFORD — Oxford Prep swept the varsity twin bill on their home floor on Thursday, defeating Kerr-Vance Academy on Senior Night for both the girls and boys basketball programs.

In the opener, the Griffins record their highest point total of the season, downing the Spartans 60-26 to take the season series.

Off to the races from the opening tip, they would not look back as a 16-9 lead after eight minutes turned into a 29-11 advantage at halftime.

Senior Kadence Woodlief paced Oxford Prep in the scoring column, recording a game-high 21 points after heating up in an 11-point third quarter.

Samantha Huff (14 points) and Emily Wilkinson (11 points) were the remaining Griffins to score in double figures, helping them record their second non-conference victory of the season.

For KVA, junior Kiyona Patton was exceptional despite the loss, scoring a team-high 13 points. Patton was successful at getting to the free throw line, connecting on seven of her attempts at the charity stripe.

While Oxford Prep improved to 4-11 on the year, the Spartans dropped to 3-9 overall and extended their losing streak to eight games in a row.

The nightcap featured two programs on the upswing with both teams having won two of their last four contests heading into the non-conference tilt.

Fortunately for the Griffins, their success would continue with a dominating 62-27 victory en route to a sweep of the season series over KVA.

Much like the girls team that got off to a quick start, the boys did the same and distanced themselves in the second quarter. Oxford Prep, which led 15-5 after the first period, used a 20-2 run to effectively put the game out of reach prior to the halfway point.

Senior forward Logan Jones poured in a game-high 15 points, scoring in double figures for the fifth consecutive game and for the ninth time this season.

Sophomore shooting guard Andrew Adcox (11 points) and junior point guard Justin Thomas (10 points) assisted Jones on the offensive end, combining for five of the Griffins’ eight three-point field goals.

Their performance on the glass was as impressive as their offensive output with Oxford Prep pulling down 53 total rebounds in the contest. Sophomore center Joshua Juntunen tallied a career-high 13 rebounds in the contest, while Adcox grabbed a season-high 7 boards to assist the big man.

Juntunen was instrumental in keeping the Spartans off of the scoreboard as well, dominating the paint with five blocks.

Thursday’s win marked the seventh victory of the season for the Griffins, who earned their third win in their last five tries and improved to 5-4 on their home floor.

While both varsity programs for Oxford Prep are off until Tuesday, Kerr-Vance returned to action on Friday for the second night of a back-to-back. The Spartans hit the road once again for a conference matchup and doubleheader with Rocky Mount Academy.

Grace Christian School has tapped former Major League Baseball Player and Coach, Rob Wooten as their Athlete Development Director and Head Varsity Baseball Coach. Coach Wooten will lead a new department for aspiring athletes at Grace. His area of focus will be the identification of athletes who aspire to play in college and beyond. The department will help these young people prepare physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually for their next steps. Along with the academic guidance department, Coach Wooten will help athletes and their families navigate the process of marketing themselves to prospective college coaches.

In addition to these duties, Coach Wooten also takes over as the Head Varsity Baseball Coach. With the resignation of Coach Michael Matson, Wooten fields a team coming off a 22-3 record and winners of the NCISAA 1A State Championship. Moving into the 2A Class for this year, the Crusaders return most of last year’s team and are expected to make a run for the 2A crown this season.

Rob Wooten, a graduate of the University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, played in 3 College World Series and holds multiple records for the Tarheels. Wooten, a Goldsboro native, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, where he spent 15 years in professional baseball. Along with the Brewers, he also played for the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds. The last two seasons were spent as a pitching coach with the Cincinnati Reds.

Wooten had this to say. “I have been fortunate to be in professional baseball for the last 15 years. My family and I are thrilled that the Lord brought us home to Sanford to serve Him full-time with this opportunity. We look forward to impacting our church, school and community through mentoring these young people on and off the field. Go Crusaders!”

Founded in 1970 and located in Sanford, NC, Grace Christian School offers multi-accredited K-12 Private Christian Education. Our mission is to equip students from a Christian worldview to reach their God-given potential through excellence in academics, athletics, fine arts and technology. Our faculty and staff have been hand-selected for their outstanding qualifications, commitment to education and love for Jesus Christ.

Cyclones win streak snapped by Mustangs

NEW BERN — The Community Christian school boys basketball team saw its five-game winning streak come to a close with a 68-54 loss to North Carolina Christian Athletic Association 2-A North Region foe New Bern Christian Monday evening.

Rylan Gay led the Cyclones, who fell to 12-4 overall and 3-2 against North Region foes, with 15 points, followed by Jared Kovach with 12, Seth Huston with nine and Tavares Williams with seven.

The Cyclones will visit Trinity Christin in Greenville on Friday.
CCS : 12-11 15-16---54
NBC : 12-9-21-26—68
CCS—Ryan Gay 15, Jared Kovach 12, Williams 7, Huston 9, C.Pittman 2, Smith 5, B.Pittman 4
CCS 12-4 NBC 13-5

Mount Calvary Christian 55, Fellowship Christian 16
HOOKERTON — The Warriors never trailed in victory over the Lions, jumping out to a 10-0 lead on the way to a fifth straight victory.
Mount Calvary Christian is now 10-9 heading into Tuesday’s home game against Ahoskie Christian, a team the Warriors fell to on Dec. 5.
Hannah Rice led the way for the Warriors with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Emily Buck had 13 points, three steals and three assists, and Bailey Wade added 11 points, eight assists and four steals.

WCA boys finish strong for region win

By Andrew Schnittker

Behind a strong second quarter, the Wilson Christian boys basketball team came up with a key NCCSA 2-A East Region victory on Tuesday evening, topping visiting Southside Christian 54-39.

The Chargers, who improved to 7-14 overall and 4-3 against East Region foes, took a 15-point lead into halftime and never led by fewer than seven points in the second half against the Warriors (2-11, 1-5) as they closed it out efficiently down the stretch.

“We definitely needed a conference win,” said Wilson Christian head coach Kevin Zander. “… We’ve been struggling a little bit offensively. It was nice to get some things going in the second quarter. I was pleased with how we played offensively in the second quarter offensively. We started off a little slow again, but we got into a rhythm scoring 24 points there in the second. So it was definitely a huge win for us to go 4-3 in our conference.”

Simon Quinn led the Chargers with 18 points, followed by Titus Batts with 14.

Zack Lines led the Warriors with 17 points.

After the Chargers took a 6-4 lead following a defensive battle of a first quarter, Wilson Christian went on a tear in the second frame, outscoring the Warriors 24-11 to take a 15-point advantage into the locker room.

“I think in the first quarter we came out slow,” Batts said. “But we realized we needed to start pushing more. I think we really are a second-half team. We like to push more in the second half.”

The Chargers finally got their press and transition game going for some easy layups, and started finding a way to attack the paint, which in turn opened up some 3-point shooting opportunities late in the frame.

“Ball movement was key, and just being patient,” Zander said. “We tried to force it inside a little bit too much in the first quarter, and once we started to move the ball a little bit more around the outside before we attacked the middle and the edges, that was the difference in the second quarter.”

After the Warriors cut WCA’s lead to 18-13, the Chargers finished the frame on a 12-2 run. With WCA up 20-13 with a couple minutes left until halftime, Quinn came up with a 3 and a steal layup in under 10 seconds, pushing the lead to double digits for the first time of the game.

In the last minute of the period, Brayden Joyner splashed down a 3, and Quinn came up with a last-second layup to send the Chargers into the locker room up 30-15.

“Making the defense work is key,” Zander said. “So us working the ball around quickly and penetrating those gaps was certainly a difference maker. Because we are a quick team, we were able to capitalize on that.”

The Warriors managed to do a better job forcing turnovers with their own press, limiting Wilson Christian’s opportunities to get inside against their zone and knocking down a couple 3-pointers in the third quarter, cutting WCA’s lead down to single digits for the first time since the second quarter with under two minutes left in the third.

The Chargers, however, kept their opponent at arm’s length, and came up with a key layup from Batts late in the third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the fourth.

“We keep our composure,” Batts said. “They’re a good team. They know how to keep their composure too. We’ve just been through the situations so much to where we just know not to panic. We just keep calm.”

The Chargers’ lead never dipped below seven in the fourth quarter as they finished strong down the stretch, demonstrating composure as they worked the ball around and through the zone for key buckets to preserve their lead.

“I did not want to call a timeout,” Zander said. “I wanted them to play through it. I think it was important for them to play through it without me having to calm them down and get their composure. So we’ve been working on our mental toughness all year, and I think some people like Seth Trull and Xay Joyner stepped up tonight and composed the team to where we could keep moving forward and finish it in the fourth quarter.”

The Chargers will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 31, with a visit from Living Waters Christian.

“We just need to keep calm, stay intense, keep composure and play hard,” Batts said. “These teams are good in our conference.”


SOUTHSIDE CHRISTIAN (39)--Lines 17, Boush 8, Keeton 7, Buchanan 4, Purdum 3.
WILSON CHRISTIAN (54)--Quinn 18, Batts 14, B. Joyner 7, X. Joyner 5, Clark 4, Provo 2, Zander 1, Trull 1.

Score by quarters:

Southside 4 11 14 10 — 39

WCA 6 24 9 15 — 54

Changing of the guard at Charlotte Christian. Football coach Jason Estep steps down
BY LANGSTON WERTZ JR.

When Jason Estep was named football coach at Charlotte Christian 17 years ago, the Knights had been through four coaches in three seasons. In two of those years, the Knights won a combined three games.

But Estep thought he could build a winner at Charlotte Christian — and he built a dominant N.C. private school state power.

Estep, who resigned Tuesday, led Charlotte Christian to a NCISAA Division I state championship in 2008, which was his second year with the program. Christian won three in a row from 2012-14 and four in a row from 2017-20.
The Knights lost to Providence Day in the state championship game this season, the final game for Estep’s son, Cam, as quarterback. Cam Estep is a senior.

Jason Estep will start a new job as an operations manager with Universal Forest Products next month and will be leaving his positions as football coach and assistant athletic director at Christian. Charlotte Christian alumnus Chris James will be the new head football coach.

James played under Estep for three years before playing at Richmond and ultimately graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in exercise science.

James coached at Christian from 2010-16 before leaving to become head coach at Covenant Day. After three years at Covenant Day, James was an offensive coordinator at Ardrey Kell and Myers Park High Schools in Charlotte. He returned to Christian this fall as offensive coordinator under Estep.

“I am confident that coach James will build upon the foundation that coach Estep created while maintaining the culture of excellence that is (Charlotte Christian) football,” Knights head of school Barry Giller said.

At Christian, Estep had a record of 138-42 with the eight state championships, four state runner-up finishes and 10 conference titles. He sent 96 players to college and two to the NFL — Garrett Bradbury (Knights class of ‘14, a lineman with the Vikings) and Matthias Farley (class of ‘11, who plays with the Raiders). Estep was twice named coach of the year by the National Christian Schools Athletic Association as well as The Observer.

“While all of these accomplishments are remarkable,” Giller said, “what was most important is how Coach Estep invested in his players. His desire was to teach our student-athletes how to compete at the highest level and honor God. His intentional discipleship greatly influenced hundreds of players as they left (Charlotte Christian) and are now impacting the culture for Christ.”