Carolina Day gets past ACA for eighth-straight state title
WINSTON-SALEM – Carolina Day’s Kasey Kidwell raised eight fingers to the sky as her team celebrated on the court of Forsyth Country Day School Saturday morning.
For the eighth straight year, the Wildcats were crowned the 2A NCISAA state basketball champions, this time, defeating local rival Asheville Christian Academy 46-37 to lengthen a streak that continues to be the best in WNC girls’ basketball history.
“Winning the state championship to end my senior year is the perfect way to go out,” said Kidwell, an Austin Peay State University commit, who finished with a game-high 15 points. “We knew how hard this game was going to be coming in, but we had to keep the legacy going.”
The title gave Carolina Day its 10th in program history, the first WNC girls basketball team to ever reach double-digit championships.
“Players win championships, it’s coaches that lose them,” said Carolina Day coach Joe Carrington, who has led the Wildcats to eight titles in his nine years. “Every time we do this it keeps getting sweeter. I’m happy for each team and the journey they get to take together.”
Carolina Day came into the title game ranked No. 1 in the 2A NCISAA bracket with ACA right behind them at the No. 2 spot. They seemed destined from the start to meet in the final.
The Wildcats and the Lions split their two conference games earlier in the season. Carolina Day took round one 49-41 and ACA got the win in round two 59-56. They both finished 5-1 in conference play.
Round three on Saturday offered the season’s biggest stakes.
“When you play against a team like Carolina Day you never know how it’s going to go because of how intense this rivalry is,” ACA coach John Williams said. “We’re disappointed, but today was a nod to the talent of our private school programs in Western North Carolina. We all do a fantastic job of having the best teams in the state.”
ACA finished 24-2 overall, with both losses coming to the Wildcats. Carolina Day finished 19-8, playing with only three seniors on the roster.
“After they (ACA) beat us, we had to get our face back,” said Carolina Day junior Nautica Smiley, who scored 10 points in the win. “It’s such a great feeling to win again. I can’t wait to try and do it against next year.”
Both teams stayed within striking distance in the first half. Carolina Day led 11-8 after the first quarter behind six points from Kidwell.
The Wildcats stretched that lead to five points midway through the second quarter before ACA went on a 7-0 run, capped by a layup from senior guard Jay Cruell, to take a 21-19 lead. Carolina Day countered with four straight points from junior Dani Sweeney to take a two-point lead heading into halftime.
The Wildcats took their biggest lead of the game, 37-27, near the end of the third quarter backed by two 3-pointers from Kidwell and Annabelle Schultz. Schultz led the team with 22 points in Friday's semifinal win over Cape Fear Academy and finished with five in the title game.
ACA’s MaLeeah Langstaff did everything she could to help her team fight back in the fourth quarter. The senior forward scored all of her team’s seven points in the final eight minutes, but the Lions could not get within six points of the lead.
Langstaff finished with 12 points with Cruell leading the team with 13 points.
“We just played a little better than they did today, but it was a great, competitive game,” Carrington said. “We were just the lucky ones to come out on top today.”
WINSTON-SALEM – Carolina Day’s Kasey Kidwell raised eight fingers to the sky as her team celebrated on the court of Forsyth Country Day School Saturday morning.
For the eighth straight year, the Wildcats were crowned the 2A NCISAA state basketball champions, this time, defeating local rival Asheville Christian Academy 46-37 to lengthen a streak that continues to be the best in WNC girls’ basketball history.
“Winning the state championship to end my senior year is the perfect way to go out,” said Kidwell, an Austin Peay State University commit, who finished with a game-high 15 points. “We knew how hard this game was going to be coming in, but we had to keep the legacy going.”
The title gave Carolina Day its 10th in program history, the first WNC girls basketball team to ever reach double-digit championships.
“Players win championships, it’s coaches that lose them,” said Carolina Day coach Joe Carrington, who has led the Wildcats to eight titles in his nine years. “Every time we do this it keeps getting sweeter. I’m happy for each team and the journey they get to take together.”
Carolina Day came into the title game ranked No. 1 in the 2A NCISAA bracket with ACA right behind them at the No. 2 spot. They seemed destined from the start to meet in the final.
The Wildcats and the Lions split their two conference games earlier in the season. Carolina Day took round one 49-41 and ACA got the win in round two 59-56. They both finished 5-1 in conference play.
Round three on Saturday offered the season’s biggest stakes.
“When you play against a team like Carolina Day you never know how it’s going to go because of how intense this rivalry is,” ACA coach John Williams said. “We’re disappointed, but today was a nod to the talent of our private school programs in Western North Carolina. We all do a fantastic job of having the best teams in the state.”
ACA finished 24-2 overall, with both losses coming to the Wildcats. Carolina Day finished 19-8, playing with only three seniors on the roster.
“After they (ACA) beat us, we had to get our face back,” said Carolina Day junior Nautica Smiley, who scored 10 points in the win. “It’s such a great feeling to win again. I can’t wait to try and do it against next year.”
Both teams stayed within striking distance in the first half. Carolina Day led 11-8 after the first quarter behind six points from Kidwell.
The Wildcats stretched that lead to five points midway through the second quarter before ACA went on a 7-0 run, capped by a layup from senior guard Jay Cruell, to take a 21-19 lead. Carolina Day countered with four straight points from junior Dani Sweeney to take a two-point lead heading into halftime.
The Wildcats took their biggest lead of the game, 37-27, near the end of the third quarter backed by two 3-pointers from Kidwell and Annabelle Schultz. Schultz led the team with 22 points in Friday's semifinal win over Cape Fear Academy and finished with five in the title game.
ACA’s MaLeeah Langstaff did everything she could to help her team fight back in the fourth quarter. The senior forward scored all of her team’s seven points in the final eight minutes, but the Lions could not get within six points of the lead.
Langstaff finished with 12 points with Cruell leading the team with 13 points.
“We just played a little better than they did today, but it was a great, competitive game,” Carrington said. “We were just the lucky ones to come out on top today.”
