Carmel Christian upsets nationally ranked Greensboro Day, earns NCISAA 4A state title
BY STEVE LYTTLE UPDATED FEBRUARY 26, 2022 11:
. WINGATE Joe Badgett never worried about where the scoring would come from. He knew his team could put up points. But what would happen, he wondered, when the Carmel Christian boys’ basketball team he coaches needed to play defense and rebound?
“Coach worked hard with us on that,” senior guard Nyles Howard said.
“He wanted us to make stops.”
And that’s what the Cougars did down the stretch Saturday night in their 71-66 victory over Greensboro Day in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 4A boys’ state finals. Carmel Christian began throwing the ball away in the fourth quarter, but defense and rebounding saved the day. It was the third state championship in five years for the Cougars (26-3).
Carmel Christian raced to a 16-9 lead late in the first quarter, and the game followed a steady pattern from then on. Greensboro Day (32-4) would narrow the gap a bit, and then the Cougars would go on a small run and build the lead to eight, nine or even 11 points.
But in the fourth quarter, a few things changed. The Cougars, who had turned the ball over just four times in three quarters, had six giveaways in the final period. Their shooting also cooled a bit.
“A team like Greensboro Day will keep coming at you,” Badgett said. “They’ve got a legendary coach (Freddy Johnson) and some great players. They are relentless.”
Carmel Christian led 55-45 with 4:27 left, but a little more than a minute later, the lead was 55-53.
“We just dug in and played hard,” guard Logan Threatt said. “It’s what we had been training for all season.”
The Cougars outrebounded the Bengals 11-8 in the fourth quarter. They defended Greensboro Day closely, and the Bengals hit just 3-of-8 from the floor in the closing minute.
“That’s what I’d been hoping to see,” Badgett said.
Threatt went 4-of-4 from the foul line in the closing 18 seconds, after senior Cade Tyson had closed a 31-point night with a dunk. And the Cougars got to celebrate their state championship, cheered on by about 2,000 of their fans at Wingate University’s Cuddy Arena.
“We improved a lot as the season went on,” Badgett said. “This is a group that worked hard together, and I’m happy that it paid off this way.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Cade Tyson, Carmel Christian: Tyson, playing his final game for the Cougars, scored 31 points, including 16 of his team’s 33 first-half points.
Logan Threatt, Carmel Christian: Threatt, a 6-3 senior guard, scored 21 points and hit 11-of-13 free throws. He scored 11 of his team’s 21 fourth-quarter points.
Jaydon Young, Greensboro Day: A 6-4 junior guard who already has several ACC and SEC offers, Young scored a team-high 22 points. He had 17 of his team’s 28 first-half points.
JUST NOTING ▪ Wingate’s Cuddy Arena seats 2,500, and it wasn’t enough for the 4A title game. Most of the fans were from Carmel Christian, and they packed the arena’s lower and upper seating sections. ▪
Saturday wasn’t the first time a member of Cade Tyson’s family had a big scoring night at Wingate University. His father, Jonathan, was a Wingate standout in the 1990s. ▪
Each team shot the ball well. Carmel Christian made 22-of-46 from the floor for 48 percent. Greensboro Day shot 51 percent, hitting 25-of-49. The difference came at the foul line. Carmel Christian made 21-of-26, while Greensboro Day hit 16-of-18. ▪
Carmel Christian was the 4A runner-up a year ago, losing to Cannon School in the finals. The Cougars reached the quarterfinals in 2020 but won state titles in 2018 and 2019. Both of those championships came in smaller size classifications. The Cougars moved up to 4A two years ago. ▪
Saturday’s game was the first between the two schools in three years. Carmel Christian beat the Bengals 51-46 in 2018 and 63-51 in 2019. ----------------------
BY STEVE LYTTLE UPDATED FEBRUARY 26, 2022 11:
. WINGATE Joe Badgett never worried about where the scoring would come from. He knew his team could put up points. But what would happen, he wondered, when the Carmel Christian boys’ basketball team he coaches needed to play defense and rebound?
“Coach worked hard with us on that,” senior guard Nyles Howard said.
“He wanted us to make stops.”
And that’s what the Cougars did down the stretch Saturday night in their 71-66 victory over Greensboro Day in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 4A boys’ state finals. Carmel Christian began throwing the ball away in the fourth quarter, but defense and rebounding saved the day. It was the third state championship in five years for the Cougars (26-3).
Carmel Christian raced to a 16-9 lead late in the first quarter, and the game followed a steady pattern from then on. Greensboro Day (32-4) would narrow the gap a bit, and then the Cougars would go on a small run and build the lead to eight, nine or even 11 points.
But in the fourth quarter, a few things changed. The Cougars, who had turned the ball over just four times in three quarters, had six giveaways in the final period. Their shooting also cooled a bit.
“A team like Greensboro Day will keep coming at you,” Badgett said. “They’ve got a legendary coach (Freddy Johnson) and some great players. They are relentless.”
Carmel Christian led 55-45 with 4:27 left, but a little more than a minute later, the lead was 55-53.
“We just dug in and played hard,” guard Logan Threatt said. “It’s what we had been training for all season.”
The Cougars outrebounded the Bengals 11-8 in the fourth quarter. They defended Greensboro Day closely, and the Bengals hit just 3-of-8 from the floor in the closing minute.
“That’s what I’d been hoping to see,” Badgett said.
Threatt went 4-of-4 from the foul line in the closing 18 seconds, after senior Cade Tyson had closed a 31-point night with a dunk. And the Cougars got to celebrate their state championship, cheered on by about 2,000 of their fans at Wingate University’s Cuddy Arena.
“We improved a lot as the season went on,” Badgett said. “This is a group that worked hard together, and I’m happy that it paid off this way.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Cade Tyson, Carmel Christian: Tyson, playing his final game for the Cougars, scored 31 points, including 16 of his team’s 33 first-half points.
Logan Threatt, Carmel Christian: Threatt, a 6-3 senior guard, scored 21 points and hit 11-of-13 free throws. He scored 11 of his team’s 21 fourth-quarter points.
Jaydon Young, Greensboro Day: A 6-4 junior guard who already has several ACC and SEC offers, Young scored a team-high 22 points. He had 17 of his team’s 28 first-half points.
JUST NOTING ▪ Wingate’s Cuddy Arena seats 2,500, and it wasn’t enough for the 4A title game. Most of the fans were from Carmel Christian, and they packed the arena’s lower and upper seating sections. ▪
Saturday wasn’t the first time a member of Cade Tyson’s family had a big scoring night at Wingate University. His father, Jonathan, was a Wingate standout in the 1990s. ▪
Each team shot the ball well. Carmel Christian made 22-of-46 from the floor for 48 percent. Greensboro Day shot 51 percent, hitting 25-of-49. The difference came at the foul line. Carmel Christian made 21-of-26, while Greensboro Day hit 16-of-18. ▪
Carmel Christian was the 4A runner-up a year ago, losing to Cannon School in the finals. The Cougars reached the quarterfinals in 2020 but won state titles in 2018 and 2019. Both of those championships came in smaller size classifications. The Cougars moved up to 4A two years ago. ▪
Saturday’s game was the first between the two schools in three years. Carmel Christian beat the Bengals 51-46 in 2018 and 63-51 in 2019. ----------------------
