Northside Christian’s boys, Providence Day girls, boys shooting for history at state tournament
By Langston Wertz Jr. CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Three Mecklenburg County private school teams are hoping to make historic runs through this week’s N.C. Independent Schools state basketball tournament in Raleigh.
▪ In 2A, Northside Christian and coach Byron Dinkins are vying for a sixth straight championship game appearance. Northside has won three of the past four state titles and is the No. 1 seed in the 2A boys’ field. Northside will play MAC conference rival Gaston Day in an 11:30 a.m. quarterfinal Thursday at North Raleigh Christian.
Providence Day coach Josh Springer hopes to lead his team to a seventh straight NCISAA 3A state title Saturday in Raleigh ADAM JENNINGS ADAM JENNINGS
Northside (19-6) has won five straight games. The Knights have lost to two N.C. teams all season and to one team in the 2A field: No. 6 Concord First Assembly, the reigning 2A state champion. First Assembly upset Northside 51-49 Jan. 29. Northside avenged that loss in the MAC championship game, winning 68-45.
▪ In 3A, Providence Day’s girls, ranked No. 2 in the Sweet 16, are the top seed. The Chargers (24-2) have won six straight NCISAA championships and 10 of the past 11. Hickory Grove upset Providence Day in the 2009 state championship game.
This season, the Chargers have one loss to a N.C. team, falling to Kernersville’s Forest Trail Academy 48-39 in a holiday tournament game in January. Since then, Providence Day has won eight straight and faces a field where it’s already beaten the No. 2 seed, Raleigh Ravenscroft (46-29 on the road) and No. 3 seed High Point Wesleyan (60-29 on the road).
▪ Providence Day’s boys will likely face the toughest road of all. National recruiting site MaxPreps called the boys’ 3A bracket one of the nation’s toughest. Four teams in the field have been nationally ranked this season, and the Chargers (as high as No. 9) and Greensboro Day (as high as No. 24) still are.
Providence Day, which will face Charlotte Latin Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Raleigh Ravenscroft, is seeded No. 1. Greensboro Day, the reigning state champion, beat the Chargers in the 2015 semifinals. It is seeded No. 2.
Providence Day hasn’t won the state title since 1999.
The winner of this week’s tournament will likely earn a berth to the DICK’S National championship next month in New York, and Providence Day will try to become the first Mecklenburg County team to win in 3A since Charlotte Latin in 2004.
In the 2004-05 school year, Mecklenburg County private schools changed their rules shortly after that to no longer allow student-athletes to repeat a grade and maintain athletic eligiblity after ninth grade. This was done in order to open the door to play Mecklenburg County public schools in regular-season games. That didn’t happen, but it left Charlotte’s largest private schools often at a competitive disadvantage with their 3A state peers.
By Langston Wertz Jr. CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Three Mecklenburg County private school teams are hoping to make historic runs through this week’s N.C. Independent Schools state basketball tournament in Raleigh.
▪ In 2A, Northside Christian and coach Byron Dinkins are vying for a sixth straight championship game appearance. Northside has won three of the past four state titles and is the No. 1 seed in the 2A boys’ field. Northside will play MAC conference rival Gaston Day in an 11:30 a.m. quarterfinal Thursday at North Raleigh Christian.
Providence Day coach Josh Springer hopes to lead his team to a seventh straight NCISAA 3A state title Saturday in Raleigh ADAM JENNINGS ADAM JENNINGS
Northside (19-6) has won five straight games. The Knights have lost to two N.C. teams all season and to one team in the 2A field: No. 6 Concord First Assembly, the reigning 2A state champion. First Assembly upset Northside 51-49 Jan. 29. Northside avenged that loss in the MAC championship game, winning 68-45.
▪ In 3A, Providence Day’s girls, ranked No. 2 in the Sweet 16, are the top seed. The Chargers (24-2) have won six straight NCISAA championships and 10 of the past 11. Hickory Grove upset Providence Day in the 2009 state championship game.
This season, the Chargers have one loss to a N.C. team, falling to Kernersville’s Forest Trail Academy 48-39 in a holiday tournament game in January. Since then, Providence Day has won eight straight and faces a field where it’s already beaten the No. 2 seed, Raleigh Ravenscroft (46-29 on the road) and No. 3 seed High Point Wesleyan (60-29 on the road).
▪ Providence Day’s boys will likely face the toughest road of all. National recruiting site MaxPreps called the boys’ 3A bracket one of the nation’s toughest. Four teams in the field have been nationally ranked this season, and the Chargers (as high as No. 9) and Greensboro Day (as high as No. 24) still are.
Providence Day, which will face Charlotte Latin Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Raleigh Ravenscroft, is seeded No. 1. Greensboro Day, the reigning state champion, beat the Chargers in the 2015 semifinals. It is seeded No. 2.
Providence Day hasn’t won the state title since 1999.
The winner of this week’s tournament will likely earn a berth to the DICK’S National championship next month in New York, and Providence Day will try to become the first Mecklenburg County team to win in 3A since Charlotte Latin in 2004.
In the 2004-05 school year, Mecklenburg County private schools changed their rules shortly after that to no longer allow student-athletes to repeat a grade and maintain athletic eligiblity after ninth grade. This was done in order to open the door to play Mecklenburg County public schools in regular-season games. That didn’t happen, but it left Charlotte’s largest private schools often at a competitive disadvantage with their 3A state peers.
