NC high school basketball: NCISAA champions crowned, and a peek at the NCHSAA playoffs
The end of February for high school basketball is always an exciting time of year. It’s equivalent to the NCAA March Madness.
In North Carolina, you had the conclusion of the NCISAA tournaments, with state champions crowned across the four classifications. In the NCHSAA, a three-week sprint through four brackets of 64 teams culminates next week with four state champions.
Winning a high school state championship is a challenge, regardless of affiliation or classification. The journey brings excitement, passion, and unbelievable memories along the way. For the state of North Carolina, we have to be quite proud of the overflowing crowds, enthusiasm, and the community support for each perspective team.
Let’s take a look at the state champions from the NCISAA.
NCISAA 4A
We had a colossal matchup between Greensboro Day (32-3), coached by legendary Freddie Johnson, against Carmel Christian (25-3), coached by Joe Badgett. Greensboro Day has played a national schedule and was nationally ranked and the consensus favorite. Greensboro Day roster consisted of Division 1 talent, including the likes of 6-5 senior Michael Zanoni (Mercer), 6-4 senior Nik Graves (Charlotte), 6-10 CJ Collins (Princeton), 6-7 senior Jackson Noble (Navy) and 6-4 junior Jaydon Young, who has already secured offers from the ACC.
On the other hand, it was more of a rebuilding year for Coach Badgett. He had lost seniors Ben Burnham (College of Charleston), Glenn Bynum (Coker), and Justin Taylor (Hargrave Military). However, Carmel Christian was returning 6-7 Cade Tyson (Belmont signee), 6-9 Luke Krawcyzk (Navy), and 6-3 senior transfer Logan Threatt. Carmel Christian came away with the 71-66 win as Cade Tyson and Logan Threatt led the way scoring 31 and 25 points respectively.
For Greensboro Day, it was another outstanding season and Coach Freddie Johnson is one of the winningest coaches of all time, not just in North Carolina, but the entire country.
For Coach Joe Badgett, it’s time to start giving him his due. Just in the past six years, Coach Badgett lost in the 2017 final as an assistant coach. A year later, he was on the winning side of the state championship, but in 2019 was named the Head Coach at Carmel Christian. In 2019, he won his first state championship as a head coach. In 2021, he returned Carmel Christian to the state championship before losing to Cannon. And to add the icing to the cake, Coach Badgett was once again victorious as Carmel Christian defeated Greensboro Day for the 2022 state championship.
Carmel Christian finished the season with an impressive 26-3 record and possibly a national ranking.
NCISAA 3A
We felt like Concord Academy had the talent to compete and win the 3A state championship. Like every year, head coach Frank Cantadore puts his team against the gauntlet, and cherishes the opportunity to play the toughest teams in the state.
To that end, Concord was below .500 for the majority of the season. In November, they lost seven straight games to the likes of Wayne Country Day, Carmel Christian, Liberty Heights National, Northside Christian, Combine Academy, Gaston Day and The Burlington School. Even in December, Concord Academy dropped four straight, lost their leading scorer to a mid-season transfer, and was looking for bright spots along the way.
Coach Cantadore could build the team around 6-8 super sophomore Kany Tchanda, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the latest Phenom North Carolina 2024 rankings. Tchanda has natural gifts that are rarely seen for a newcomer to the United States. He is long, athletic and also has a matching skill set.
In the title game, Concord Academy jumped out to an early 13-0 lead, however High Point Christian regained composure and turned the tide. With each passing minute, it looked like High Point Christian could walk away with the state championship, but timely shooting by 6-5 junior Noah Van Bibber enabled Concord Academy to take the game into overtime, along with the outstanding play of 6-2 senior DJ Cuttino. In the end, Concord Academy secured the 70-66 overtime win. As the old saying goes, “Never judge a book by its cover,” and we can honestly state, “Never judge a team by its record.” Concord Academy finished with a 17-16 record, but more importantly a state championship.
NCISAA 2A
We had often called this classification “The Burlington School Invitational.” On paper, coach Ryan Bernardi had accumulated a wealth of talent and was primed for back-to-back state championships. This year’s team was Bernardi’s deepest and most talented group throughout his coaching tenure. They had size, length, athleticism, and the X-factor in 6-2 senior Shane Peterson, who was one of the state’s premier shooters. Throw in the likes of 6-9 junior Michael Kwoko, 6-8 junior Avion Pinner, 6-3 sophomore Kobe George, 6-2 sophomore Zion Walker, 6-2 senior Kheni Briggs (Charleston Southern signee), and 6-8 Amare Miller.
While The Burlington School trailed at the half against a very talented and well coached Trinity Academy team, The Burlington School’s shear overall talent along with the togetherness of this team, it was just a matter of when, before they took the lead. The Burlington School won 57-45, but it should also be noted that Coach Ryan Bernardi is one of the best young coaches not only North Carolina, but in the country. His teams are well-prepared and he treats his practices like a college practice. They are fundamentally sound and execute at a high level.
The Burlington School finished 30-7 for the season and should get recognition nationally.
NCISAA 1A
United Faith loss in the final last year to Victory Christian. During the offseason, head coach Josh Coley took the head coaching position at Christ School. Tamar Slay was named the new head coach and United Faith didn’t miss a beat. Like many teams during the COVID era, they too suffered postponements and injury. 6-2 super senior Xavier McKelvy (Winthrop signee) missed several weeks in January while 6-0 senior Marcus Willis missed several weeks in February.
Heading into the state championship game against Greenfield, Slay knew the team’s previous 73-72 overtime loss on the road would be added motivation playing for the state title. The question leading up to the championship game would be the availability of Willis, who was the team’s second leading scorer averaging 15.0 points per game. United Faith was up for the challenge and walked away with a hard earned 76-69 win.
Six-foot-two senior Xavier McKelvy finished with a monster performance, scoring 28 points, corralling 15 rebounds, dishing out four assists and getting four steals for an MVP performance. In addition, 6-5 junior Alex Bates had 19 points while 6-3 junior Lance Gill chipped in with 13 points while 6-2 senior Marcus Willis finished with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds. United Faith finished with a 19-7 record.
Around the NCHSAA
4A Elite 8
It doesn’t get any better than the NCHSAA 4A in terms of quality teams and matchups. To put it mildly, this classification has monster games, especially in the West.
Myers Park (17-8) vs. North Mecklenburg (26-4)
Myers Park is led by 6-8 junior Elijah Strong, who is averaging 17.3 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Six-foot-five sophomore Sir Mohammed may just be the most improved player in the state during the course of the season. Mohammed is averaging 16.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 4.7 APG. For North Mecklenburg, year in and year out, they are one of the top teams in the NCHSAA 4A classification. This year is no exception. While North Mecklenburg lost 6-8 senior Jeremy Gregory to Oak Hill during the off season, coach Duane Lewis will once again have strong guard play with 6-2 senior Davion Cunningham, 6-2 Jordan Crawford (College of Charleston), and 6-0 senior Maxwell Coles leading the way with experience and senior leadership. Sophomore Isaiah Evans has a chance to be one of the premier players in the state for his class. North Mecklenburg will need to contain the inside presence of Elijah Strong and stop the dribble penetration of 6-5 super sophomore Sir Mohammed. On the other hand, Myers Park will need to limit turnovers against North Mecklenburg’s pressure defense. While Myers Park will enjoy the size advantage, North Mecklenburg has the overall speed, quickness, athleticism, and multiple scorers that is hard to contain. The game should come down to who can control tempo.
Chambers (22-6) vs. Weddington (28-0)
This is a game of polar opposites. Chambers has size, length, athleticism and national level prospects. Senior Daniel Sanford (South Carolina) is averaging 16.7 PPG and 7.8 RPG and has been perhaps Chambers’ most consistent player. Junior Jaylen Curry is one of the country’s premier point guards. Curry is averaging 16.9 PPG and dishing out 9.2 APG. Throw in the likes of 6-7 junior Maurio Hanson and you have a formidable front line.
With Weddington, the sum is greater than the individual parts. On paper, they don’t match in terms of talent, but Weddington has great team chemistry and the majority of their players have been playing with each other since middle school. They know each other and are the consummate team in terms of playing hard and playing together. Senior Chase Lowe has been the catalyst and “glue guy” for Weddington. Lowe is averaging 16.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG and 4.9 APG. Throw in sharp shooters like 6-0 senior AJ Cook, 6-3 senior Kyle Frazier and 6-1 junior Evan Morton, and you have balanced scoring options.
The key for Chambers is to knock down perimeter shots. Weddington will come out with their “amoeba” defense and force Chambers to make shots from the outside. On the other hand, Weddington will need to control tempo and the pace of the game. Chambers would like to make this more of a track meet and rely more on their overall athleticism. For Weddington, they may not have the depth and overall talent as other teams in the NCHSAA, but one thing is crystal clear, they embody the “team first” philosophy which can easily carry them to another state title.
Richmond (26-1) vs. Cleveland (29-1)
The sophomores against the senior’s matchup. Richmond is led in scoring by three sophomores. Six-foot-six national level prospect and our No. 1 player in the North Carolina 2024 class, Paul McNeil leads the way averaging 24.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 3.7 APG while 5-9 and 5-11 sophomores Javion Drake and Jamarion Walls average 12.8 PPG and 10.1 PPG respectively. For Cleveland, they have a veteran team and the seniors have been leading the way the entire season. Cleveland’s lone loss came to D.H. Conley, and they avenged that setback by advancing to the NCHSAA 4A East Elite 8. Leading the way is 6-6 senior Trey Fields averaging 16.5 PPG and 8.8 RPG, 6-6 senior Dylan Wiggins at 14.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG, 5-10 senior Baron Williams at 14.2 PPG, and 6-3 senior Dylan Smith at 9.5 PPG.
Millbrook (20-8) vs. Panther Creek (21-7)
Looking back at an earlier blog, we mentioned, “Don’t count out Millbrook.” At one time, Millbrook sported a 4-7 record, but we warned pundits they had played an extremely difficult schedule and even lost seven straight games in December. That being said, Millbrook rebounded quite nicely and is now on a 16-game winning streak.
Millbrook is led by 6-5 senior Cee Jay Jordan, who is averaging 17.8 PPG and 7.8 RPG, while 6-8 freshman sensation Colt Langdon is averaging 14.6 PPG, and 5.8 RPG. Let’s not forget 5-9 senior Jaylan Brown who chips in 12.3 PPG. More importantly, Millbrook is the defending NCHSAA 4A state champions and have tradition and experience. Millbrook won the Northern Athletic 4A regular season and conference tournament championship and is two games away from making it back to a state championship title game.
On the other hand, Panther Creek has enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in terms of team wins, and played in the super competitive Southwest Wake 4A conference. Panther Creek finished tied for second with a 11-3 regular season conference record. In the second round of the state playoffs, Panther Creek upset the No. 2 seed New Hanover, who came into the playoffs with a perfect 24-0 record. Then, in the third round, Panther Creek upset regular season conference champions and rival Apex Friendship. Panther Creek has tremendous balance and has seven players that average between 5-11 points per game.
