Weddington’s perfect season, upset of Farmville Central highlighted state championships

The high school season officially came to a close this past Saturday with the crowning of state champions across the four NCHSAA classifications.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each individual state champion.

▪ In 4A, Weddington, “The Team of Destiny” beat Cinderella Panther Creek, 76-58. Weddington finished the season undefeated going a perfect 31-0, not to mention an impressive 49-game winning streak. Leading the way was the senior trio of Kyle Frazier, Chase Lowe and A.J. Cook. Frazier, Lowe and Cook finished with 21, 19, and 17 points respectively. Weddington shot extremely well from the floor, 3-point line and the free-throw line. They went 24 of 39 from the floor, 10 of 15 from the 3-point line and 18 of 22 from the free-throw line.

Coach Gary Ellington of Weddington has done a masterful job of orchestrating one of the best teams over a two-year span. While they may not have overwhelmed opponents with sheer size and athleticism, Weddington was an example of what high school basketball is all about and should be a great example for not only coaches, but for players and parents alike. It’s worth repeating, but the majority of this team has been playing together since middle school.

This team has enjoyed some lady luck but was also clutch along the way. In the opening round of the state playoffs, trailing by 12 points in the second half and needing a last-possession basket to send the game into overtime, Weddington proceeded to make more comebacks again Chambers and North Mecklenburg, two of the most prominent and powerful teams in the state at the 4A level.

▪ In 3A, West Charlotte captured an 83-75 win over Seventy-First out of Fayetteville. On paper, Seventy-First matched West Charlotte with size, length and athleticism, but it was the senior play of 6-foot senior Landon King that was instrumental in West Charlotte capturing the state championship. With 6-9 junior Donovan Raymond sidelined for the majority of the game with an injury, West Charlotte didn’t match up to the overall length of Seventy-First as they were out-rebounded by the margin of 49-21, but it was the overall guard play that created scoring opportunities off their defensive pressure.

While Seventy-First dominated the boards, West Charlotte was able to rebound from an early game deficit by forcing turnovers and poor shot selection. West Charlotte finished with a 22-9 record and the tough conference and non-conference schedule prepared them for the playoffs. King was superb and finished with a game-high 25 points while 6-1 junior Ollie Alford and 6-6 Chancellor Morrow chipped with 21 and 16 points respectively. For Seventy-First, they were led by the inside-out combination of 6-1 junior guard Xavier Tubbs-Matthews with 22 points while 7-0 junior center James Scott had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Look for West Charlotte and Seventy-First next season to be early favorites in the 3A classification. Both teams are loaded with quality underclassmen.

▪ In 2A, Robinson beat defending state champions Farmville Central, which had won three straight state champions and was considered the premier basketball program across the state regardless of affiliation or classification. Robinson jumped out early and managed to hang on until the last possession of the game, narrowly escaping with a 70-68 victory. Coming into the contest, few people gave Coach Lavar Batts and his Robinson team a chance of winning. 6-0 junior Jermaine Gray led the way with a team-high 22 points, shoot 9 of 17 from the floor.

The big story was the play of 6-6 junior Daevin Hobbs, who finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds, plus making 4 of 5 timely free throws down the stretch. For Farmville Central, it picked a bad day to have a bad day, shooting a dismal 24 of 70 from the floor (34 percent) and 4 of 27 from the 3-point line. Junior Jah Short was stellar once again for Farmville Central as he finished with a game-high 28 points, going 10 of 16 from the floor, and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Both teams are also loaded with underclassmen. Don’t be surprised to see a game championship rematch in 2023.

▪ In the 1A classification, you had two teams that mirrored each other and it was only fitting that the game was knotted up at the end of regulation and went into overtime. Hayesville, coached by Michael Cottrell has been one of the most successful coaches in the western part of the state but had never won a state championship. With the score tied 37-37, Hayesville outscored Chatham Charter 17-6 in overtime to secure the state 1A state championship. Senior point guard Kolbe Ashe finished with a game-high 29 points including making 16 of 20 free throws. In addition, 6-6 senior Jake McTaggart had 18 points and 18 rebounds. The duo helped Hayesville capture the perfect season with a 28-0 record. For Chatham Charter, their top four scorers are all underclassmen. Look for them to become one of the favorites in 2023. Leading the way for Chatham Charter was the brother duo of 6-1 freshman Beau Harvey and 6-2 junior Adam Harvey, who scored 16 and 11 points respectively.

This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 11:13 AM.