Myers Park, Lake Norman among six Observer-area teams chasing NCHSAA titles Saturday
Myers Park is one of the oldest and largest high schools in the Charlotte area. And while the Mustangs have been successful in nearly every sport, they have never won a state title in what many consider the two biggest and most important sports: football and boys basketball.
Saturday night, Myers Park will make its first appearance in the boys basketball state final since 1966, and Mustangs coach Scott Taylor said he’s not worried about his team, No. 2 in The Observer’s Sweet 16, being considered a favorite against Richmond Senior. He’s also not really worried about what happened the first time Myers Park (27-4) played the Raiders (28-2) this season.
Myers Park won 78-37 in Rockingham, but the Raiders were without five-star recruit Paul McNeil, a 6-6 junior who has committed to N.C. State. With McNeil — the 2022 N.C. Gatorade player of the year — in the lineup, the Raiders (28-2) haven’t lost since December. McNeil began the season at a California private school, but decided to return home.
“I haven’t worried about that at all,” Taylor said this week. “I trust our kids. Our kids know that it doesn’t matter (which team they are playing). You’re playing for a state championship. ... I don’t worry about their approach to that.”
In fact, Taylor thinks his team can find a little inspiration, too.
“Everybody in Richmond County is happy to remind us that Paul didn’t play in that first game,” Taylor said. “We heard about it that night because he had just gotten back to school that day. I know they’ll present a totally different challenge than they did that night. You’ve got two totally different teams and I don’t think (the state final) looks anything like that game.”
Six Charlotte-area teams playing for chips
Myers Park is one of six Observer-area teams playing for state titles Saturday.
▪ Richmond Senior is back in the state finals for the first time since 1997, when current coach Donald Pettigrew was player on a Raiders’ team that lost to Independence — and current Independence coach Preston Davis — in Chapel Hill. Richmond is 0-3 all time in state finals. Myers Park is 0-2. Thus, one team will make history Saturday night.
▪ In 3A, Central Cabarrus is in the finals for the first time since winning the 2A title in 2000. Central (31-0) is also trying to finish off an unbeaten season against Northwood and UNC commit Drake Powell.
And the Vikings are not alone.
▪ Lake Norman’s girls team, which jumped into MaxPreps national rankings last week, are 31-0 and face Cary’s Panther Creek at UNC.
▪ And two Rowan County teams are in the girls finals. Salisbury (26-3) faces Seaforth in the 2A finals. Seaforth has never been to the state finals. Salisbury is 5-1 and is the reigning state champions.
Salisbury’s county neighbor, West Rowan (30-0) will make its first state final appearance, trying to beat Rocky Mount and finish an unbeaten season.
An early visit to Chapel Hill
Taylor, the Myers Park boys coach, didn’t expect his team would arrive at the state finals without a loss. He intentionally put together a rigorous schedule that saw the Mustangs play in two high-level, out-of-town tournaments, plus what was the Mecklenburg County regular-season game of the year at then-nationally ranked Carmel Christian in January.
He also intentionally planned a preseason trip to Chapel Hill in November, before the season began. The coach wanted his team to visualize playing in the state final.
Typically, the NCHSAA’s alternating venue format would have put this year’s state final at N.C. State’s Reynolds Coliseum, but the anticipated fan interest and ticket demand kept the game at UNC’s Smith Center, which is more than four times bigger.
“Back in November, I took the team down there (to Chapel Hill) and we got on the court and got to visualize where we wanted to be,” Taylor said. “I’m glad we’re there. It gives us a chance to have more Mustangs in there, that’s the biggest thing for me. Man, 7:30 on Saturday night, it feels like prime time, and feels like we’re finishing where we started, and we’ll have a lot of support in there, and Richmond will, too.
“We’re just happy to be playing and practicing for one more week.”
How to watch/stream Saturday’s games
| Class | Matchup | Time | Site | Raleigh TV | Charlotte TV |
| 1A Boys | Eastern Randolph vs. Wilson Prep | Noon | N.C. State | WRDC | None |
| 1A Girls | Bishop-McGuinness vs. Chatham Charter | 5 p.m. | N.C. State | WRDC | None |
| 2A Boys | Reidsville vs. Farmville Central | 2:30 p.m. | UNC | WLFL (CW) | None |
| 2A Girls | Seaforth vs. Salisbury | 5 p.m. | UNC | WLFL (CW) | WCCB (CW) |
| 3A Boys | Central Cabarrus vs. Northwood | 7:30 p.m. | N.C. State | WRDC | WCCB (Me TV) |
| 3A Girls | West Rowan vs. Rocky Mount | 2:30 p.m. | N.C. State | WRDC | WCCB (CW) |
| 4A Boys | Myers Park vs. Richmond Senior | 7:30 p.m. | UNC | WLFL (CW) | WCCB (CW) |
| 4A Girls | Lake Norman vs. Panther Creek | Noon | UNC | WLFL (CW) | WCCB (CW) |
Note: The 4A boys and girls, 3A boys and girls and the 2A girls games will stream on Bahakel Sports.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Myers Park, Lake Norman among six Observer-area teams chasing NCHSAA titles Saturday."
