Conference basketball tournament championship roundup

Chapel Hill’s girls and Orange’s boys took home Big 8 3A basketball conference tournament titles Friday night.

Led by 17 points from Autumn West, the top-seeded Chapel Hill girls led wire-to-wire at home and won its sixth straight conference tournament championship with a 57-48 victory over No. 2-seeded Northwood.

Alliyah Chaplin added 13 points for Chapel Hill (21-5) before fouling out with 2 minutes, 16 seconds left in the physical game.

Bryn Aydt scored a game-high 19 points for Northwood (23-4) and hit four 3-pointers to help the Chargers whittle a 20-point halftime deficit to singles digits in the fourth quarter.

Facing Southern Durham for the third time this season, the Orange boys’ basketball team defeated the Spartans 68-65 to win the title.

Senior forward Daniel Mulligan led the Panthers (17-8) with a game-high 27 points as Orange overcame a nine-point, second-half deficit. Sophomore guard Jomaru Brown scored a team-best 17 points for Southern Durham (19-4).

Big East 3A

Rocky Mount’s girls upset Northern Nash 45-34 and will take the league’s No. 2 seed into the playoffs. The Gryphons (16-8) were the fourth seed in the tournament but unseated Nash Central and the Knights (20-5) in back-to-back rounds.

Southern Nash took home the boys’ title against No. 2 seed Rocky Mount 56-50. The Firebirds (15-8) held off the Gryphons (7-15) late.

Cape Fear Valley 3A

Union Pines’ girls and Southern Lee’s boys fell short trying to upset Fayetteville Terry Sanford on the Bulldogs’ home court. Union Pines lost 47-40 and Southern Lee fell 61-45.

Eastern Plains 2A

Despite having two players out with suspension, North Pitt’s girls were too much for North Johnston in the championship game, winning 72-48. North Pitt (24-1), which got 33 points from Njyanique Langley, is one of the state favorites in 2A.

Levossie Taylor had 12 points and Tayona Jones 11 to pace North Johnston (12-13), which trailed 34-22 at halftime before North Pitt blew the game open with a 15-3 run in the third quarter.

The Farmville Central boys stayed undefeated with an 82-79 victory against No. 3 seed North Pitt (19-7). The Jaguars are 22-0.

Northern Carolina 2A

Southern Vance was the only conference team to defeat Franklinton in the regular season and the Raiders continued to be the Red Rams’ kryptonite, winning 59-57. Southern Vance (18-8), led by 22 points by Marcus Harrison, won all three matchups with Franklinton (17-7), led by Darion Green’s 13.

The host Bunn girls used 24 points from sophomore guard Bernadette Cooke to defeat Warren County 60-41. The Wildcats (20-3) have not lost a tournament game since 2009. The Eagles finished 17-8.

Carolina 1A

The James Kenan boys stunned Smithfield’s Neuse Charter with a 64-62 victory. Jimmie Sanders III had 29 points in the Cougars’ loss. Rosewood’s girls defeated Lakewood 65-40.

North Central Athletic 1A

Wake Forest’s Franklin Academy nearly shocked conference champion Roxboro Community in the girls’ championship, falling 53-46 in overtime. The Bulldogs (26-2) did not lose to an NCAC opponent during the regular season and were the only team to defeat the Patriots (24-3).

Durham’s Voyager Academy (26-4) completed its boys’ basketball domination with a 107-65 victory over Roxboro Community (14-13) in the championship at Graham’s River Mill Academy.

Roxboro junior guard Darius McGhee broke the state season scoring record of 972 by pouring in 39 points. McGhee has 992 points this season, topping the 2,000-point mark for his career.

Tar-Roanoke 1A

Louisburg’s boys (15-10) fell to conference champ Weldon (21-3) 66-47. Southeast Halifax defeated Northwest Halifax 86-50.

NCISAA playoffs

The N.C. Independent School Athletic Association state championships will be Saturday at Ravenscroft and the Ravens’ girls (23-4) will be participating.

The No. 3 seed Ravenscroft boys fell to Charlotte’s No. 1 seed and nationally ranked Providence Day 84-78 in the 3A semifinals.

In 2A, fourth-seeded St. David’s boys fell 58-49 to top-seeded Northside Christian. Kris Monroe led the Warriors with 14 points, while Cameron McNeill and Ben Brown chipped in 10 apiece.

In 1A, Neuse Christian’s girls team came up just short in the, falling to defending champion Trinity Christian School of Fayetteville 68-63.

The third-seeded Lions again were led by the two transfers from Brazil, sophomore Izabella Leite (21 points) and junior Maria Albiero (20).

Brennan Doherty, W.E. Warnock, Mike Mangan, Geoff Neville and Lee Montgomery contributed.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Conference basketball tournament championship roundup."