Daily Roundup: February 13, 2024

February 14, 2024, 12:03 am | by Tim Hower

COASTAL PREPS THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT

***The rankings by each area team come from the Coastal- Preps Power Rankings***

BOYS BASKETBALL

No. 6 Cape Fear Academy 58, John Paul II 40

First round NCISAA 3A playoffs

***Click here to view a gallery of 25 photos from the action***

After playing a back-and-forth first half that featured 12 lead changes and three ties, the Hurricanes dominated the final 16 minutes to advance.

CFA (17-7) opened the third quarter on a 15-3 run to increase its lead to 37-20 following a pair of free throws from Gups Clucas.

Freshman point guard Kareem Anderson scored 14 of his game-high 17 points after halftime. He also had a handful of assists.

“We really just came out in the second half and tried to execute our stuff and look for each other more,” Anderson said. “I love being able to create for my teammates and get them open shots. They look for me, too.”

The advantage grew to as much as 24 in the fourth quarter. Angelo Vega scored 14 points, while Alex Wolf chipped in 11.

The Hurricanes will be back at home for the second round at 6 p.m. Thursday. Their opponent will be rival Coastal Christian.

CFA won both regular season matchups (44-27 and 52-38) and has a 12-game winning streak in the series dating back to 2019.

No. 8 Coastal Christian 62, Cary Christian 58

First round NCISAA 3A playoffs

A combined 36 points from Ethan Adgent and Aidan Davies gave the Centurions a road win in a game that was tight throughout.

Adgent finished with 20 points, while Davies chipped in 16. Coastal Christian (16-15) also got 14 points from Holden Martin and 11 from George Robertson.

Next up is a game second round game at rival Cape Fear Academy on Thursday night at 6.

No. 2 Laney 56, No. 3 North Brunswick 47

A strong opening half gave the Buccaneers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Laney (19-3, 11-2 Mideastern) led 19-10 after eight minutes and 39-20 at halftime.

Hez Driver finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Fellow senior Josh Helms chipped in 15 points and five rebounds.

North Brunswick’s (17-6, 8-5) top performers were Malakhi Daniels (13 points) and Terry Hood (11 points).

The Buccaneers host Topsail on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. A trip to Ashley at 7:30 p.m. Thursday awaits the Scorpions.

No. 10 Ashley 81, No. 13 Topsail 64

A career-high 27 points from junior guard Quinn Bentley helped the Screaming Eagles surpass the 80-point mark against a NCHSAA opponent for the first time since December 5, 2015.

It was the third consecutive victory for Ashley (8-15, 5-8 Mideastern). Wyatt Ellis (14 points) and Keyon Jones (13 points) also reached double figures.

The Screaming Eagles wrap up the regular season with a home game against North Brunswick on Thursday night at 7:30. Topsail (6-16, 3-10) travels to Laney at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

No. 5 Hoggard 76, No. 16 South Brunswick 51

The Vikings stormed out to a 15-3 lead and increased it to 44-14 at halftime.

In his final regular season home game, senior guard Josiah Gillespie scored a career-high 17 points.

Hoggard (14-9, 8-5 Mideastern) also got 15 points on five 3-pointers from Reid Lisk.

Next up for the Vikings is a road game at New Hanover on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. South Brunswick (3-19, 0-13) hosts West Brunswick at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

No. 1 New Hanover 81, No. 11 West Brunswick 46

A career-high 21 points from sharpshooter Kellum Brown kept the Wildcats unbeaten.

Brown made four of New Hanover’s (23-0, 13-0 Mideastern) 12 3-pointers. Rodmik Allen made three and finished with 12 points.

Nolan Billings scored nine of his 14 points in the first half. Twelve Wildcats reached the scoring column.

West Brunswick (7-16, 4-9) got 15 points from Josiah Johnson as well as 12 from Johnathan Daniels.

Both teams conclude the regular season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. New Hanover hosts Hoggard, while the Trojans visit South Brunswick.

No. 4 Trask 59, No. 17 East Columbus 52

Standout senior guard Myron Mckoy filled the stat sheet by finishing with 14 points, 11 steals and 10 assists to help the Titans avoid an upset and clinch the Waccamaw Conference title.

Sherrod Henderson scored a team-high 14 points. Trask (18-4, 10-0) also got 12 points a piece from Bradford Bannerman and Martez Davis.

Next up is a game at South Columbus on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. East Columbus (6-14, 2-9) plays at West Columbus at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

No. 7 West Columbus 71, No. 18 Pender 40

Larry Graham scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter to help the Vikings pull away for good.

West Columbus (13-5, 9-2 Waccamaw) scored at least 20 points in each of the first three quarters.

Emanuez Jones added 12 points, while Unique Kelly scored 11. Jaylen Bellamy made three shots from beyond the arc for his nine points.

Pender (3-16, 1-10) was led by Patrick Keith’s eight points.

The Vikings host East Columbus on Friday night at 7:30, while the Patriots travel to Trask at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

North Wake Homeschool 52, No. 9 Southeastern Homeschool 36

First round NCHEAC East Regional Tournament

A cold shooting night doomed the Cardinals, who managed just 24 points over the first three quarters.

Junior guard Blake Batts had a game-high nine points in his first game back from an injury. Southeastern Homeschool (14-12) also got eight points from Brice Griffin.

The Cardinals will return to action in March when they compete in the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) National Tournament.

Other scores

No. 15 East Bladen 72, No. 14 Whiteville 35

GIRLS BASKETBALL

No. 9 Cape Fear Academy 38, Arendell Parrott Academy 26

First round NCISAA 3A playoffs

***Click here to view a gallery of 25 photos from the action***

The Hurricanes used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away and advance to the second round.

Forward Macy Stengle scored six of her team-high 14 points during the run. Her jumper with 6:01 remaining got it started.

CFA’s (13-7) lead was 38-24 following a free throw from Milly Kelley with 30 seconds on the clock.

Kelley finished with seven points despite facing a box-and-1 throughout the contest. Addie Fikry added six points.

The Hurricanes led 14-11 at halftime and 23-19 after three quarters. Next up is a road game at St. David’s School on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

No. 8 West Brunswick 56, No. 2 New Hanover 53

A huge second quarter turned an eight-point deficit into a 29-20 lead, and the Trojans held on down the stretch to pull off the upset.

It was West Brunswick’s (13-10, 6-7 Mideastern) first win in the series since February 11, 2020. New Hanover (17-5, 10-3) had won six in a row.

Junior guard Jahrya Mastry connected on two of the Trojans’ five 3-pointers in the 25-point second quarter. She made four shots from beyond the arc and went 9 of 10 from the free throw line to finish with a team-best 21 points.

Brooklyn Coble and Ja’kya Johnson finished with 11 points a piece, while Saniya Stanley chipped in 10.

The Wildcats got a game-high 29 points from sophomore standout Brianna Stanley.

Both teams conclude the regular season at 6 p.m. Thursday. West Brunswick travels to South Brunswick, while New Hanover hosts Hoggard.

No. 6 Ashley 55, No. 5 Topsail 43

A double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds from junior center Bella Cook gave the Screaming Eagles their fourth win in the past five games.

The 17 points were a career high for Cook, who went 8 of 17 from the field.

Ashley (12-10, 6-7 Mideastern) also got an excellent performance from Jaeden Hudson, who scored 16 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists.

Charley Moore made four 3-pointers and poured in a game-high 20 points to pace Topsail (14-9, 8-5).

Next up for the Screaming Eagles is a home game against North Brunswick at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Pirates play at Laney on Thursday evening at 6.

No. 7 Laney 43, No. 11 North Brunswick 35

Three Buccaneers reached double figures, led by 12 points from Lauren Bastable, in the hard-fought road victory.

Laney (13-8, 7-6 Mideastern) also got 10 points a piece from Piper Conklin and Aniece Lewis as well as six from Meadow Shepard.

North Brunswick’s (5-15, 1-12) Dari’elle Young scored seven of her team-high 11 points in the opening quarter. Freshman Adrianna Gomez also reached double figures with 10.

The Buccaneers host Topsail on Thursday at 6 p.m. The Scorpions visit Ashley at 6 p.m. Thursday.

No. 1 Hoggard 66, No. 10 South Brunswick 23

It was business as usual for the Vikings, who haven’t lost a Mideastern Conference game since 2021.

Sophomore point guard Tristan Shivers recorded a double-double by scoring 20 points and dishing out 11 assists.

Hoggard (22-1, 13-0) shot 52 percent (27 of 52) from the field and connected on eight 3-pointers from six different players.

Sarah Elgart also reached double figures with 12 points, while Ella Jones scored eight. Anna Kate Chance chipped in five points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

A trip to Brogden Hall on Thursday at 6 p.m. for a game against rival New Hanover is next for the Vikings. South Brunswick (4-15, 1-12) returns home to take on West Brunswick at 6 p.m. Thursday.

No. 3 East Columbus 61, No. 17 Trask 18

All six Gators who scored finished with at least seven points in the lopsided win on their home court.

Destiney Mitchell had a team-high 13 points, while Kaley Mitchell scored 12. Both players connected on two 3-pointers.

East Columbus (18-1, 10-1 Waccamaw) also got 11 points from Chynna Patrick as well as nine from Malia Graham.

Trask (3-18, 2-8) got seven points from Alanah Watkins.

The Gators can clinch a share of the conference title with a victory at winless West Columbus on Friday night at 6. Next up for the Titans is a road game against South Columbus at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

No. 4 East Bladen 56, No. 12 Whiteville 26

The Eagles claimed at least a share of the Waccamaw Conference title with a 30-point win at home.

NeNe Ward led all scorers with 21 points, while Ariel Cromartie added 17.

East Bladen (19-3, 11-1), which scored 20 points in each of the first two quarters to build a 40-10 halftime lead, also got 10 points from Laila Smith.

Elayzia Dawson finished with 16 points for Whiteville (8-12, 6-5).

The Eagles have concluded the regular season and now await their seed for next week’s conference tournament. The Wolfpack host South Columbus at 6 p.m. Friday.

No. 13 Pender 54, No. 18 West Columbus 16

Grace Bordeaux and Jamiah Johnson tied for a game-high with 16 points for the victorious Patriots.

Bordeaux scored 14 of her points in the first half to help Pender (8-10, 5-6 Waccamaw) build a 37-6 lead. Linde Cline buried three 3-pointers in the second quarter en route to 13 points.

West Columbus (0-15, 0-11) was led by Tierra Braddy’s six points.

Both teams conclude the regular season Friday at 6 p.m. The Patriots visit Trask, while the Vikings welcome East Columbus.