Chargers win SPC tourney, have coaches reinstated (updated)

Cox Mill hit a half-court shot in the closing seconds of the South Piedmont Conference boys' basketball tournament championship to defeat A.L. Brown 54-53 and win its first tourney title.

The Chargers, the tournament's No. 4 seed, defeated the top-seeded teams - Concord and Brown, respectively - to win the title.

Cox Mill's celebration didn't last long. The Chargers will allegedly be without coach Brad Hinson and assistant coach Jody Barbee for their first playoff game in school history.

The coaches were allegedly suspended after taking part in a Harlem Shake video with their players. NBC Charlotte sportscaster Chris Clark has the video on his Facebook page.

UPDATE: Our friends at WCNC are now reporting that Hinson and Barbee have been reinstated.

Just talked with Cox Mill officials. They told me Brad Hinson and Jody Barbee will be on the sidelines coaching tonight against Berry.
— Chris Clark (@Cdclarksports) February 25, 2013

Cox Mill will host Berry Academy on Monday for a first-round 3A playoff game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Lady Bulldogs claim SPC crown

Jay M. Robinson defeated Concord 43-28 in the SPC girls' basketball tournament finals.

The Bulldogs, which have not lost a game to SPC opponents this season, also won the regular-season conference title.

Robinson will host East Rowan today at 7 p.m. to open postseason play.

Local playoff matchups 

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released its basketball playoff brackets during the weekend. Here are the first-round matchups for local teams (in bold):

Boys tournament

(16) Central Cabarrus (10-15) at (1) Concord (22-2)

(14) Northwest Cabarrus (15-9) at (3) Statesville (20-3)

(11) Kannapolis A.L. Brown (19-7) at (6) North Forysth (20-6)

(10) Charlotte Berry Academy (13-10) at (7) Concord Cox Mill (17-10)

Girls tournament

(16) Kannapolis A.L. Brown (9-15) at (1) Ledford (23-3)

(13) Northwest Cabarrus (12-12) at (4) Weddington (20-6)

(14) East Rowan (15-10) at (3) Concord Jay Robinson (22-5)

(10) Concord (16-9) at (7) Southwestern Randolph (19-5)

(15) Central Cabarrus (10-16) at (2) Charlotte Harding University (18-4)

Eagles are state runner-up

First Assembly's boys' basketball team was the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A runner-up, losing to back-to-back state champion Northside Christian Academy 84-63 in Saturday's finals.

The Eagles reached the finals with a 49-43 win against Gaston Day School.

First Assembly was led by all-state senior Kriston Beasley.

The Lady Eagles also had an all-state selection. Eighth-grader Zaria Wright was also honored.

Bulldogs lead way at 3A Midwest wrestling regionals

Robinson wrestlers David Cline (106 pounds), Jake Glunt (152) and Kenan Robertson (160) won individual wrestling titles at the 3A Midwest regional tournament this past weekend to lead the Bulldogs' six state qualifiers

Central Cabarrus' Heath Gleaton (113), Hickory Ridge's Troy Gregor (120), Mount Pleasant's Ryan Johns (182) and Concord's Michael Simpson (195) also claimed regional championships.

Here are the full 3A Midwest results as well as the list of 3A state qualifiers and the 3A championship brackets.

The 3A state tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday in Greensboro.

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First Assembly reaches 2A semis

First Assembly's boys' basketball team defeated Westchester Country Day 59-52 on Thursday to reach the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's 2A state semifinals.

The Eagles, the tournament's No. 3 seed, will face second-seeded Gaston Day today at 5:30 p.m. at Charlotte Country Day. The winner will face either No. 1 Northside Christian or No. 5 Calvary Baptist Saturday at 4 p.m. at Providence day.

On the girls' 2A bracket, First Assembly was eliminated in a 53-44 loss to third-seeded Calvary Baptist. The Lady Eagles finish their season 22-6.

For more, see the full NCISAA tournament brackets.

Hickory Ridge hosts 3A Midwest wrestling regional

Local wrestlers will convene at Hickory Ridge Friday and Saturday for a chance to earn a spot at next week's 3A state tournament.

The 3A Midwest regional tournament kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday. Wrestling resumes Saturday at 9 a.m.

For more, see the full brackets for the 3A Midwest and the rest of the regional tournaments.

Cox Mill upsets top-seeded Concord, moves on to finals

Cox Mill, the South Piedmont Conference tournament's fourth-seed, ousted the top boys' team, Concord, 90-85 in overtime on Tuesday.

The Chargers will play No. 2 seed A.L. Brown, which defeated third-seeded Northwest Cabarrus 71-69, in the SPC tournament final Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The girls' semifinals will be played today at Concord High. The winners will play in the finals Friday at 6 p.m.

Here are the semifinal/final match-ups:

Semifinals (at Concord High)

Girls

(1) Jay M. Robinson vs. (4) Central Cabarrus – Wednesday 6 p.m.

(7) Cox Mill vs. (3) Concord – Wednesday 7:30 p.m.

Boys

(4) Cox Mill def. (1) Concord 90-85 (OT)

(2) A.L. Brown def. (3) Northwest Cabarrus 71-69

Finals (at Concord High)

Girls

Winner of 1/4 vs. winner of 7/3 – Friday 6 p.m.

Boys

(4) Cox Mill vs. (2) A.L. Brown  – Friday 7:30 p.m.

Lady Eagles move on to 2A quarterfinals

First Assembly's girls' basketball team defeated Caldwell Academy 62-23 on Tuesday in the first round of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's 2A basketball playoffs.

The Eagles, the tournament's sixth-seed, will travel to Charlotte Country Day on Thursday to face No. 3 Calvary Baptist in the state quarterfinals. The game is slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off.

First Assembly's boys had a first-round bye. The third-seeded Eagles will face Westchester Country Day, the tournament's No. 6 seed, Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Country Day.

Cannon's girls fell in the first-round of the 3A playoff, losing to fifth-seeded Charlotte Christian 60-45. The Cougars, the 12th-seed in the tournament, finish the season 11-15.

For more, see the full brackets.

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SPC 3A tournaments update

Here's what the South Piedmont 3A conference basketball tournaments are shaping up after Monday's first-round games (scores below):

Girls

(1) Jay M. Robinson def. (8) Mount Pleasant 80-22

(4) Central Cabarrus def. (5) A.L. Brown 46-41

(3) Concord def. (6) Hickory Ridge 67-55

(7) Cox Mill def. (2) Northwest Cabarrus 50-45

Boys

(1) Concord def. (8) Mount Pleasant 69-51

(4) Cox Mill def. (5) Central Cabarrus 58-54

(3) Northwest Cabarrus def. (6) Jay M. Robinson 71-70

(2) A.L. Brown def. (7) Hickory Ridge 74-50

Semifinals (All played at Concord High)

Girls

(1) Jay M. Robinson vs. (4) Central Cabarrus – Wednesday 6 p.m.

(7) Cox Mill vs. (3) Concord – Wednesday 7:30 p.m.

Boys

(1) Concord vs. (4) Cox Mill – Tuesday 6 p.m.

(3) Northwest Cabarrus vs. (2) A.L. Brown – Tuesday  7:30 p.m.

Read more here: http://cabprepsports.blogspot.com/#storylink=cpy

Roses leads Cannon at 3A swim meet

Cannon School's girls' swimming team was fourth at the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A swim meet on Monday in Greensboro.

The Lady Cougars were led by the 200-yard medley championship relay team of Diana Dale, Maija Roses, Darby West and Isabella Jacoby. The same quartet finished second in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Roses, a junior, won the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke state championships.

The Cannon boys placed 10th.

For more, check out the full meet results.

Read more here: http://lknprepsports.blogspot.com/2013/02/roses-leads-cannon-at-3a-swim-meet.html#storylink=cpy

SPC tournament gets under way Monday

The South Piedmont Conference basketball tournaments start today.

On the boys' side, Concord finished as the top seed after claiming the regular-season title with an unblemished 14-0 mark in SPC play. A.L. Brown (12-2) lost to the Spiders 68-66 in a dramatic regular-season finale on Friday to end up as the No. 2 seed.

Jay M. Robinson's girls are their bracket's No. 1 seed after also finishing 14-0 in conference games. Northwest Cabarrus (11-3) enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed.

First-round games are scheduled for today at the higher seeds. The boys' semifinals are slated for Tuesday, while the girls are set to play on Wednesday. Finals are scheduled for Friday. Semis and finals will be played at Concord high.

Here are the brackets:

South Piedmont Conference 3A

Girls

(8) Mount Pleasant at (1) Jay M. Robinson

(5) A.L. Brown at (4) Central Cabarrus

(6) Hickory Ridge at (3) Concord

(7) Cox Mill at (2) Northwest Cabarrus

Boys

(8) Mount Pleasant at (1) Concord

(5) Central Cabarrus at (4) Cox Mill

(6) Jay M. Robinson at (3) Northwest Cabarrus

(7) Hickory Ridge at (2) A.L. Brown

Eagles ready for playoffs

First Assembly's boys' and girls' basketball teams both earned spots in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's 2A playoffs.

The Lady Eagles earned the tournament's No. 6 seed. They's slated to host No. 11 Caldwell Academy on Tuesday. The winner of that game will face No. 3 Calvary Baptist at Charlotte Country Day on Thursday in a state semifinal.

First Assembly's boys earned a first-round bye by claiming the tournament's No. 3 seed. The Eagles will face either O'Neal School or Westchester Country Day at Country Day on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Both championships are scheduled for  Friday and will be played at Country Day.

Cannon's girls, a 12th-seed in the 3A bracket, will play Charlotte Christian on Tuesday. No. 4 Cary Academy awaits the winner. The 3A semifinals and finals will be held at Charlotte Latin.

Click here for full brackets.

NCISAA swim meet to be held Monday, Tuesday

The 1A/2A/3A independent schools' state swim meets are  scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Finals are slated to start at 3:30 p.m.

Read more here: http://lknprepsports.blogspot.com/2013/02/southlake-trio-wins-wrestling-titles.html#storylink=cpy

Cougars win state golf title

From left: Pat Whisenant,Taylor Bunten, Anna Redding, Annie Collom
 and Kate Collom. COURTESY OF BETH COLLUM

Cannon School repeated as private school girls’ golf champions, winning by 26 shots over second-place Durham Academy Oct. 24 at Mid Pines Golf Club in Pinehurst.

The Cougars, under the direction of first-year coach Pat Whisenant, shot a combined low score of 249.

Junior Kate Collom and sophomore Anna Redding led the way, tying for second place with their 18-hole score of 82.

Sophomore Annie Collom shot an 85 while classmate Taylor Bunten posted a 94.

The Colloms sisters and Redding were named to the all-state team.

“It's been a real honor to be a part of this run and these girls, who are great players and people,” Whisenant said. “They lifted each other up when they weren't putting well today and pulled it together for a state championship.”

Cannon was equally as impressive last year, when the Cougars won by 22 shots. The Cougars have beaten 25 of their last 26 opponents in the two-year span. Their only loss on the course was to defending 2A state champion Salisbury last year.

- Jay Edwards

Area athletes have good 3A track and field meet

Several Cabarrus County athletes had good showings at the 3A track and field meet last weekend.

Cox Mill's Tori Elliott finished second in the girls' 100-meter dash with a 12:06. The senior also placed fifth in the 200 meter with a time of 25.09 and third in the long jump with a jump of 16-9.75.

Jay M. Robinson's Madison Fulfrd was fourth in the girls' 300-meter hurdles. His teammate McCann Sheridan finished fourth in the boys' 800 meter runs.

Samara Tisdale was third in the girls' shot put with a 36-4.5 for A.L. Brown. She also placed 12th in the discus.

Hickory Ridge's Elizabeth Olesen was state runner-up in the girls' high jump, while teammate Nora Shafer placed fourth.

The Ragin' Bulls' Mikayla Kinloch was state runner-up in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.

On the boys' side, Northwest Cabarrus' Will England was fourth in the 110-meter hurdles and runner up in the 300-meter hurdles.

A.L. Brown's Damien Washington was third with a 21.82 in the 200-meter dash. He was also fifth in the long jump with a 21-10.

Aaron Sandifer was third in the 110-meter hurdles and fifth in the 300 hurdles for Hickory Ridge. Teammate Jordan Warren was fourth the boys' triple jump.

Northwest's Josh Marco was fifth in the boys' pole vault. He had a 13-feet jump in the event.

Cox Mill's Ryan Hill was forth in the boys' 100 meters, while Elijah Goins was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles.

These are the meet's final standings for local squads:

3A girls

8. Hickory Ridge
17. Cox Mill
22. Jay M. Robinson
35. A.L. Brown

3A boys

12. Northwest Cabarrus
15. Hickory Ridge
16. Cox Mill
17. A.L. Brown
24. Jay M. Robinson
53. Concord
53. Mount Pleasant

For full results, go here.

Playoff update (May 22)

The spring high school season in Cabarrus County is officially done.

Hickory Ridge fell to South Rowan 8-2 to end its season in the third round of the 3A baseball playoffs, while First Assembly lost in the independent schools' 2A state semifinals 8-3 to Caldwell Academy.

In softball, both Jay M. Robinson and Central Cabarrus lost in the third round. The Bulldogs dropped a 5-1 game to North Iredell while the Vikings lost 7-1 to Weddington to wrap up their years.

Cabarrus is down to one team in baseball playoffs

With South Piedmont Conference champion Northwest Cabarrus losing 1-0 to Carson Thursday night, Hickory Ridge is the lone conference team to make the third round of the 3A state playoffs.

The Ragin' Bulls defeated conference foe Mount Pleasant 14-4 Tuesday to reach the district round.

Hickory Ridge will host South Rowan Friday night in Harrisburg.

Eagles playing in independent school semifinals

First Assembly's baseball team faces Caldwell Academy in the 2A independent school semifinals Friday afternoon at Rocky Mount Academy.

The Eagles, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, goes into the game with a 13-7 game. Caldwell Academy is the No. 1-seeded team in the bracket with a 20-4 mark.

The winner will face either Harrells Christian or Westchester Country in a best-of-three series starting at 7 p.m and continuing Saturday.

Robinson, Central still playing softball

The top two SPC softball teams, Central Cabarrus and Jay M. Robinson, both won their second-round games this week.

Robinson defeated Marvin Ridge 4-3, while Central Cabarrus won 4-3 against Carson to reach the 3A district round.

The Vikings will host Weddington, while the Bulldogs travel to North Iredell Friday night.

SPC girls' soccer teams all eliminated

Cox Mill was the only South Piedmont Conference team to reach the third round of the playoffs. The Chargers lost that game 4-0 to Charlotte Catholic.

A.L. Brown and Jay M. Robinson won their first-round game, but were ousted in the following round. Hickory Ridge and Mount Pleasant didn't get out of the opening round.

For full brackets: check out the baseball, softball and girls' soccer pages on the NCHSAA website.

Cabarrus football playoff update - week 2

NCHSAA football
Both A.L. Brown and Concord won Friday, moving on to the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. The Wonders (12-1) defeated Weddington 41-20 in the 3AA bracket, while the Spiders (10-3) routed Rockingham County 35-8 in the 3A tournament.


Here are the state quarterfinal match-ups (local teams in bold):

A.L. Brown at Charlotte Catholic

Concord at West Rowan

NCISAA football

First Assembly defeated fellow Cabarrus County team Cannon 28-3 to reach the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Divions II finals. The Eagles (8-3), the tournament's No. 2 seed, will host No. 4 seed Asheville School for the title.

Cabarrus football playoff update - week 1

NCHSAA football
Only A.L. Brown and Concord moved on to the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. The Wonders defeated Ledford in the 3AA bracket, while Concord defeated South Piedmont Conference foe Northwest Cabarrus in the 3A tournament.

Here are full scores (local teams in bold):

3A
West Rowan def. Mount Pleasant 31-12
Statesville def. Cox Mill 32-22
Concord def. Northwest Cabarrus 30-6

3AA
Charlotte Catholic def. Hickory Ridge 42-14
A.L. Brown def. Ledford 54-28

Friday's games:
Rockingham County at Concord
Weddington at A.L. Brown

NCISAA football
Cannon and First Assembly both got out of the first round of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II playoffs. Cannon upset Christ School 37-27 to win the school's first football playoff game, while defending champions First Assembly dominated a 48-29 game against North Raleigh Christian.

First Assembly (7-3) will host Cannon (6-4) Friday in the state semifinals. It will be the Concord schools first meeting of the season.

10/31 playoff update

Football

Brackets for both the N.C. High School Athletic Association and N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association football playoffs were released during the weekend. Here are the match-ups for Cabarrus County teams (local teams in bold):


NCHSAA
3A
No. 8 Mount Pleasant at No. 1 West Rowan
No. 5 Cox Mill at No. 4 Statesville
No. 6 Northwest Cabarrus at No. 3 Concord


3AA
No. 8 Hickory Ridge at No. 1 Charlotte Catholic
No. 6 Ledford at No. 3 A.L. Brown


NCISAA

Div. II

No. 6 Cannon School at No. 3 Christ School

No. 7 North Raleigh Christian at No. 2 First Assembly


Cross country

Natalie Andrejchak led the Jay M. Robinson girls to a second-place finish in the NCHSAA 3A Midwest regionals Saturday. Robinson's Brooke Johns finished in seventh place.

Northwest Cabarrus' Maddie Lowe finished fifth in the race, advancing to states as an individual. The trojans finished sixth at regionals. A.L. Brown was fifth, Cox Mill was seventh and Hickory Ridge finished eighth.

On the boys' side, Robinson finished third behind Clifford Buck and Andrew Fried, who were sixth and seventh respectively. A.L. Brown's Jose Navarette, Northwest's Gil Gilreath and Cox Mill's Taylor Page advanced to states as individuals. Kannapolis finished seventh overall, while Cox Mill was eighth, Hickory Ridge 10th and Northwest Cabarrus was 11th.

For complete results, N.C. Runners has them compiled.

The state championships take place Saturday.


NCISAA

Cannon's Tim Gruber finished 26th at the NCISAA 3A state championships Saturday to lead the Cougars to a 10th-place finish at states. The girls, led by Darby West's 40th-place finish, were also 10th.

First Assembly finished 17th in the 2A boys regionals and 16th on the girls' side.

For complete results, check out the NCISAA's website.

Cannon wins inaugural NCISAA girls' golf title

Cannon School's girls' golf team won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's state championship strokes Monday in Greensboro.

The Cougars were led by sophomore Kate Collum, who shot an 18-hole score of 75, and her freshman sister Annie, who finished fourth in the field with a 78. Cannon's Anna Redding (79) and Taylor Bunten (88) were fifth and ninth for the tournament.

Cannon finished with a score of 232 - 22 strokes ahead of Raleigh's Ravenscroft.

To read more about the Collum sister, read our article on the duo from earlier in the year.

NCISAA state championship tournament standing

1- Cannon School 232

2- Ravenscroft 254

3- Saint Mary's School 266

4- Charlotte Country Day 287

5- Durham Academy 309

6- Forsyth Country Day 318

7- Charlotte Latin 319

8- Cary Christian 332

9- Providence Day 362

All-NCISAA girls' golf state team

- Evie Dole, Ravenscroft (Player of the Year)

- Jessica Kittelberger, Ravenscroft

- Kate Collom, Cannon

- Mary Kate Holanek, Cary Christian School

- Anna Redding, Cannon

- Annie Collom, Cannon

- Cameron Little, Saint Mary's School

- Katie Seymour, Saint Mary's School

- Brook Vann, Charlotte Country Day

- Taylor Bunten, Cannon

10/24 playoff update

NCHSAA volleyball
South Piedmont Conference volleyball teams had mixed results in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association's 3A playoffs.

The top three seeds - No. 1 Hickory Ridge, No. 2 Cox Mill and No. 3 Mount Pleasant - moved on to the second round, while No. 4 Concord and No. 5 Northwest Cabarrus were eliminated. Here are Saturday's scores:

North Iredell def. Concord 3-0
Mount Pleasant def. Berry Academy 3-1
Cox Mill def. Asheboro 3-0
Hickory Ridge def. Morehead 3-0
Charlotte Catholic def. Northwest Cabarrus 3-0

Second-round play will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. Here is the schedule for the three remaining Cabarrus County teams:

Mount Pleasant at North Iredell
Cox Mill at Marvin Ridge
West Iredell at Hickory Ridge


NCISAA soccer
Both Cabarrus County soccer teams in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association boys' soccer playoffs were eliminated in first-round play Saturday. Here are the scores:

2A
St. David's School def. First Assembly 5-1

3A
Charlotte Country Day def. Cannon 5-1


NCISAA girls' tennis
Cannon, the No. 10 seed in the NCISAA girls' tennis dual team playoffs, dropped its opening match to No. 7 Charlotte Latin 9-0 Saturday. The Cougars finish the season with a 7-7 dual record.

NCISAA releases soccer, volleyball playoff brackets

Three Cabarrus County teams have made the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association girls' tennis and boys' soccer playoffs. Cannon School made both tournaments, while First Assembly qualified in soccer.

First round play is scheduled for today in the soccer bracket, while girls' tennis is slated for Saturday.

Girls' tennis
NCISAA 3A girls' tennis
No. 10 Cannon (7-6) at No. 7 Charlotte Latin (11-5)

Soccer
NCISAA 2A
No. 12 First Assembly (9-6-2) at No. 5 St. David's (14-4-1)

NCISAA 3A
No. 12 Cannon (7-8-3) at No. 5 Charlotte Country Day (11-5-2)