Friday’s girls’ rewind: No. 11 South Meck routs Ballantyne Ridge, wins 8th straight
South Mecklenburg’s girls basketball team won its eighth straight game with a suffocating opening defensive stand. The Sabres, No. 11 in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, scored the first 17 points of the game and cruised to a 62-16 win at Ballantyne Ridge on Friday.
“We thrive off our intensity on defense,” South Mecklenburg coach Justin Clarke said. “That’s our identity.”
Kaitlyn Hensley had 17 points, Nykira Arrington 13, Bri’Asia Rowe 10 and Ladacia Coleman seven for the Sabres (12-3), whose winning streak includes a 47-43 win at Meck Power Six 7A/8A leader Mallard Creek on Dec. 16.
For Ballantyne Ridge (8-8), Natanya Chando had eight points and Kaiya Dodson seven.
Friday’s #BIG5 girls’ top performers
Claire Frank, South Point: In a 47-34 win over Kings Mountain, Frank had a career-high 26 points and 14 rebounds.
Ma-Kaela Gidney, Hickory Ridge: In a blowout win over Harding, Gidney had 27 points and 10 steals and became the school’s all-time leader in steals. She recorded her 344th in the third quarter.
Lenise Joseph, North Mecklenburg: The Observer’s midseason player of the year had a game-high 27 points in a blowout win over rival Hough.
Jaleila Littlejohn, North Gaston: In a 58-51 win over Crest, Littlejohn scored 50 points to go with 13 rebounds, five steals and five assists. That’s among the 15th best single-game performances by a N.C. public school girls’ player and the 9th 50-point game by a N.C. girl since 5 on 5 basketball started in the 1969-70 school year. Littlejohn broke a 35-year-old school record. Chastity Friday scored 39 points in 1991. Miriam McLeod also scored 39 for North Gaston in 1998.
Jaiden Thompson, Cannon School: Thompson had a team-high 18 points in a 59-33 win over Charlotte Latin that ended the Hawks’ seven-game win streak.
Friday’s girls’ roundup
CISAA
No. 9 Cannon School 59, Charlotte Latin 33: The host Cougars (14-5, 2-0) snapped Charlotte Latin’s seven-game winning streak, outscoring the Hawks 33-16 in the middle two quarters.
Jaiden Thompson led Cannon School with 18 points, and Jakaila Gaskin added 15. Lanie Edwards had a game-high 19 points for Charlotte Latin (16-3, 1-1).
No. 5 Providence Day 64, Charlotte Country Day 27: Jaida McClure (15 points) and Katelyn Ramsden (14) led the Chargers (16-3, 2-0) to a lopsided victory. Sam Vanderhave scored eight points for the Buccaneers (9-13, 0-2).
GREATER METRO 6A/7A
Berry Academy 58, Olympic 45: Annabella Hall scored 30 points and added seven rebounds for the host Cardinals (4-7, 2-4). Brynlee Miller added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Olympic fell to 2-15, 1-4.
Cox Mill 83, A.L. Brown 29
Hickory Ridge 62, Harding 11: Ma-Kaela Gidney’s 27 points and 10 steals helped push the Ragin’ Bulls (12-4, 6-0) to a big victory. Gidney became the all-time steals leader in girls’ basketball at Hickory Ridge. Aubrey Cranford added 19 points for the bulls.
Da’Myia Garris had eight points for the Rams (0-12, 0-6).
West Cabarrus 67, Central Cabarrus 49: Shariah White’s 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals led the Wolverines (11-5, 5-1), who remain a game behind Hickory Ridge in the conference standings. White reached the 1,000-point mark for her career.
Johnnae Duncan led the Vikings (10-5, 3-3) with 19 points.
NORTH PIEDMONT 6A/7A
Davie County 46, Statesville 28: The host War Eagles (9-6, 1-1) raced to a 13-2 lead and cruised past the Greyhounds (7-9, 0-2).
North Iredell 60, Mooresville 47: The host Warriors (11-3, 2-0) led only 36-33 after three quarters but surged in the final period. Mooresville dropped to 3-11, 0-2.
SOUTHERN CAROLINA 6A/7A
Weddington 45, Piedmont 33
BIG SOUTH 5A/6A
Ashbrook 54, Forestview 34: The visiting Green Wave (6-7, 2-3) were tied 19-19 at the half but outscored the Jaguars (2-14, 1-4) 21-11 in the third quarter. Arianna McDowell led Ashbrook with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight steals. Nicole Cherry added 11 points.
North Gaston 58, Crest 51: Jaleila Littlejohn broke a 35-year-old school single-game scoring record with 50 points. She also had 13 rebounds, five steals and five assists. North Gaston improved to 7-7, 2-4, while Crest fell to 2-7, 2-3.
South Point 47, Kings Mountain 34: Claire Frank scored a career-high 26 points and added 14 rebounds, as the Raiders (4-11, 3-2) downed the Mountaineers (6-10, 3-2). Tierney Waters added 11 rebounds, and Rowen Trexler had eight rebounds and eight assists for South Point.
ROCKY RIVER 4A/5A
Forest Hills 62, Anson County 26
Mount Pleasant 59, Parkwood 38: The host Tigers (7-9, 3-2) jumped to a 16-5 first-quarter lead and trounced the Wolf Pack (10-7, 1-4).
SOUTH PIEDMONT 4A/5A
Jay M. Robinson 48, Concord 15
No. 14 Northwest Cabarrus 70, Jesse Carson 39: KacKenzie Ortscheid poured in 28 points for the Trojans (12-4, 5-1).
Salisbury 48, East Rowan 40
WESTERN FOOTHILLS 4A/5A
No. 12 East Lincoln 57, Newton-Conover 38: Emma Montaneri’s 22 points, seven assists and five steals helped the Mustangs (14-3, 7-2) hold third place in the standings. Lane Pethel added 21 points, 14 rebounds and seven steals. Newton-Conover is 3-14, 2-7.
Hickory 64, Bunker Hill 28
Maiden 85, No. 8 North Lincoln 83: The Blue Devils (16-1, 8-1) knocked off the Knights (13-4, 8-1) in a thriller, creating a tie atop the conference standings.
METROLINA ATHLETIC
No. 15 Concord Academy 97, Westminster Catawba 6: Justice Alexander’s 31 points helped the Eagles (16-7, 5-0) crushed their Rock Hill foes (3-13, 0-7). Jada Powell added 18 points, and Victoria Collins scored 16.
Hickory Grove Christian 59, Metrolina Christian 33: Lauren Feaster scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Lions (9-5, 3-2), in their road victory. Alysa Crouch added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Alex Dudleston grabbed 12 rebounds. The Warriors fell to 9-8, 3-3.
CATAWBA SHORES 2A/3A/4A
Community School of Davidson 64, Langtree Charter 24
Lake Norman Charter 64, Bradford Prep 28: The visiting Knights (15-0, 6-0) remained unbeaten, behind 23 points from Reece Long. Abby Courtney added 16 points, while Bailey Clark scored 17 for Bradford Prep (6-9, 1-5).
Lincoln Charter 64, Christ the King 56: The Eagles (10-4, 6-0) remained tied with Lake Norman Charter atop the conference standings, as Kyle Riggenbach scored 17 points, sister Taylor added 16, and Martha Guinle scored 16. Anna Haynes had a game-high 22 points for the Crusaders (8-5, 3-3).
Pine Lake Prep 60, Corvian Community 26
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 2A/3A/4A
Lincolnton 71, Bessemer City 41
No. 10 Stuart Cramer 68, Burns 27: Oshauna Holland dominated this first-place showdown, with 28 points, nine rebounds, nine blocks, eight assists, and seven steals. Lauren Humphrey added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Storm (14-1, 8-0). Burns fell to 11-3, 7-2.
West Lincoln 54, Cherryville 18
YADKIN VALLEY 2A/3A
Albemarle 67, Gray Stone Day 37
Union Academy 62, South Stanly 51
CATAWBA RIVER 1A/2A/3A
No. 6 Queen’s Grant Charter 62, Jackson Day 29: Za’Miya Bynum scored 24 points and Misa Garris added 18 in the Stallions’ (13-3, 9-0) big victory. Karsen Young had a team-high 10 points for the Mariners (13-3, 6-3).
Thomas Jefferson Academy 61, Piedmont Community Charter 18: The host Gryphons (13-3, 7-1) went on a 23-2 run over the final 10 minutes of the first half and routed the Patriots (7-12, 3-5).
NONCONFERENCE
South Mecklenburg 62, Ballantyne Ridge 16
West Charlotte 45, East Mecklenburg 41: Chloe Stitt’s 20 points helped the visiting Lions (9-5) top the Eagles (7-9). Kenya Grier added 10 points for the victors. Jurnee Darling led East Meck with 12 points.
Friday’s girls’ box scores
(Includes Observer Sweet 16 ranking)
NO. 2 NORTH MECKLENBURG 69, HOUGH 24
North Meck 23 16 17 13 — 69
Hough 2 11 5 6 — 24
NORTH MECK 69 — Lenise Joseph 27, Morgan 10, Spindle 8, Trotter 7, Jones 5, Lacy 4, Johnson 4, Newton 2, Mobley 2
HOUGH 69 — Breault 9, Haines 4, Mobley 4, Otto 4, Huskey 2, Burnett 1
Records: N. Meck Overall 13-2; Conf. 1-1
NO. 5 PROVIDENCE DAY 64, CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 27
Providence Day 15 19 19 11 — 64
Charlotte Country Day 6 11 8 2 — 27
PROVIDENCE DAY 64 — Jaida McClure 15 Londyn Carson 11 Katelyn Ramsden 14 Julia O’Malley 12 Colaizzi 3 Updyke 4 Crayton 2 Shah 3
CCDS 27 — Hill 5 Vanderhave 8 Bharti 2 Little 1 Turner 3 Nelson 2 Bigham 4 Starnes 2
Records: Providence Day 16-3
NO. 6 QUEEN’S GRANT 62, JACKSON DAY 29
Queen’s Grant 29 16 14 3 — 62
Jackson Day 6 12 6 5 — 29
QUEEN’S GRANT 62 — Za’Miya Bynum 24, Misa Garris 18, Hicks 8, Wilson 6, Smith 3, Chisholm 3
JACKSON DAY 29 — Karsen Young 10, Marshall 8, Lynch 6, R. Young 3, M. Young 1, James 1, Brown 1, White 1
Records: Queen’s Grant (17-3, 9-0); Jackson Day (13-3, 6-3)
NO. 9 CANNON SCHOOL 59, CHARLOTTE LATIN 33
CANNON 59 — Jaiden Thompson 18, Jakaila Gaskin 15, Brooke Busby 11, Truesdale 6, Nakamura 5, Love 2, C. Larkins 2
CHARLOTTE LATIN 33— Lanie Edwards 19, Charlotte Tune 10, McLaughlin 4, Snyder 1
Records: Cannon 14-5; Charlotte Latin 16-3
NO. 11 SOUTH MECKLENBURG 62, BALLANTYNE RIDGE 16
South Mecklenburg 24 17 13 8 — 62
Ballantyne Ridge 3 4 0 9 — 16
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 62 — Kaitlyn Hensley 17, Kendrick 4, Bri’Asia Rowe 10, Nykira Arrington 13, Brown 5, Coleman 7, Grant 4, Dart 2.
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 16 — Dodson 7, Chando 8, Simko 1
Records: South Mecklenburg 12-3, 3-0 Southwestern 7A/8A; Ballantyne Ridge 8-8, 1-2
NO. 12 EAST LINCOLN 57, NEWTON-CONOVER 38
ELHS 14 20 16 7 — 57
NCHS 7 12 11 8 — 38
ELHS 57 — Emma Montanari 22, Lane Pethel 21, S. Dann 6, M. Matz 5, R. Baldwin 3
NCHS 38 — Jenna Sain 11, H. Sims 9, M. Sigmon 8, B. Murr 8, A. Deal 2 Noteables: East Lincoln’s Lane Pethel Recorded her sixth double-double of the year: 21 points, 14 rebounds,7 steals, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. Emma Montanari finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 7 assists; ELHS: (14-3, 7-2) next game @ Bandys 1/20/26; NCHS (3-14, 2-7) next game vs Hickory 1/20/26
NO. 15 CONCORD ACADEMY 97, WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 6
Concord Academy 37 29 13 18 — 97
Westminster Catawba 4 1 1 0 — 6
CONCORD ACADEMY 97 —Justice Alexander 31, Jada Powell 18, Victorian Collins 16, Taylor Smith 12, Jayla Brower 8, Ava McDermott 5, Quinn Hicks 2
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 6 — Laura Whitney 3, Kaylani LaDay 2, Caidyn Campbell 1
Records: Concord Academy (16-7) next plays Jan. 20 at Gaston Christian; Westminster Catawba (3-13) next plays Jan. 20 at Southlake Christian.
HICKORY RIDGE 62, HARDING 11
Harding 0 3 5 3 — 11
Hickory Ridge 29 17 18 15 — 62
HARDING 11 — Garris 8, Daniel 2, Simmons 1
HICKORY RIDGE 62 — Gidney 27, Cranford 19, Harper 9, Johnson 8, Hamilton 6, Duley 4, Ritter 4, Pompei 2
Notable: Ma-Kaela Gidney lead the Ragin’ Bulls with 27 points and 10 steals. She became the all-time steals leader at Hickory Ridge. Aubrey Cranford added 19 points.
Records: Hickory Ridge 12-4; Harding 0-12
LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 64, BRADFORD PREP 28
LNC 20 13 23 8 — 64
BPS 10 7 6 5 — 28
LNC 64 — Reece Long 23, Abby Courtney 16, Sam Colantonio 9, Maggie Kurz 8, Grace Hart 5, Emma Nelson 2, Corynn Keck 1
BPS 28 — Clark 17, Elfvard 5, Jones 3, Brisseux 3
Records: LNC 15-0; Bradford Prep 6-9
LINCOLN CHARTER 64, CHRIST THE KING 56
Christ The King 7 14 13 22 — 56
Lincoln Charter 11 17 14 22 — 64
CTK 56 — Anna 22, Lucy 12, Rosie 9, Maeue 8, Bella 5
LCHS 64 — Kylie Riggenbach 17, Taylor Riggenbach 16, Martha Guinle 16, Claire David 13, Brenna Barbier 2
Records: CTK 8-5, LCHS 10-4
NORTH GASTON 58, CREST 51
NORTH GASTON 58 — Jaleila Littlejohn 50, Arrowood 3, Thomas 1, Jackson 1, Symonds 1, Robinson 2
CREST 51 — Logan 10, Arnold 1, Webb 7, Gullette 7, Miller 1, Downey 12, Nellum 2, Richarson 11
Records: Crest High School 2-7; North Gaston: 7-7
SOUTH POINT 47, KINGS MOUNTAIN 34
South Point 13 15 11 8 — 47
Kings Mountain 6 5 11 12 — 34
SOUTH POINT 47 — C. Frank 26, R. Trexler 6, T. Booker 5, J. Watkins 4, J. Bittle 4, K. Reagan 2
KINGS MOUNTAIN 34 — J. Twitty 8, S. Garner 7, C. Williams 7, K. Gaines 6, J. Wilson 4, F. Martin 2
Notable: South Meck’s Claire Frank recorded a career-high 26 points to go with 14 rebounds. Teammate Tierney Waters contributed 11 rebounds, while Rowen Trexler added eight rebounds and eight assists, and Ja’Nyiah Bittle had 8 steals.
Records: South Point (4-11, 3-2)
WEDDINGTON 45, PIEDMONT 33
WEDDINGTON 45 — Myra Ukwu 11, Lucy Piper 9, Bella Denton 8
WEST CABARRUS 67, CENTRAL CABARRUS 49
West Cabarrus 19 10 17 21 — 67
Central Cabarrus 12 10 14 13 — 49
WEST CABARRUS 67 — Shariah White 21, Jillian Simmons 12, London Griffin 10, Silas 9, Orizio 4, Parks 4, Johnson 4, Brown 2, Hayes 1
CENTRAL CABARRUS 49 — Johnae Duncan 19, Myajah Nix 16, Pickett 4, Rouse 2, Arevalo 3, Moss 5 Notable: Senior Shariah White scored her 1000th point tonight for Hickory Ridge. She had 21 points, 7 steals, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
WEST CHARLOTTE 45, EAST MECK 41
West Charlotte 12 11 11 11 — 45
East Meck 11 10 7 13 — 41
WEST CHARLOTTE 45 — Chloe Stitt 20, Kenya Grier 10, Mouhrie 9, Gray 2, Huey 2, Reaves 2
EAST MECK 41 — Jurnee Darling 12, Alana Jones 11, Davis 6, Weisner 6, Norman 3, Willis 3
Records: West Charlotte 9-5; East Meck 7-9
Upcoming schedule
Saturday
Phenom Sports MLK Showcase (boys)
(at Carmel Christian)
East Mecklenburg vs. Clover (SC), 2:30 p.m.
Ambassador Christian vs. High Point Wesleyan, 4 p.m.
Butler vs. Queen’s Grant Charter, 5:30 p.m.
Independence vs. Carmel Christian, 7 p.m.
Chambers MLK Showcase
(at Chambers High)
(girls) West Mecklenburg vs. Sugar Creek Charter, noon
(girls) Chambers vs. Orangeburg-Wilkinson (SC), 1:30 p.m.
(boys) Pine Lake Prep vs. Sugar Creek Charter, 3 p.m.
(boys) Carolina International vs. Orangeburg-Wilkinson (SC), 4:30 p.m.
(boys) Chambers vs. Hopewell, 6 p.m.
Peace Basketball Showcase
(at West Charlotte High)
(boys) Rocky River vs. Indian Land (SC), 11:30 a.m.
(boys) Bull City Prep vs. Mount Zion Christian, 1 p.m.
(girls) West Charlotte vs. Hillside, 2:30 p.m.
(boys) Mallard Creek vs. Winston-Salem Prep, 4 p.m.
(boys) West Charlotte vs. Hillside, 6 p.m.
Craze Sports MLK Showcase (girls)
(at Jackson Day)
Indian Land (SC) vs. Garinger, 12:30 p.m.
Butler vs. Scotland County, 2 p.m.
Ambassador Christian vs. Northwestern (SC), 3:30 p.m.
TBA, 5 p.m.
Hough vs. Charlotte Catholic, 6:30 p.m.
Nonconference
Greensboro Day at Davidson Day (boys), 3:30 p.m.
Lincolnton at Reidsville (girls, 3:30 p.m.; boys, 5 p.m.)
Myers Park vs. New Hanover (boys), in Brandon Ingram MLK Classic at Kinston High, 6:30 p.m.
Providence vs. Southern Lee (boys), in Lee County MLK Showcase, 1 p.m.
Providence Day vs. Virginia Academy (girls), in MLK Classic at High Point Andrews, 3:30 p.m.
South Charlotte Thunder at Providence Athletic Club (SC) (girls, 3 p.m.; boys, 4:30 p.m.)
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 8:53 PM with the headline "Friday’s girls’ rewind: No. 11 South Meck routs Ballantyne Ridge, wins 8th straight."
