By Ken Bradley
MaxPreps.com
It wasn’t pretty, but for United Faith Christian Academy coach Shaun Wiseman, it will do.
The Falcons rallied Friday night from six points down at the half to beat Victory Christian, 50-49, and claim the Southern Piedmont Athletic Association conference championship.
The victory avenged one of its two losses, the other being to North Cobb Christian.
United Faith (27-2) earned the No. 2 seed in the NCISAA state playoffs that begin Tuesday. The Falcons play No. 15 seed Fayetteville Northwood Temple. The quarterfinal and semifinal games will be played at Cary Academy in Cary, N.C., while the final will be played at Ravenscroft in Raleigh.
Word of God Christian Academy of Raleigh is the tournament’s top seed.
“Didn’t play our best game, but our toughness down the stretch was key,” Wiseman said. “We made plays when we had to to win the game.”
That’s an understatement.
Auburn signee Kenny Gabriel hit a 3-pointer with about five seconds left in the game to tie it 49-49. The Falcons then stole the inbounds pass and Adam Raye was fouled. He sank one free throw to provide United Faith with the victory.
The 6-foot-8 Gabriel is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds this season. His twin brother, Keith Gabriel, is also courting Division I offers. According to Wiseman, Keith has offers from The Citadel and VMI.
Raye, the team’s point guard, is hearing from Valparaiso, USC-Upstate, Gardner-Webb, High Point and Eastern Kentucky. Also, Jovan Varagic is being recruited by Canisius, William & Mary and Radford.
Boys’ Basketball: Excitement at Myers Park …Finally
It’s been a long time coming, but winning a share of the Southwestern 4A conference championship was well worth the wait at Myers Park.
The Mustangs ended two decades of frustration last week when they defeated South Mecklenburg, 78-66. Myers Park wrapped up the regular season 20-3 overall, 12-2 in league play. The Mustangs share the title with East Mecklenburg (16-8, 12-2).
For East Meck, claiming a share of its fourth consecutive Southwestern 4A title didn’t come easy. East Meck overcame a four-point final quarter deficit to defeat Providence in overtime 58-55.
The excitement at Myers Park, though, could not be overlooked.
“Winning on Friday was a surreal moment as the players’ reaction was quiet at first until someone said ‘we just won the conference,’ ” Myers Park athletic director Greg Clewis said. “The players and school community are really excited about the title and looking forward to what lies ahead.
“One of our teachers had an old sweatshirt from the 87-88 season and brought it to the game on Friday," Clewis added, "and the team and community rallied around the old sweatshirt, looking forward to wearing a new one with 07-08 champs.”
Griffin Shaw led Myers Park with 19 points and Odell Turner added 18.
Myers Park hosts a first-round conference game Tuesday against South Mecklenburg. The semifinals and finals will be played at Ardrey Kell on Thursday and Friday.
“Our whole community is looking forward to the tournament and hopefully we can find a little luck and win the coveted No. 1 conference seed,” Clewis said.
Boys’ Basketball: Gastonia Hunter Huss Achieves Perfection
On Friday night, the Hunter Huss boys’ basketball team routed its rival, Ashbrook, 73-53, and in the process, achieved something it had never done in school history.
The Huskies completed its conference scheduled undefeated. Entering the Big South 3A/4A conference tournament, Hunter Huss is 14-8 overall and 12-0 in the conference. The top-seeded Huskies have a bye in the conference tournament and will play Thursday.
According to the Gaston Gazette, the Huskies won regular-season titles 13 times, but none included an unblemished mark in league play.
“I think it’s a big deal in the community,” Hunter Huss coach Ron Bray told the Gaston Gazette. “For us to do something that hasn’t been done with the tradition that this school has had is pretty special.”
Boys’ Basketball: East Lincoln Peaking at Right Time
Keith Rendleman scored 29 points to lead the East Lincoln Mustangs to their 14th consecutive victory – a 65-53 win against rival Lincolnton – in their regular-season finale.
The Mustangs (19-5, 13-1 in Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) finished the season tied with Cherryville atop the Southern Piedmont standings. But despite losing a draw, giving Cherryville (22-2, 13-1) the top seed, the Mustangs will host the finals of the conference tournament.
“Our main focus is the playoffs that start next week,” East Lincoln coach Neil Hodges said. “But we are hopeful that we will play well during the tournament.”
East Lincoln and Cherryville split their two games during the regular season.
Football: Coaching Changes in Area
According to the Charlotte Observer, West Charlotte head football coach Maurice Flowers resigned last week. Also, according to the newspaper, assistant coach Hazel Richardson also resigned.
Flowers, Richardson and athletic director Masanori Toguchi had been suspended after an investigation began looking into the eligibility of a player, the Observer reported.
West Charlotte, one of the top football programs in the Charlotte area, lost in the state semifinals this past season. It was the first season at West Charlotte for Flowers, who left Olympic High School, also in Charlotte.
In other coaching changes:
Ken Bradley, a former sports editor and writer in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, covers the Charlotte, N.C., area for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at kbradley14@yahoo.com.
