Central Cabarrus (33-0) led wire-to-wire in the lopsided win, scoring the first eight points of the contest before taking a 28-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Vikings stretched their advantage to 50-24 at the half and maintained a 67-45 margin at the end of the third quarter.
Lees-McRae commit
Desmond Kent Jr. was the catalyst with 20 first-half points to help Central Cabarrus build a significant lead early.
Lees-McRae commit Desmond Kent Jr. closed out his impressive senior campaign with 20 first-half points in the title game as Central Cabarrus defended its state crown. (Photo: Brad Arrowood)
Senior forward
Josh Dalton scored a game-high 22 points,
Chase Daniel added 14 points, five rebounds and five steals and
Carson Daniel contributed 13 points and seven assists in the win.
Central Cabarrus faced its only significant test of the season in the state semifinals Tuesday when it knocked off previously-unbeaten Hickory 87-78. That single-digit win snapped a streak of 49 consecutive double-digit victories.
The Vikings have outscored opponents by an average of 44.4 points per game this season, produced 78 points or more in every outing and 80 or more in 31 of 33 contests.
During its 65-game winning streak, Central Cabarrus has outscored opponents by an average of 41.4 points per contest and averaged 88.5 points per game.
Despite losing their top scorer (Jaiden Thompson) from the last two seasons due to graduation, the defending champions didn't miss a beat behind a balanced attack featuring five players averaging double figures for the second straight year.
Kent led the way averaging 19.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 blocks per contest. Frontcourt mate Dalton chipped in 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game.
The backcourt was led by the Daniel brothers. Carson averaged 11.7 points, 8.1 assists, 4.5 steals and 3.7 rebounds per outing while Chase tallied 11.2 points, 7.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game. Junior guard
Emari Russell rounded out the double-digit scorers with averages of 10.4 points, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals.
No. 15 Central Cabarrus celebrates their second consecutive state championship Friday night. (Photo: Brad Arrowood)
