Central Cabarrus ends Hickory’s unbeaten season, heads to NCHSAA 3A state championship
Nationally ranked Central Cabarrus finally got tested in the NCHSAA 3A state semifinals Tuesday night at Joel Coliseum.
After weeks of runaway wins, Hickory solved the Vikings’ signature full-court pressure defense and made Central Cabarrus play straight up.
But what Central Cabarrus showed, in an 87-78 win, was a champion’s heart. The result? Central Cabarrus (32-0) stayed unbeaten. Hickory (31-1) lost for the third time in two years.
“That was a great high school basketball game,” Central Cabarrus coach Jim Baker said, “and it was two trains and we just collided. I thought one time we had them on the ropes and they got a couple stick backs and slowed the flood gates a little. But I’m proud of my guys. I’ve got some dogs and...they love each other and they love to compete. This game at one point could’ve gone either way.”
Hickory kept the game close by not succumbing to Central’s pressure defense that has caused teams fits all season. The Red Tornadoes had 13 turnovers, compared to 12 for Central Cabarrus, which eventually backed off the defensive strategy.
And Hickory had a few leads in the second half and was really close late in the third quarter. But a flurry of baskets from D.J. Kent and Carson Daniel gave the Vikings a little cushion, and then the Central Cabarrus half-court defense stiffened.
“Over the summer,” senior guard Carson Daniel said, “we used to go back and forth in the (auxiliary) gym, just going down to the last point, who wants it more, fouling, checking the ball up. And that prepared us for what’s going on now. I know when it comes down to it, I’m taking (my teammates) every single day when we’re going to war. I love them and trust them fully.”
And, just as Daniel said, it seemed that every loose ball was claimed by a Central Cabarrus player. That allowed the Vikings to win their 64th straight game and advance to the state final for the second straight season.
Central Cabarrus, the defending state champion, will play Fayetteville’s Seventy-First in Friday’s final. Tip-off is 8:30 p.m. at Joel Coliseum.
The Falcons beat Westover, 63-44, in the Eastern Regional championship game Tuesday.
Seventy-First (28-2) has won 17 straight games and will play in its second state championship game in three years. The Falcons lost to West Charlotte in the 2022 state final in Raleigh.
They will be the underdog Friday.
This week, Central Cabarrus moved up to No. 15 in MaxPreps’ national poll. The Vikings are two spots behind No. 13 North Meck and ahead of Myers Park, which fell from No. 4 to No. 18 after losing to North Mecklenburg Friday.
“We played them this summer,” Baker said of his team’s Fayetteville opponent Friday. “We played Hickory and we played Seventy-First. So we’re a little bit familiar with them. We’ll cram course it over 48 hours. If you get to this level everybody’s good. I know we’re going to press. We’re going to play wild. We’re going to try to speed it up. That’s a given and now we’ll have to adjust to how we’re going to try to slow down a couple of their kids.”
Three who mattered
Jay Powell, Hickory: The 6-3 junior had 23 points, two steals and two rebounds.
Carson Daniel, Central Cabarrus: Daniel had 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
DJ Kent, Central Cabarrus: Senior forward had 25 points and eight rebounds.
They said it
“They were loose. Carson (Daniel) texted me today. He was watching video. ‘We can do this. We can do that.’ You feel good that you’ve got kids like this. These are some of the best student-athletes you can find. They get it and they understand the process pretty good.” — Central Cabarrus’ Baker.
Game summary
Central Cabarrus 21 19 24 23 — 87
Hickory 16 23 18 21 — 78
CENTRAL CABARRUS 87 — Chase Daniel 15, Josh Dalton 11, Edmisten 3, Carson Daniel 22, D.J. Kent 25, Russell 8, Smith 3
HICKORY 78 — Lineberger 8, Jay Powell 23, John Holbrook 14, Jamien Little 13, Littlejohn 6, Powell 4, Zane Krenzel 10