Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

When the Mooresville boys basketball team hosted Ellis on Nov. 18, the Red Imps only had one blemish on their record. They were still overmatched by the unbeaten Jaguars, who won 61-48.
Five different Jaguars produced points as Ellis burst to a 12-3 lead in the first quarter. Mooresville never recovered.
Cam James and Graham Weaver got in early foul trouble, but coach Roger Blalock has weapons outside his starting five. Peyton Fishel was brilliant off the bench, scoring 10 of Ellis’ 14 points in the second quarter and finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. Jordan Crowley (10 points) is no slouch as a reserve.
“Peyton came in and straight dominated,” Blalock said. “He did what he was supposed to do. When Peyton and Jordan come in, we don’t lose anything.”
Mason Driver scored a team-high 16 as Ellis (8-0) rung up its seventh win by 13-plus points. Driver also had five assists and five steals. Bowman Blakley collected seven points, six boards and five assists.
“Mason’s the motor,” Blalock said of his point guard. “He is what drives the team.”
North 61, Burke 47
Nolan Allen poured in 23 points and Levi Morales did a Dennis Rodman impression on the boards as North Davie cruised at Selma Burke on Nov. 18.
Allen had seven rebounds to go with his big scoring, and Morales not only scored a season-high 10, he ripped down 18 rebounds as the Wildcats halted a two-game losing streak.
North also got contributions from Glen Greene (nine points, nine rebounds), Jeremiah Hernandez (eight points) and Wade Ridenhour (seven points, six rebounds).
“We started off sluggish, but we locked in in the second half,” coach Caleb Davis said.
C-Lipe 60, North 54 (OT)
North erased a 13-point deficit after the first quarter, only to absorb a gut-puncher in overtime at Corriher-Lipe on Nov. 19.
“We lost a heartbreaker,” Davis said.
The Wildcats inched back within 29-21 at halftime, and the Allen/Ridenhour tandem forced a 40-40 tie at the end of the third.
“Corriher-Lipe came out on fire, hitting five 3s to open the game,” Davis said. “We slowly dug ourselves out of that hole.”
With six seconds left in the fourth, Allen sank a 3 to give North a one-point lead. Then came controversy. Corriher-Lipe got two free throws with one tick on the clock. The Yellow Jacket split the pair to send the game to OT. North would run out of gas.
“A foul was called with zeroes on the clock, but they added a second back on and gave them free throws,” Davis said. “Levi and Nolan fouled out shortly thereafter and we lost momentum.”
Allen (23 points, four 3-pointers) came through with his fifth 20-point outing. Ridenhour, who matched his season high with 14, was huge in the second half/OT. Morales had four points and eight rebounds.
“I’m super proud of how everyone kept their heads in the game and did their job to get us back in it,” Davis said. “Nolan was dealing with a sore ankle that limited his ability to attack the paint, but he was still able put up 23 despite smothering defense.”
North 46, South 41
North Davie survived a thriller at South Davie on Nov. 21.
Allen, Hernandez and Tannyr Carrier sank 3s as North bolted to a 15-5 lead in the first quarter. A Ty Cozart outburst in the second quarter kept South within striking distance at 23-13. Anderson Branham took over in the third to keep the Tigers alive at 34-26.
The game flipped in an instant in the fourth. South went on an 11-0 run and took the lead. But then Ridenhour answered with one of North’s biggest shots of the season, a triple that restored the North lead. Greene played a key fourth-quarter role as the Wildcats, who lost by 47 and 28 to South last year, stopped a four-game losing streak in the series.
“The gym was electric,” Davis said. “North hasn’t had much success against them the last few years, so it was great to go to their place and come out with a win.
“We held the lead for the first three quarters, but Germain (Mayfield) switched up their defensive scheme in the fourth quarter and they took the lead. It took us a few possessions to regain momentum, but I’m really proud of the way our team kept our composure, especially in the last four minutes when Levi and Glen exploited their trap with several consecutive easy buckets.”
Allen, the county’s top scorer at 21.3 per game, continued to dazzle with 17 points and four triples. Ridenhour scored 10 and handed out three assists. Greene had eight points and 10 rebounds. Morales had 12 rebounds and five assists.
“Word has gotten out that Nolan is the real deal, as this is the second game in a row that teams have made him the focus of their defense, running box-and-ones and trapping him every time he crosses halfcourt,” Davis said. “The rest of the team has stepped up and converted those opportunities when they’ve come their way.”
Cozart and Branham gave South a chance with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Cozart matched Allen with four treys. Branham went bonkers after coming in with a 5.5 average.
“Anderson has been playing well for weeks,” Mayfield said. “The ball just fell for him tonight.”
North improved to 4-5 after losing three of four. South (4-5) fell for the fourth time in five games.
Ellis 61, Mooresville 48 – Mason Driver 16, Peyton Fishel 14, Jordan Crowley 10, Bowman Blakley 7, Cam James 4, Henry Migliarese 4, Graham Weaver 4, Ben Bost 2.
N. Davie 61, Selma Burke 47 – Nolan Allen 23, Levi Morales 10, Glen Greene 9, Jeremiah Hernandez 8, Wade Ridenhour 7, Lelan Small 2, Tannyr Carrier 2.
C-Lipe 60, North Davie 54 – Nolan Allen 23, Wade Ridenhour 14, Glen Greene 5, Tannyr Carrier 5, Levi Morales 4, Jeremiah Hernandez 3.

N. Davie 46 – Nolan Allen 17, Wade Ridenhour 10, Glen Greene 8, Jeremiah Hernandez 6, Tannyr Carrier 3, Levi Morales 2.
S. Davie 41 – Ty Cozart 18, Anderson Branham 16, Jared Vaughters 4, Malachi Miller 2, Dreighton Lunnerman 1.