North Carolina crowns basketball state champions

The high school basketball season is complete in the Tar Heel State

New Hanover’s #12 CJ Kornegay drives inside for a shot as they took on Mecklenburn in the 2025 NCHSAA Championship game on March 15, 2025 in Winston Salem . Mecklenburg beat New Hanover 59-56. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The high school basketball season is complete in the Tar Heel State, with champions in four classifications crowned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Here is a look at what happened.

BOYS

4-A

North Mecklenburg 59, New Hanover 56

Carson Evans scored 24 points and Chadlyn Traylor had 22 as North Mecklenburg rallied to beat New Hanover for the second year in a row in the state championship game.

Ashton Pierce had 8 points and 7 rebounds for the Vikings, who finished the season with a 30-3 record.

New Hanover stormed to a 14-0 lead. The Vikings rallied, cutting the lead to seven in the second quarter. They went ahead in the third quarter.

Rodmik Allen led the Wildcats with 14 points while Kellum Brown had 13 points and C.J. Kornegay had 10 points.

It was the second straight season of heartbreak for the Wildcats, who are 62-2 with both losses coming to North Mecklenburg in the state championship game.

3-A

Ben L. Smith 64, Southern Durham 62 (OT)

Jyi Dawkins scored 29 points, including two free throws in the final seconds of overtime, as the Golden Eagles prevailed.

Dawkins, who had 7 rebounds and made 8-of-9 free throws, was named MVP.

The Golden Eagles’ Tayshawn Mann had forced overtime on a driving layup with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. 

Kenny Miller Jr. had 13 points and 5 rebounds for the Golden Eagles. Mann had 6 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

A.J. Morman Jr. and Jackson Keith each scored 23 points to lead Southern Durham.

2-A

Reidsville 71, Northwood 54

The nationally ranked Rams capped off the season with a 60-game winning streak and two consecutive state championships. Reidsville is 90-1 over the last three seasons, with the loss coming in the 2023 state championship game.

Dionte Neal led the Rams with 24 points. Kendre Harrison, the Rams’ 6-foot-7, 243-pound junior forward who has committed to Oregon for football, had 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks.

Cam Fowler led Northwood with 27 points and 8 rebounds.

1-A

Corvian Community 58, Southern Wake Academy 55 (OT)

R.J. Moore scored a game-high 26 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, as the Cardinals won the state championship. Moore, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, was named MVP.

Corvian (25-7) battled from behind to win its first state championship.

Malachi McCutcheon added 15 points for the Cardinals.

Sophomore guard Kobe Plata led the Lions (29-5) with 19 points.

GIRLS

4-A

Lake Norman 43, Wakefield 41

Lake Norman won its first state championship in dramatic fashion, defeating Wakefield 43-41 when Rayana Minard made a bucket at the buzzer. A pass from Alexis Shehan set up the game-winner.

Shehan led the Wildcats with 13 points. Minard scored 10 points and was named MVP.

Lake Norman (30-1) lost only to Hebron Christian Academy, a nationally ranked Georgia school.

Lyla Bagwell led Wakefield with 13 points and Jaya Hamilton had 10.

3-A

Western Alamance 76, Stuart Cramer 58

Western Alamance used balance to overcome a sensational individual effort by Stuart Cramer star Oshauna Holland.

Senior guard Tina Bowers scored 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the way for Western Alamance. Another senior guard, Allie Sykes, had 22 points and 5 assists.

That was enough to offset the 5-foot-8 Holland, who scored nearly every point for the Storm. Holland finished with 49 points, making 15-of-29 field goal attempts. She was 17-of-17 from the free throw line.

It was close early but Western Alamance built a 20-point lead by the third quarter and coasted to victory.

Western Alamance (28-4) dominated in the playoffs, winning by no less than 14 points in the Warriors’ six games.

2-A

Southeast Alamance 43, North Wilkes 33

Southeast Alamance won’t even have a senior class until the 2025-26 school year but that didn’t stop the Stallions from winning a state championship in the new school’s second year.

Clara LaChappelle led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds, earning MVP honors. Shaniya Paylor had 12 points and Natalie Lopez had 9.

Ralee Bare led North Wilkes with 16 points but 

1-A

Cherokee 84, East Bladen 48

Defending champion Cherokee turned a close game into a rout in the second half with a 41-8 run.

Whitney Rogers led the Braves with 33 points. Dvdaya Swimmer posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. She also had 6 assists and 5 steals.

Laila Smith led East Bladen with 24 points while Nene Ward had 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Cherokee (28-2) lost only to nationally ranked Georgia school Hebron Christian and Winston-Salem Prep’s national team.

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