Fifteen area high school basketball standouts were named all-district performers by the state basketball coach association (NCBCA).
On the heels of being named Big South 3A Player of the Year, Kings Mountain sophom*ore Bradley Floyd was honored as the District 10 boys Player of the Year. Joining him as first-team performers include Lincolnton’s L.J. Smith and Ashbrook’s Isaac Byers.
Crest’s A.J. Adams, Kellen Karr of North Lincoln and Jackson Fannon were recognized as second team performers, while East Gaston’s Trent Sherrill and Zamarius “Z-Man” Gladden earned third-team honors.
As for the girls, East Lincoln’s dynamic duo of Kiara Anderson and Emma Montanari received first team all-District 10 honors, along with Stuart Cramer’s Oshauna Holland.
Amya Graham of South Point was named to the second team, along with Bessemer City siblings Kionna and Tionna Pettus. Hunter Huss’ Myla Hoover was recognized as a third-team performer.
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Big South 3A, Southern Piedmont 1A/2A teams announced
Big South 3A and Southern Piedmont 1A/2A recognized their top high school basketball standouts Wednesday.
On the boys’ side, Kings Mountain sophom*ore standout Bradley Floyd received the nod as Big South 3A’s top player. Floyd contributed to the Mountaineers’ 21-7 record, leading the team in points (19.6), rebounds (7.2) and assists (4.6).
Brad LeVine was voted Big South 3A’s top coach after leading Crest to its third league championship in four seasons. The Chargers finished 20-5 (12-2 Big South 3A), advancing to the third round of the NCHSAA 3A West playoffs before losing to Southern Guilford.
East Gaston’s Trenton Sherrill was voted Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Player of the Year, scoring a team-high 21.5 points per game. The Warriors finished with a 20-9 record in addition to winning the league tournament title.
Miles Lawrence was voted SPC 1A/2A’s top coach, leading Shelby to a league crown. The Golden Lions finished 18-10 (11-1 SPC 1A/2A), bowing out in Round 3 of the 2A West playoffs to top-seeded Reidsville.
For the girls, Stuart Cramer’s Oshauna Holland was named Big South 3A Player of the Year. She led the conference with 27.3 points per game in addition to team-highs in rebounds (9.4), assists (5.7) and steals (6.5).
The Storm finished 24-6, setting a program record for wins. Cramer claimed the league regular-season and tournament titles along with making its deepest playoff run in school history.
Holland coach Carey Pohlman was voted co-Big South 3A Coach of the Year along with South Point’s Grace Lyles. Lyles led the Lady Raiders to a 17-10 record, including an 11-3 mark in league play.
Bessemer City sophom*ore Kionna Pettus was voted Southern Piedmont 1A/2A’s top player. She averaged a double-double this season, scoring 22 points per game along with 12.1 rebounds. She also averaged six assists, five rebounds and just shy of four blocks.
Burns coach Tommy Gales was voted league coach of the year. The Lady Bulldogs finished 12-15 this season, 6-6 in SPC 1A/2A play.
Here are Big South 3A and Southern Piedmont 1A/2A’s all-conference rosters in full.
Big South 3A
Boys
First team: A.J. Adams, Crest; Isaac Byers Jr., Ashbrook; Markell Carothers, North Gaston; Bradley Floyd, Kings Mountain (Big South 3A Player of the Year); Z-Man Gladden, Hunter Huss; Caleb Nixon, Kings Mountain; Zaiyir Phillips, Hunter Huss; King Rhodes, Crest; Jamari Smith, Ashbrook; D’Various Surratt, Crest; Graham Williams, South Point
Second team: Dylan Bradley, South Point; Alex Helton, Forestview; Amari Littlejohn, Stuart Cramer; Jamarion Patton, Ashbrook; Lyrik Pettis, Crest; Tucker Robinette, Kings Mountain
Coach of the Year: Brad LeVine, Crest
Girls
First team: Nykira Arrington, Ashbrook; Nevaeh Blackwell, Crest; Amya Graham, South Point; Oshauna Holland, Stuart Cramer (Big South 3A Player of the Year); Myla Hoover, Hunter Huss; Amani Neely, Forestview; Monica Surratt, Crest; Brooklyn Swann, Hunter Huss
Second team: Ellia Barajas, Stuart Cramer; Lexi Birtwistle, South Point; Maddie Frank, South Point; Lauren Humphrey, Stuart Cramer; Jaleila Littlejohn, North Gaston; Farri Martin, Kings Mountain; Blair Riley, Forestview; Hadley Womack, Stuart Cramer
Coaches of the Year: Carey Pohlman, Stuart Cramer; Grace Lyles, South Point
Southern Piedmont 1A/2A
Boys
Dominique Downs, Shelby; Darrien Floyd, Cherryville; Cameron Gales, Thomas Jefferson; Denorris Gist, Shelby; Tristan Gordon, Bessemer City; Drew Hollifield, Shelby; Jeremiah Norris, Burns; Jayce Rowe, East Gaston; Trent Sherrill, East Gaston (Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Player of the Year); Elijah Sherrill, Highland Tech; Kamari Surratt, Burns; Elijah Whitted, Highland Tech
Coach of the Year: Miles Lawrence, Shelby
Girls
Lexi Boulware, East Gaston; Krista Davis, Cherryville; Maggie Earl, Burns; Sydnie Enste, Shelby; Jamiah Hopper, Shelby; Esynce Howze, Burns; Samara Jones, Thomas Jefferson; Addie McCraw, Highland Tech; Kionna Pettus, Bessemer City (Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Player of the Year); Tionna Pettus, Bessemer City; Brooklyn Twitty, Thomas Jefferson; Breasia Ussery, Thomas Jefferson
Coach of the Year: Thomas Gales, Burns
Western Foothills 3A
North Lincoln’s Kellen Karr and East Lincoln’s Kiara Anderson were named Western Foothills 3A boys and girls basketball players of the year, respectively.
Karr led North Lincoln to a 19-5 season, including an 11-3 record and second-place finish in league play. He averaged 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds, along with 5.9 assists and 2.7 steals.
Anderson led East Lincoln to a 29-2 record, including 17 wins over Western Foothills 3A opponents en route to regular season and tournament titles. She averaged 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.1 steals.
Here are the boys and girls all-conference teams in full.
Boys
Carson Bess, Jermaine Cornelius, West Iredell; Foard; Carson Engstrand, North Lincoln; Jackson Fannon, East Lincoln; John Holbrook, Hickory; Kellen Karr, North Lincoln (player of the year); Jamien Little, Hickory; Izaiah Littlejohn, Kaden Pierce, North Iredell; Ty Sanders, North Lincoln; Caleb Tillman, Statesville; Tatum Tucker, Statesville; Hickory; Noah VanBeurden, St. Stephens
Coach of the Year: Melvin Nesbit, Statesville
Girls
Kiara Anderson, East Lincoln (player of the year); Lea Boyens, Hickory; Tatum Bradford, North Iredell; DaVoney Dellinger, Foard; Molli Harris, St. Stephens; Abbie Hege, East Lincoln; Emma Montanari, East Lincoln; Laken Powe, Hickory; Ivona Reid, Statesville; Ally Smith, North Lincoln; Kaitlyn Stroud, West Iredell; Taniyah Thomas, East Lincoln; Lucy Wittenmyer, North Iredell
Coach of the Year: Jason Otey, East Lincoln
