Phenom Hoops travelled to Mooresville, North Carolina to cover the NCHSAA 4A Conference 57 match-up between Lake Norman and Cox Mill High School. Lake Norman entered the contest with a 11-2 record while Cox Mill sported an 8-5 record. With the new conference realignment, Cox Mill was the pre-season favorite while Lake Norman is an up and coming program. Cox Mill came out hot knocking down six 3-pointers in the first half. Cox Mill led 25-10 at the end of the first quarter and carried a 47-38 lead going into halftime. Lake Norman made several runs in the second half, but Cox Mill continued to answer the challenge and secured an impressive 90—84 road win. Cox Mill moves to 4-0 in conference play (9-5 overall) while Lake Norman checks in with a 2-2 conference record (11-3 overall). Now, let’s take a closer look at the standouts for each team.
6’5 ’22 Rasheed Baldwin (Cox Mill)
The senior guard set the tone early in the first half connecting on three 3-pointers and 16 points. Baldwin finished with a team high 25 points, including four 3-pointers. In addition, Baldwin did an admiral job limiting Lake Norman’s leading scorer, Cole Callaway, many scoring opportunities and simply had an excellent all-around performance.
6’5 ’23 Titus Ivy (Cox Mill)
The junior enjoyed a solid first half, but made one big offensive play after another in the second half. Each time Lake Norman made a run, Ivy made a strong, explosive and athletic move to the basket. In addition, Ivy made key defensive plays and his quick leaping ability enabled him to grab key rebounds throughout the game.
5’9 ’22 CJ Wilson (Cox Mill)
The senior point guard did an excellent job of scoring and making timely passes to teammates. Wilson controlled the flow of the game with his steady influence and leadership. Wilson finished with 17 points including 10 timely points down the stretch.
6’5 ’22 Davis Wagner (Lake Norman)
What an effort by the senior forward. Wagner finished with a game high 35 points and basically put the weight of the team on his shoulders throughout the game. Wagner was active on the boards both ends of the court. He has excellent timing on put-backs and just has a nose for the ball. Wagner’s “never quit” attitude was absolutely on display.
6’5 ’25 Tre McKinnon (Lake Norman)
Coach Grant Hodges has a star in the making in freshman Tre McKinnon. McKinnon finished with 18 points, including 14 in the first half. We were impressed with his poise and maturity. He has a quick first step and has excellent body control and got to the rim continuously. McKinnon has size, length, athleticism with a matching skill set that will make him one of the top players in the North Carolina 2025 class.
6’4 ’23 Cole Callaway (Lake Norman)
Callaway finished with a “quiet” 14 points, but impressed us with his ability to maintain his confidence even when things weren’t going their way. Callaway has really improved his ability to score off the dribble and has mastered a nifty “euro-step” to avoid defenders in the paint.
Keys to the game
Cox Mill
- Coach Ty Johnson had his team really prepared for Lake Norman’s pressure and trapping defense. We were impressed with Cox Mill’s ball movement and how quickly they made the extra pass to get open looks.
- Transition offense. Every time Lake Norman made a run, Cox Mill was able to secure easy transition points
- Team chemistry
Lake Norman
- Coach Grant Hodges has to be impressed with the team’s “never quit” attitude. They had a dreadful first quarter, but the team showed resiliency and fortitude.
- Free throw shooting. Lake Norman made 26-32 free throws for the game. While the outside shooting was subpar, Lake Norman did an excellent job attacking the rim and drawing fouls.
Improvements
Cox Mill will need to improve on free throw shooting. They made only 14-29 free throws and if they can improve at the charity line, they will be a tough team to beat come tournament time. For Lake Norman, they will need to cut down on unforced turnovers. Several times, Lake Norman pulled within nine points and had opportunities to make another run, but turnovers quickly turned into transition points for Cox Mill.