West Charlotte vs. North Mecklenburg Game Recap
Phenom Hoop Report travelled to Huntersville, North Carolina to cover the NCHSAA 4A match up between two of the traditional power teams in the I Meck Conference. North Mecklenburg entered the contest with an 8-0 conference record and 15-2 overall while West Charlotte came in with a 6-2 conference record and 12-5 overall record. As always, the game was completely sold out to capacity and West Charlotte was looking for revenge for an earlier 85-78 loss to North Mecklenburg on their home court.
West Charlotte started strong and never looked back as they cruised to a 80-60 victory and returned the favor by beating one of the state’s top teams on their home court. For North Mecklenburg, it was just one of the days where very few things went right. They had too many unforced turnovers, was inconsistent from the perimeter, and simply had nothing to stop the play of 6’8 Florida State signee Patrick Williams and 6’1 unsigned senior Cartier Jernigan. On the other hand, West Charlotte executed their game plan and was clicking on all cylinders. Now, let’s take a closer look at the game’s top players.
6’8 2019 Patrick Williams (West Charlotte)
To state it honestly and bluntly, Patrick Williams first half against North Mecklenbug was as good a half of basketball that we have seen by an individual player this season. He finished with a game high 30 points with 23 coming in the first half. He scored at all three levels; he was knocking down 3-pointers, hitting the midrange, taking it aggressively to the rim, and had several put back dunks that were simply incredible. In addition to the game high 30 points, Willams had 12 rebounds, dished out three assists and even had four blocked shots. He was a force on both ends of the court and his play against North Mecklenburg showcased his long range potential and demonstrated why he could end up being the best long range prospect in the North Carolina 2019 class. One thing is for certain, there’s not many players that has the size, length, athleticism and overall skill set of Williams. It is evident that he can dominate in so many aspects of the game, whether it is running the point guard position, posting up in the paint, or being an efficient shooter off the bounce/dribble.
6’1 Cartier Jernigan (West Charlotte)
It was just a solid all around perfomance by Cartier Jernigan and thus cementing what we already knew. Cartier Jernigan is a legit D1 prospect that is going to help a program on the first day he steps onto the campus. We’re talking about an super athletic guard that can literally jump out of the gym. He has explosive leaping ability and has really master the midrange jumper. What’s not to like about a point guard that can score, rebound, defend, and just make plays. For the game, Jernigan finished with 18 points, collected nine rebounds, dished out seven assists and even had two block shots.
6’3 2020 Tristan Maxwell (North Mecklenburg)
Sometimes you learn as much about a player in defeat as you do when they win. Although North Meck came up on the losing side of this game vs. city and conference rival West Charlotte, Tristan Maxwell showed resiliency and toughness throughout the game. He finished with 17 points, but it was competitivenss that made a huge impression. Things didsn’t go as planned, but Maxwell continued to fight, battle and compete and sometimes those are the intangibles you have to have to be a complete player and he did just that.
6’5 2021 Chris Ford (North Mecklenburg)
Chris Ford is just an old fashioned work horse who quietly goes about his business on the court. Ford finishd with 14 points, but battled relentlessly against the All-American type performance of Patrick Williams. Ford is going to give consistent effort whether his team is up or down by 20. Nothing ever changes! For Chris Ford, i’ts in his DNA and will always be a reilable and productive player.
Best of the Rest
For West Charlotte, 6’3 unsigned senior Quinten Thomas (West Charlotte) proved he is a scholarship level prospect and D2 schools should take notice. Standing a strong and sturdy 6’3, Thomas plays with a lot of heart and passion. He finished with 12 points including two early 3-pointers in the game. 6’4 senior Devon Walker finised with 10 points going a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. 6’7 2021 Josiah Dow brings a “ton of energy” to the floor and plays with a tremendous high motor. Dow finished with 10 points. For North Mecklenburg, 6’0 2020 Trayden Williams came off the bench and did his very best to get his team back in the game. Williams finished with 14 points, but more importantly showed a “never quit” attitude.
Final thoughts
West Charlotte moves to 13-5 and if their performance vs. North Mecklenburg is any indication, they could be in the conversation as a serious threat to win the NCHSAA 4A championship. If Patrick Williams continues to duplicate his performance as he did in the win over North Mecklenburg, watch out. West Charlotte has the pieces and could be a very dangerous team come tournament time. For North Mecklenburg, they continue to have a boat load of talent. It was just one of those games where very little seem to go right. Those things occassionaly happen, but rest assured they will regroup, refocus and will be a better team for the loss.
| 1st Qt | 2nd Qt | 3rd Qt | Final | |
| North Mecklenburg | 18 | 30 | 40 | 60 |
| West Charlotte | 25 | 52 | 65 | 80 |