On the first day of the girls’ tournament at William Peace University, three of HighSchoolOT’s top 25 teams in the state of North Carolina secured wins. No. 3 Charlotte Catholic advanced to the semi-finals of the Wonderland Bracket after defeating No. 14 Watauga. In a surprising showcase game, No. 9 Bishop McGuinness narrowly defeated No. 7 Independence. Lastly, No. 22 North Pitt pulled away from No. 8 Rolesville.

Blanca Thomas led the Cougars to a 60-48 victory over Watauga with an impressive performance of 26 points and 12 rebounds, earning her a double-double. Coach Robert Conrad had to adjust rotations due to Gracynn Gough’s early departure from the game due to injury.

Harper McKain and Maggie Kernodle made crucial shots during the morning to support Thomas’ dominant performance near the basket. Together, McKain and Kernodle scored a total of 23 points and shot 5 out of 6 from three-point range.

In the second and third quarters, Charlotte Catholic’s strong scoring led to a double-digit lead. Despite Kate Sears’ 19 points for the Pioneers, they were unable to fully close the gap in the fourth quarter due to a poor team performance from three-point range (5-for-27).

On Thursday at 4:30pm, the Cougars will play against North Pitt. The winner of this game will move on to the title game on Saturday.

Bishop McGuinness bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a strong 51-44 win against 4A west powerhouse Independence as part of the T.J. Warren Showcase series. Despite being without their leading scorer Adelaide Jernigan’s 19.5 points per game for the fourth consecutive game, the back-to-back 1A state champions did not show any signs of decline, thanks to Kiersten Varner’s 18 points.

The experienced guard provided stability and contributed to a 32-25 advantage at halftime. Independence’s Kamryn Kitchen had a strong third quarter, narrowing the Villain’s lead to just two points. However, Varner responded with a seven-point performance in the period, maintaining momentum for Bishop McGuinness.

Kitchen was the top scorer with 21 points, but the Patriots were unable to secure as many rebounds as the Villains, losing 31-20. This ultimately played a significant role in the outcome of the game. Morgan Aho was a standout player for the Villains, grabbing 11 of the team’s 31 rebounds. With this victory, the Villains now have a record of 8-1 for the season.

In a notable game, Thomas Dale High School from Virginia managed to come back from being four points behind in the fourth quarter and defeat Rutgers Preparatory School from New Jersey by a score of 68-65.

Morris Catholic from New Jersey secured a victory in the final quarter against No. 25 Mallard Creek to start their defense of the 2022 tournament championship. Mia Pauldo was successful with 5 out of 10 three-point shots and scored 23 points to help defeat the Mavericks.

Mallard Creek will have a break before competing against the team that loses the Pickerington (OH) vs. Chapel Hill game on Friday morning.

North Pitt closed out the first day of Wonderland Bracket play with its sixth consecutive win. The 61-50 victory over 4A Rolesville may be the Panthers’ most prominent of the year as NC State commit Zamareya Jones poured in 32 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Freshman phenom Jordan Speller paired 6 steals and 5 assists with 8-of-12 shooting and 19 points.

The games on Thursday at William Peace will kick off with consolation bracket play. At 10:30am, Rolesville and Watauga will face off. In a noon showcase game, South Garner will take the court against Oak City Prep, followed by Chapel Hill making their debut at 3:00pm. The highly anticipated semi-final between Charlotte Catholic and North Pitt will take place at 4:30pm.

The Frances Pulley Bracket tournament kicks off on Friday with two exciting matchups: Terry Sanford vs Rutgers Prep (NJ) and Grace Christian (ranked #1) vs South Mecklenburg.

To view all holiday tournament games and events happening throughout the state, click HERE.

Source: highschoolot.com