This year, Charlotte Catholic began ranked as the No. 4 team in the state for girls basketball according to the most recent statewide rankings. On Tuesday night, they demonstrated why there are high hopes for their performance along Pineville-Matthews Road.

The Cougars easily defeated Charlotte Latin 61-18 in the beginning of their 2023-24 season.

Blanca Thomas, a 6-foot-5 post player who has committed to play for UNC, was the top scorer in the game with 21 points. She was ranked by ESPN as the 30th-best senior prospect in the nation and had nine points in the first quarter alone.

Coming in close behind was Gracynn Gough, a player committed to Holy Cross, who scored 20 points.

Catholic had a strong 34-10 advantage at halftime, led by senior players Gough and Thomas.

In the previous year, Catholic achieved a record of 25 wins and 7 losses, and advanced to the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s 4A West regional final.

Catholic High School, with a record of 1-0, will face off against Jay M. Robinson on Saturday at a game hosted by Harding. Robinson is currently ranked 12th in the 704 area code standings, making them the top team in the area that has not yet made it into the top 25 statewide.

Ella Hobbs, a 6-foot-3 senior from Ohio State, is ranked as the 92nd top player in the country by ESPN and is also a resident of Robinson.

Neely Hume led Latin (0-2) with eight points in their defeat, while six different players on the Hawks’ team also contributed to the score.

Scoring

Charlotte Catholic High School’s girls’ basketball team had a strong performance with top scorers including Kayleigh Richard with 2 points, Maggie Kernodle with 5 points, Libby Fleshood with 3 points, Harper McKain with 4 points, Blanca Thomas with 21 points, Gracyn Gough with 20 points, Megan Shea with 2 points, and Martha Tucker with 4 points.

, Avery Lefever

The team from Charlotte Latin had a total of 19 points, with Wallace Roberts scoring 2, Neely Hume scoring 8, Alison Archibald scoring 3, Alex Bean scoring 2, Cameron Hutchinson scoring 2, Abi Piotrowki scoring 2, and Avery Lefever also contributing to the team’s score.

Source: highschoolot.com