New Hanover basketball's record-setting season ends with NCHSAA state championship loss

WINSTON-SALEM — A season filled with triumph and overcoming the unthinkable concluded with sorrow for the New Hanover boys basketball team as the Wildcats fell 57-47 to North Mecklenburg in the NCHSAA 4A state championship at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.

The Wildcats (32-1) made every effort to thwart a talent-filled North Mecklenburg squad but couldn't overcome a 12-point third-quarter deficit.

"(This loss) is nothing to take away from these guys," New Hanover coach Kirk Angel said. "This bunch set a school record for wins in a season. We'll take a couple of days off and regroup, but the gym will be open soon."

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New Hanover kept the game close early, trailing 30-24 by halftime. Junior Rodmik Allen, who finished the night with 13 points and was named the Wildcats MVP, believes his team won't take long to return to a state title game.

"We're just gonna get in the gym; We'll be back," Allen said New Hanover's mindset moving forward. "I know we'll be back. The guys we got, they're tough, I know they're ready to get back at it. Y'all will see us again."

"It means a lot," junior Zeus Batts said of reaching a state title. "We're still kind of young, starting two freshmen. I think we'll be back. It means a lot being here and it's special."

The Wildcats came close to taking the lead a handful of times on the night, tying the game in the first half. However, North Mecklenburg kept the Wildcats' offense at bay in the third quarter, allowing just nine points.

"New Hanover was really good; they made it tough on us," North Mecklenburg coach Duane Lewis said. "We wanted to make them a jump shot team. They needed to show us they could make jumpers. We got the lead up to eight or ten, and we played beneath them the rest of the time."

New Hanover might not have earned the state title they hoped for Saturday night, but the team already set the school record for most wins in a season (32).

"I said it on the way up here: We don't have guys with stars behind their names. We've just got a culture, and these guys personify every bit of that," Angel said.

North Mecklenburg (30-3) earns its first state title since 2019, completing one of its best seasons in recent memory. The Wildcats finish 32-1, the team's best record in program history.

"These guys have been on the stage now, and they understand what it feels like and the preparation and that's huge for maturation," Angel said. This bunch last year got to a fourth round, and we were a bunch of sophomores, and that was great. They built on that, and we'll build on this."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: North Mecklenburg basketball conquers New Hanover, claims NCHSAA 4A state title