West Charlotte Keeps It Close, But Ultimately Falls To National Powerhouse Oak Hill

By: Tony Pearl

West Charlotte High School head basketball coach, Jacoby Davis, developed what he called, “One of the toughest schedules in a long time.” Coach Davis publicly spoke about the advantages of playing against three nationally ranked teams this season but more importantly how the game against the Oak Hill Warriors right before the conference tournament would help his team develop better chemistry and get them much needed exposure.

In front of a sold-out Johnson C. Smith gymnasium, the Lions started out strong in the first quarter as Pat Williams (No. 31 ESPN Top 100) slowly got into his groove including a massive block on Oak Hill’s Kofi Cockburn (No. 44 ESPN Top 100) which highlighted the quarter and saw the Lions leading 15-14.

The Lions are not as deep as the Warriors and it showed in the second quarter as Oak Hill outscored West Charlotte 26-13 to take a 13-point lead into halftime. Throughout the contest the Warriors attempted a substantial amount of three-pointers but their significant size advantage provided them with second chance opportunities from rebounds and inside the paint.

During the middle of the third quarter, West Charlotte cut the lead to five on a Cartier Jernigan (USC Upstate commit) three pointer but Oak Hill’s Cole Anthony (rated as the No. 1 point guard in the nation) produced several momentum shifting plays that energized his team and helped maintain control of the lead down the stretch.

Cole Anthony finished the contest with 12 points and backcourt teammate Cameron Thomas finished with a team high of 19 points. Thomas is ranked as the 22nd player in the nation by ESPN in the 2020 class and holds more than a dozen scholarship offers including Wake Forest and North Carolina State. Christian Brown a South Carolina native who transferred to Oak Hill at the start of the season finished with 14 points, while Illinois recruit Kofi Cockburn finished with 12 points. West Charlotte’s – Cartier Jernigan tied teammate Pat Williams with a game high of 19 points. Quentin Thomas also finished in double figures with 14 points.

Oak Hill 14 26 18 18 — 76

West Charlotte 15 13 20 18 — 66

OAK HILL 76 — Christian Brown 14, Cole Anthony 12, Johnson 8, Kofi Cockburn 12, Cameron Thomas 19, Cardwell 9, Mack 2

WEST CHARLOTTE 66 — Magness 2, Cartier Jernigan 19, Patrick Williams 19, Dow 7, Quinton Thomas 14, Taylor 2, Harris 3

*Cameron Carter helped contribute to this article.

Carter and Samuel Murphy from Xpose Mixtapes have followed Florida State commit and top 40 player Patrick Williams throughout the season for their documentary called the ‘Ring Chasers. The documentary will chronicle Patrick and his West Charlotte Lions state championship aspirations.

* Photo by Glen Byrd

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