Wesleyan Christian rallies past Providence Day 75-69
CHARLOTTE, NC – The NCISAA 3A state semi-final game between the Providence Day Chargers and Wesleyan Christian Trojans was one of the most highly anticipated games in the state on a packed Friday of private school hoops. The game featured five players ranked in the top 40 in the NC Class of 2018, according to NCPreps – and it did not disappoint. The Trojans, who led by as many as seven in the second period, got a clutch three pointer from guard Brendan Austin and with three minutes left and the Trojans went 6-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to put the Chargers away by the score of 75-69 to advance to the state finals on Saturday.
Fans and spectators packed the Charlotte Country Day gym in what was an electric atmosphere and the stars on both teams put on a show. All world junior point guard Devon Dotson got the game started with a huge one handed tomahawk down the line on the first possession for Providence Day which sent the Charger faithful into a frenzy. Junior big man Ian Steere was active on the defensive glass in the first half and prevented the Chargers from securing offensive rebounds. The Chargers were equally impressive on the defensive glass and employed a gang rebounding strategy to prevent the noticeably bigger and longer Trojans from getting too many offensive rebounds. Wesleyan Christian jumped out to an early lead and a tough Dotson layup in traffic cut the lead to 15-13 with two minutes left in the first. Senior wing David Caraher led the way for the Trojans in the first period and demonstrated why his mid-range game is one of the best in the state – Caraher had nine points in the period. Wesleyan Christian junior wing Jaylan Hoard, the second ranked player in the state in the Class of 2018 showcased his incredible length and athleticism finishing over the smaller defenders down low, but picked up his second foul in the first quarter. A timely Isaac Suffren three pointer cut the Trojan lead to 19-18 and the Trojans went into the second period up by the score of 21-18. Just before the end of the first period, star Charger guard Trey Wertz, the ninth ranked player in the state in the Class of 2018, went out with an apparent ankle injury and missed about three minutes of game time.
While Wertz was out, the Trojans started to create some separation. A tough fastbreak layup by Suffren cut the Providence Day deficit to 27-22 and a big Hoard dunk gave the Trojans their biggest lead of the game at 33-26. Dotson, who thrives at the end of quarters, had a nice stepback crossover and jumper at the buzzer to cut the lead to 36-32 heading into halftime. Caraher, who has signed with Houston Baptist, led the Trojans with 16 points in the first half.
The third quarter belonged to Trey Wertz, who scored ten points in the first three minutes after being held to just one point in the entire first half. A three pointer from the wing gave Providence Day its first lead since it was 4-2 and sent the Charger fans into a raucous. Providence Day extended its lead to six points but were never able to create the separation it needed. Hoard and Caraher seemed to always come up with timely offensive rebounds and baskets to keep the Trojans within shouting distance. Another Dotson buzzer beater on a step back contested shot from the baseline that seemed to touch every part of the rim before falling in gave Providence Day a 56-53 heading into the fourth.
The fourth period was nail biting and evenly balanced, with both teams scoring on what seemed to be almost every possession in a thrilling way. A Wertz floater in the paint gave the Chargers a three point lead with five minutes left but was answered by a big Ian Steere tip dunk for the Trojans. Another tough Dotson layup in traffic (stop me if this phrase sounds redundant) put Providence Day up 64-62 and a big three by Brandon Austin from the corner gave Wesleyan Christian its first lead since early in the third quarter and seemed to swing the momentum back in favor of the Trojans. Just as it looked like Providence Day had stopped the Trojans and were about to get the ball back in a one possession game, Caraher collected an offensive rebound in the paint and finished with a soft touch to put the Trojans up 70-66 with 1:23 left. Wesleyan Christian converted on its free throws down the stretch and were able to protect a four point lead with 18 seconds left.
This game, unlike the first match up between these two teams, did not feature a huge comeback but was consistently close throughout. Caraher led the Trojans with 29 points and 10 rebounds while Dotson led all scorers with 32 points – most of which came with defenders draped all over him.
Wesleyan Christian moves onto to Saturday’s state championship game at 12pm at Charlotte Latin in which it will meet Greensboro Day, which handled Cannon School with ease earlier on Friday. In what should be a fantastic game littered with Division I athletes, the Trojans will look to avenge two close losses to the Bengals from earlier this year.
For Providence Day, its season ends at 23-11. While the Chargers weren’t able to repeat as state champions, they still had a remarkable year highlighted by a win at the Hoodie’s House of Hope National Showcase over two nationally ranked teams. The Chargers lost two starters to injury for the remainder of the season and were outsized in almost every high profile game they had. Devon Dotson demonstrated why he is the number one player in NC in the Class of 2018 and one of the best court generals and leaders in America. In every close game this year, it seemed like he found a way to will his team to be in games that they maybe shouldn’t have been in down the stretch.
Providence Day returns its top seven players next year – Dotson, Suffren, and Wertz are all juniors and will be joined by returning freshmen Muhsin Muhammad III, Jacolbe Cowan, Luke Stankavage, and John Miralia who all showed signs of great promise at some point this year.