Each year, the chosen location of Southern Carolina Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament varies. This cycling method allows for each member school of the conference to have an opportunity to (at some point within a several year span) host their rival schools in the highly anticipated and competitive annual tournament. This year, it was Weddington’s court that SCC member schools traveled to in order to vie for the trophy, and due to the hospitality, friendliness, and well-arranged event put-on by Weddington High School, the tournament will go down as one for the books. Here’s a look at how it all played out:

With 4 games being played on Wednesday during the semi-finals round, (including Weddington Women’s Basketball taking on Cuthbertson and Weddington Men’s Basketball battling Monroe) there was plenty of action on the court over the time period of 6 hours. The first game, being between the Women’s Basketball Teams of Marvin Ridge and Charlotte Catholic resulted in a Charlotte Catholic victory, earning the Cougars a spot in the Women’s Championship on Friday. The second game was played between the Men’s Basketball Teams of Marvin Ridge and Charlotte Catholic. This game, however, had a different outcome than the Women’s, as Marvin Ridge took the win and advanced to the Men’s Championship. The final two games showcased the Weddington Warriors Women’s and Men’s Teams who took on Cuthbertson and Monroe respectively. Both games resulted in tough losses for the Warriors, ending their Conference Tournament runs early. The Women, falling to Cuthbertson 48-32, struggled to defend the height of the Cuthbertson’s Team, who boasts multiple athletes who are 5’8” and above. The WHS Men’s Team was simply outscored in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters against Monroe after a dominant first quarter of play from Weddington. The final score was 56-51. Ultimately, both teams fell short of their Conference Tournament goals, but the show continued on to Friday, as the Championship games were both hosted at WHS. The final results of the tournament included championship victories for the Cuthbertson Women’s Basketball Team over Charlotte Catholic, and for the Marvin Ridge Men’s Basketball Team over Monroe.

Though the week was not what Weddington Basketball had hoped for, the week did showcase both the WHS Men’s and Women’s Basketball programs in a great light due to the technical ease of the tournament. After many compliments and words of affirmation coming from fans across the SCC regarding the tournament, there was certainly something positive that came from the tournament for WHS Basketball despite falling short of victory.

Now with the Conference Tournament behind them, both teams are looking beyond their tough losses and setting their sights on the NCHSAA 3A State Playoffs. A clean slate lies ahead of each team. As Head Coach for Weddington Men’s Basketball Gary Ellington stated “Everyone’s record is 0-0 come playoffs.”

It is all about who comes to play, and what team wants to outwork the others. With the talent of both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Team’s at WHS, they have an opportunity to make a deep run if they stick to their game and play their best.