4A Championship: Charlotte Catholic vs. Rolesville

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When last year's 4A champion – Panther Creek – was eliminated from the playoffs in a West Regional quarterfinal contest to Chapel Hill, it became official that a new North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) champion would be crowned for this year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The question is which team would that be? One of the answers to that question could have been Charlotte Catholic following West Regional victories over South Caldwell, Hickory Ridge, Marvin Ridge, Lake Norman and Watauga.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Representing the East Region was the Rolesville Rams who were making its first-ever appearance in a state championship game in the school's relatively young history. Rolesville's journey to this year's championship game include wins over Green Hope, South Garner, Cardinal Gibbons, Chapel Hill and Hoggard.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's champion from the Hoop State's largest classification would be Rolesville as they came from behind to defeat the Cougars by a final score of 44-37.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 6-0 run by Charlotte Catholic to commence the contest made it look like the coronation could start early. Rolesville battled back and ensured it wold a back-and-forth get-together. With one in the books, the Cougars' lead on the Rams was 15-12.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams closed the frame with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, entering the 15 minutes of halftime with momentum. An entertaining matchup would see a 27-25 advantage for Charlotte Catholic at the break.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charlotte Catholic outscored Rolesville by a margin of 17-12 in the third quarter. The close margin of the contest meant it was either team's game. One quarter remained to determine the 2023-24 4A girls champion with the Cougars leading 44-37.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then the fourth quarter happened – and it was one Charlotte Catholic would rather forget. Rolesville staged a furious comeback – one that allowed the Rams to grab the lead. Clutch plays and free throw shooting would seal the deal for the Rams.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873083,"width":"426px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6331-2-crop-2268x1490-1710684742.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873083" style="width:426px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='300653' first='Caitlyn' last='Jones']</strong> concluded her afternoon with 27 points plus MVP honors. Jones also dished out seven assists and had a clutch afternoon from the free throw line as she would make 11 of her 12 tries from the charity stripe.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873085,"width":"427px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6405-2-crop-2214x1454-1710684860.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873085" style="width:427px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caitlyn plus Camryn equaled a championship for Rolesville. The Camryn in question is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='875286' first='Camryn' last='Lee']</strong> who keyed the Rams' efforts in the paint with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lee, as did Jones, was on the court for all 32 minutes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873087,"width":"438px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6462-crop-2373x1558-1710684968.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873087" style="width:438px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In her final game wearing the Charlotte Catholic colors, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='253883' first='Blanca' last='Thomas']</strong> led her team with a double-double of 16 points plus 11 rebounds. Thomas played just over 31 minutes and was eight of 11 from the field.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873091,"width":"437px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6421-crop-2236x1469-1710685386.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873091" style="width:437px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='326208' first='Gracynn' last='Gough']</strong> spearheaded the Cougars' early offensive efforts and concluded her afternoon with a 15-point performance. She also grabbed six rebounds in the nearly 31 minutes of time she was on the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Records</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rolesville and Charlotte Catholic each finish their respective 2023-24 seasons with identical 27-5 records. The Rams and Cougars were also perfect in their respective conferences. Rolesville was 10-0 to win the Northern Conference and Charlotte Catholic was 12-0 in its Southwestern region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>So Long, Seniors</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diplomas, caps and gowns await [player_tooltip player_id='253883' first='Blanca' last='Thomas'], [player_tooltip player_id='326208' first='Gracynn' last='Gough'], Natalie Byron, Harper Mckain, [player_tooltip player_id='252862' first='Olivia' last='Fava'], Libby Fleshood and [player_tooltip player_id='612322' first='Kate' last='McArdle'] of Charlotte Catholic. They also await Rolesville's Dacota Hubbard, [player_tooltip player_id='755299' first='Justice' last='Everette'] and Laila Lewis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->