Charlotte Catholic vs. Rolesville: 4A Championship Preview

This past Thursday's East and West Regional final action at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum further crystallized what the eight-game card will look like for championship weekend.    While much of the country has the green of St. Patrick's weekend on their minds, North Carolina high school sports fans will be fixated gold trophies at Winston-Salem as eight teams will depart from Wake Forest with state hardware.    When the 4A girls championship matchup commences, that game will feature Charlotte Catholic and Rolesville. Without further adieu, here is our in-depth preview of Saturday's championship get-together.    Charlotte Catholic (27-4, 12-0)   The past two occasions where the Cougars attempted to reach the final 4A girls contest of the season both ended in Charlotte Catholic coming up just short. This included last season when the Cougars were eliminated in the West Regional final by eventual state runner-up Lake Norman.   Thursday proved to be the charm and the Cougars have added incentive to claim this year's 4A championship given head coach Bobby Conrad is stepping down from his post following the season.    Conrad's Cougars have lost only twice to opponents from North Carolina. Once was to 2A North Pitt and the second was to another 4A team from the Charlotte area in Independence.    Cougars' Road to Winston-Salem:   Feb. 27 – 67-18 win vs. South Caldwell   Mar. 1 – 58-33 win vs. Hickory Ridge   Mar. 5 – 52-40 win vs. Marvin Ridge   Mar. 8 – 51-44 win vs. Lake Norman   Mar. 14 – 61-55 win vs. Watauga   Key Players   One more game awaits [player_tooltip player_id='253883' first='Blanca' last='Thomas'] in the Charlotte Catholic colors before she begins her transition to wearing North Carolina Tar Heels blue. Thomas has averaged a double-double of 18.4 points and 11.6 rebounds plus 3.2 blocks and 1.3 steals in 29 games.   Another Division I commit that is on the Cougars' roster is [player_tooltip player_id='326208' first='Gracynn' last='Gough'] who will play her college basketball at Holy Cross in Massachusetts starting this fall. Gough has averaged 14.2 points, eight rebounds and 1.1 steals per game in 28 games.   Charlotte Catholic has also received worthwhile contributions from junior [player_tooltip player_id='499721' first='Maggie' last='Kernodle']. She is averaging eight points and 1.5 steals in the 29 games she has played. Kernodle also plays volleyball.   Going back to Charlotte Catholic's senior class, Harper Mckain is one of the seven seniors that are part of this year's Cougars rendition. Mckain has contributed 6.1 points and 1.9 steals in 28 games.   [player_tooltip player_id='252862' first='Olivia' last='Fava'] is another one of those seven seniors. Fava has taken to the court on 25 occasions throughout the 2023-24 season. She is averaging six points, 4.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals.   Rolesville (26-5, 10-0)   There is a first time for everything – and Rolesville is hoping its first appearance in the 4A state game will lead to the Rams striking championship paydirt at the home of the Demon Deacons.   Last season concluded with the Rams posting a 25-5 record. That fifth loss, though, occurred in a close 41-39 defeat in the East Regional semifinals. Rolesville is a relatively new school since it opened in 2013 and its 11th year of existence sees coach Nikita Warren's team one win shy of making history.   The Rams were on the receiving end of a 72-62 decision in the final matchup of the regular season to another 4A team in Wakefield after Rolesville had already won its region. Since then, it has been all win column, all the time for the Rams.    Rams' Road to Winston-Salem:   Feb. 27 – 84-40 win vs. Green Hope   Mar. 1 – 76-63 win vs. South Garner   Mar. 5 – 79-32 win vs. Cardinal Gibbons   Mar. 8 – 50-44 win vs. Chapel Hill   Mar. 14 – 47-34 win vs. Hoggard   Key Players   One can expect the Rams to throw a healthy dose of [player_tooltip player_id='300653' first='Caitlyn' last='Jones'] the Cougars' way. Jones was Rolesville's leading scorer in the East Region championship win over Hoggard with 11 points. She has averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 steals in 30 games.   Another key piece to the winning formula for the Rams is junior [player_tooltip player_id='569635' first='Taliya' last='Rowe']. In the 30 games that she has played, she is averaging 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. She had 10 in the victory over the Vikings.   Laila Lewis (one of three team captains) will be looking to conclude her high school career in the most emphatic way possible – with a 4A state championship. The Rolesville senior is nearly averaging a double-double with 9.6 points and 8.9 rebounds not to mention 1.5 blocks per contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='875281' first='Kayla' last='Bush'], a 2025, is listed at 5-foot-11 on the Rams' roster and adds depth to their frontcourt given she primarily plays at the four. She is averaging 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 points and 1.1 steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='875286' first='Camryn' last='Lee'] (another one of the three team captains) was an important element in the victory over Hoggard. She contributed seven points to the Rams' cause. Lee is one of five juniors listed on this year's Rolesville roster.   When and Where?   Mar. 16, 12 p.m., Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum

This past Thursday's East and West Regional final action at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum further crystallized what the eight-game card will look like for championship weekend.