Both Hoggard basketball teams fall in Class 8A state title games
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WWAY) — It was a historic night for Hoggard being the first school in 13 years to send their boys and girls teams to the NCHSAA basketball championships, but both lost in similar fashions on Wednesday night at Wake Forest University.
The boys lost to West Charlotte 70-68 despite building a 17-point lead in the 1st quarter. When the Lions chipped away at the deficit, head coach Brett Queen did not call a timeout until it became a one possession game. Despite that, he has no regrets on how he managed the contest.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
“I don’t think I’d change anything about what we did,” Queen said. “We weren’t going to blow them out. They were going to respond. There’s plenty of stoppages of play, but I got a lot of confidence in these guys. They know how to play. We shocked them a little bit at the beginning, but we turned the ball over too many times for points for them. That was something we’ve been doing a great job of, we had a few of those mistakes tonight that really hurt us.”
The Vikings never trailed the entire game until the very end. Tied at 68, West Charlotte’s Sean Johnson scored with .6 seconds remaining for their first and only lead. It was a tough pill to swallow for the players, who were making their first appearance at state since 1970 and seeking their first title.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
“Obviously, I think we’re all upset,” senior Will Seward said. “But for me personally, the number one emotion is just pride. I’m extremely proud to be a part of this team and these guys. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team. There’s not much to reflect on for me other than pride.”
The Hoggard girls fell in an arguably more painful way, a 49-45 loss to Mallard Creek in overtime. The Vikings were playing in the championship for the first time ever.
Coming off the heels of back-to-back losses in the semifinals, Head Coach Boubacar Aw’s team finally got a chance at the title only to come up a single point short in regulation.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
“I tried to tell them to leave the emotion out of it, but it’s hard,” Aw said. “It is hard. Everybody knows the importance of the game. They knew it was a final. I don’t think I did a very good job trying to emotionally prepare them because they were very emotional. Even during the game, I could see the pressure building up on them.”
Mallard Creek hit a three-pointer late to force the extra frame and then broke a tie with a layup with less than 25 seconds to go, similar to the play that the Hoggard boys lost on.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
However, the Viking girls achieved a rare feat by making it to Winston-Salem for three consecutive years.
“The biggest thing is the way we push each other every single day,” senior Tristan Shivers said. “Not even just on the court, but also off the court. We’re just very close. Everyone’s so supportive. You can talk to any of us about anything and everyone feels loved and cared for within our team and that includes coaching, too.”
The last team in the WWAY viewing area to win an NCHSAA basketball title was the New Hanover boys in 2012. A girls team has never brought a championship back to the Cape Fear.
