Warriors pull away in second half of 72-56 win over Sun Valley

WEDDINGTON — The Weddington High boys held on to first place in the Southern Carolina Conference with a 72-56 home win over Sun Valley on Tuesday night.

The victory gives the Warriors a six-game winning streak, improving to 10-0 in conference play (15-5 overall).

"Sun Valley played great and that first half was really close and our guys stuck together," said Weddington coach Gary Ellington.

The Spartans entered the game having won eight of their previous nine games. "It was a great win," Ellington said. "it was great to see the guys play hard and play together but we've still got a lot of work to do."

Sun Valley started the game with a 16-15 edge in the first quarter; senior forward Michael Grovanz scored eight of his 13 points in the opening period.

The Warriors took a 33-32 lead into halftime.

"My job tonight was to find my teammates and score the ball so I felt like I was able to do that and get a win," Chase Lowe said.

Lowe led all scorers again with 20 points of the night and senior guard Owen Van Gundy had 17.

"(Lowe) is a great guy to have around," Van Gundy said. "He could brighten up a room and he brings the team together. On the court, he creates a ton of offense for us, being able to get to the rack … He is a big factor for us on this team."

Weddington outscored the Spartans 26-8 in the third quarter.

Sun Valley senior forward Raheem Howard scored eight points of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.

First place is on the line for the Warriors when they travel to Charlotte Catholic (15-3 overall, 9-1 SCC) on Friday night. A win for WHS would position the program for its first conference title since 2017.

Sun Valley is now 13-8 and 6-4 in conference play. The Spartans will host Charlotte Catholic on Feb. 4.

Individual Scoring - Sun Valley — Michael Grovanz 13, Teshaun Walker 12, Justin Morton 11, Raheem Howard 11, Malachi Clyburn 7, Jamezz Davis 2; Weddington — Chase Lowe 20, Owen Van Gundy 17, AJ Cook 11, Kyle Frazier 8, Brock Bowen 8, Evan Morton 4, Caleb Wetherbee 2, Isaiah Noch 2

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