This weekend, Phenom Hoops will travel out to Lincolnton High School in Lincolnton, North Carolina, for another loaded event. The seven-game slate features a lot of intriguing matchups, both team and individual, and a slew of talented prospects. As we rapidly approach the new year, each game becomes that much more important. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top storylines…
Going into the third game of the day, Mallard Creek will take on Calvary Day School. Both programs dealt with roster turnover in the offseason yet still remain competitive on a nightly basis. Calvary Day has quietly been one of the best teams in North Carolina. Given the structure of their schedule, this team might not lose for another month. Owen Calvert has completely taken over the leadership reins. He’s an incredibly tough, crafty, skilled guard who can fill it up in a variety of ways. Calvert operates as the Cougars’ main creator and overall source of offense. He’s capable of heating up in a hurry, yet still looks to make the right play and outwork opponents on defense. Although Calvert has been spectacular, the addition of Luca Sarnowska has been undeniably important for this group. His infectious energy, vocal presence, and ability to fill in the gaps on both ends has led to constant production. Sarnowska is an excellent rebounder and defender. Caleb Autry, Brady Bennett, and Pressley Temple round out this core. Autry is a long, wiry athlete with a low-maintenance identity and the ability to do the little things on both ends of the floor. Bennett is a useful glue-guy who can rebound, space the floor, set up others, and provide effort defensively. Temple is a wiry shooter with a scrappy nature.
Meanwhile, Mallard Creek has shown a lot of resilience throughout the early season. They’ve played several challenging opponents and legitimately competed in basically every contest. The Mavericks have already played two overtime games and multiple of the top public-school teams in the Charlotte area. However, seniors like Ahmad Savage and Aiden Roberson have done everything possible to propel this group forward. The duo accounts for over 60% of the Mavericks’ scoring production. Between guys like Connor McKissick, Lajalin Overton, and Elijah Shonganie this team has enough veteran pieces to compete. Add in the valuable contributions from freshman Kingston Cardwell, and this group should only continue to improve throughout the course of the season.