North Mecklenburg defeats South Central to win the East Coast Invitational
North Mecklenburg wins the East Coast Invitational Championship
Coach Duane Lewis’s Vikings from North Mecklenburg defeated South Central High School of Winterville, North Carolina to win the Fifteenth East Coast Invitational Team Camp Championship.
North Mecklenburg led 37-31 at the half, as junior guard Tristan Maxwell netted 14 points. The Vikings went on to victory, as highly rated forward Jae’lyn Withers took over in the second half and led the champions with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Maxwell, a 6-3 combo guard finished with 21 points. Point guard Demar Anderson had an excellent all around game, finishing with 14 points eight assists and six rebounds, while fellow junior, Daqon Stewart scored 12 points. Thomas Owens came up big on the defensive end for the winners.
6-9 Forward, Jae’lyn Withers of North Mecklenburg is a highly recruited rising senior.
Withers had led North Mecklenburg in their 69-48 semifinal win over Raleigh Millbrook, finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Maxwell had 14 points and eight rebounds in that semifinal win, while Anderson finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Daqon Stewart scored 11 in that game.
North Mecklenburg had reached the semifinals with a 61-48 quarterfinal win over Garner. Withers and Maxwell tallied 23 each in that contest, with Stewart contributing 18 points. Withers had eight rebounds and three assists in that game, while Maxwell showed his play making ability with seven assists.
North Mecklenburg’s toughest game came against Leesville Road High School, of Raleigh. The Vikings won that contest 74-71 over Leesville Road, which was led by 2019 guard, Jalen Benjamin, the son of former NC State star Ishua Benjamin.
Withers and Maxwell scored 30 points each in the win over Leesville Road, with Jae’lyn grabbing 14 rebounds and Tristan dropping six dimes. Demar Anderson finished that game with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Withers is the son of former UNC-Charlotte star, Curtis Withers, while Maxwell is the son of former Houston Rockets guard, Vernon Maxwell, a key force, along with Hakeem Olajuwon on back to back NBA Championships in the early 1990s.