NCISAA Power Rankings: Week 7 Edition

<p>The New Year rings in with a fresh look at the NCISAA Power Rankings. Here’s a look at the Week 7 Edition with some teams ready to make moves this week with some important clashes. </p> <h5>1. Carmel Christian School (13-1)</h5> <p>The Carmel Christian Cougars continue their winning ways with two wins since the last edition of rankings dropped before the New Year. [player_tooltip player_id="642043" first="Ben" last="Burnham"], [player_tooltip player_id="574430" first="Justin" last="Taylor"], [player_tooltip player_id="838075" first="Glenn" last="Bynum Jr"]. and [player_tooltip player_id="1008879" first="Cade" last="Tyson"] continue to show their consistency on the hardwood. Burnham put up 29 points and 14 rebounds against Bull City Prep in a 83-61 victory. Taylor had 20 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.Tyson had 20 points and Bynum had 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists. They look prime for a big run in 2020-21. This week, they’ll face Charlotte Christian (<strong>#5 in the NCISAA Rankings</strong>) on Thursday then Forsyth Country Day on Saturday. They’ve got a strong path to the NCISAA 4A State crown barring a major setback.</p> <h5>2. Victory Christian Center (13-2)</h5> <p>Victory Christian Center went 3-1 over the holiday season and continues to be a mainstay in the NCISAA rankings. They’re set to make some noise in conference action at the 1A level. They’ve got a number of prospects to keep an eye on in [player_tooltip player_id="1103910" first="Lewis" last="Duarte"], [player_tooltip player_id="1105093" first="Randi" last="Ovalle"], [player_tooltip player_id="1013055" first="Tajuan" last="Simpkins"], [player_tooltip player_id="1013056" first="Takai" last="Simpkins"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1028024" first="Demar" last="Anderson"] among others. They’ll face Charlotte Latin tonight at 7pm then travel to Mount Zion Christian Academy on Friday night. From top to bottom, they’re looking like the team to beat when the NCISAA State Tournament arrives in February.</p> <h5>3. Cannon School (14-4)</h5> <p><span style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">The Cannon School went 2-1 at the Beach Ball Classic which was a good measuring stick for them entering the bulk of conference play in North Carolina. [player_tooltip player_id="577868" first="DJ" last="Nix"] and [player_tooltip player_id="932457" first="Jarvis" last="Moss"] are coexisting well in the backcourt and [player_tooltip player_id="848077" first="Karon" last="Boyd"] is finding his stride in the frontcourt. As they look to find another option to step up for [player_tooltip player_id="721036" first="Elijah" last="Ormiston"] (injury), look for [player_tooltip player_id="1030010" first="Austin" last="Swartz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1105008" first="Jaylen" last="Claggett"] to step in and play bigger roles. They’ll have some time to prepare with their next game on Jan. 12 against Providence Day School.</span></p> <h5>4. Greensboro Day School (10-4)</h5> <p>Greensboro Day School went 2-2 at the Beach Ball Classic which should help them grow as a team and a defensive unit. Their final two losses came by a combined two points, showing their resolve as competitors. [player_tooltip player_id="577888" first="Jaydon" last="Young"] is prime for a big season at the NCISAA level as the Bengals look to knock off Cannon School for the 4A crown. [player_tooltip player_id="577847" first="Nikolas" last="Graves"], [player_tooltip player_id="577876" first="Julius" last="Reese Jr"]., [player_tooltip player_id="577840" first="Jackson" last="Noble"], CJ Collins, [player_tooltip player_id="848080" first="Michael" last="Zanoni"] and [player_tooltip player_id="887046" first="Tyler" last="Lundblade"] are a strong cast of names that can make things happen this season. They’ve got three games this week with Forsyth Country Day on Tuesday, Wesleyan Christian Academy on Thursday and Charlotte Christian on Saturday. </p> <p><span style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem;">5. Charlotte Christian Knights (6-0)</span></p> <p>The Charlotte Christian Knights have been idle since the holiday season began and already have one win under their belt. They’ll return to action this Thursday when they face Carmel Christian (<strong>#1 in the Power Rankings</strong>) then they’ll travel to Greensboro Day School (<strong>#4 in the Power Rankings</strong>) on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how [player_tooltip player_id="854884" first="Bryce" last="Cash"] and company fare when next week’s rankings drop. </p> <h5>6. The Burlington School (11-2)</h5> <p>The Burlington School has won four games in a row heading into conference play on the back end of the NCISAA schedule. They rang in the New Year with a 79-59 victory over Shining Light Academy led by a balanced attack. [player_tooltip player_id="1098355" first="Zion" last="Walker"] led the way with 15 points, [player_tooltip player_id="854913" first="Jakel" last="Powell"] finished with 14 points, [player_tooltip player_id="1032838" first="Ryan" last="Roberts"] posted 12 points, [player_tooltip player_id="838020" first="Kuluel" last="Mading"] had 12 points and seven blocks and [player_tooltip player_id="854890" first="Kobe" last="George"] had 11 points. They’re due to make a deep run at the 2A level. This week, they’ll also face Winston-Salem Christian and High Point Christian Academy (<strong>#7 in the Power Rankings</strong>).</p> <h5>7. High Point Christian Academy (9-2)</h5> <p>High Point Christian Academy is another team that hasn’t been in action since the holiday season. They’ll return to action on Friday after not playing since Dec. 21. They’re a veteran-led group by KJ Garrett but sophomore guard Isaiah Sanders is learning to find his way alongside Garrett in the backcourt. Myles Archies and Ethan Smith are two other prospects to keep an eye on on this squad. </p> <h5>8. Lake Norman Christian (8-3)</h5> <p>The Lake Norman Christian Storm are 3-1 since the last rankings dropped, still showing signs of life with [player_tooltip player_id="992474" first="Mikey" last="Williams"], [player_tooltip player_id="947287" first="Trey" last="Green"] and company making noise in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="985568" first="Jonathan" last="Kurtas"] recently made his commitment to SIU-Edwardsville on Dec. 31. They’ll travel to University Christian this week on Thursday before facing a top squad in the power rankings on Jan. 12.</p> <h5>9. United Faith Christian Academy (7-2)</h5> <p>The United Faith Christian Academy Falcons have won three games in a row including a 63-29 victory over Gaston Day on Jan. 2 to start 2021 with a victory. [player_tooltip player_id="932129" first="Xavier" last="McKelvy"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1111219" first="Marcus" last="Willis"] continue to be consistent faces on both ends for the Falcons. Both put up 16 points apiece and combined for five made 3-pointers in their victory over Gaston Day. Don’t be surprised if they make a climb up the ranks very soon. They’ll face Charlotte Country Day School on Tuesday evening then face Covenant Classical on Friday night. </p> <h5>10. Cape Fear Christian Academy (12-6)</h5> <p>The Cape Fear Christian Academy Eagles have six losses but two are against Word of God, one against Cannon School <strong>(#3 in the Power Rankings</strong>) and another comes against South Carolina power Gray Collegiate. They’re a strong, competitive group led by [player_tooltip player_id="848069" first="Cinque" last="Lemon"], [player_tooltip player_id="747011" first="Jabare" last="Perry"], [player_tooltip player_id="787670" first="Amari" last="Pearson"], [player_tooltip player_id="848090" first="Tristin" last="Harkins"] and others. Look for them to make some noise in conference play and at the 1A level. They’ll square off against Northwood Temple on Tuesday night then face Village Christian Academy on Friday evening.</p> <h5>Teams to Watch</h5> <h6>Concord Academy (10-4) - They’ve won five games in a row since starting out 5-4 on the year. </h6> <h6>Charlotte Latin (7-2) - They’ve quietly won six games in a row after a 1-2 start on the season.</h6> <h6>Wayne Country Day (8-1) - The Chargers are off to an 8-1 start and 1-0 in conference action so far.</h6> <h6>Trinity Academy Raleigh (2-0) - The Tigers only have two games under their belt but January is where they’ll play a ton more games.</h6> <h6>Greenfield School (5-2) - They were in the rankings once already and with conference season on the way, look for them to make some noise.</h6> <p>&nbsp;</p>