Mountain Island Sports

The Reluctant Superstar

Victory Christian’s Hicks believes greatest impact is helping teammates

If Alexis Hicks had it her way, she wouldn’t be the focal point of the Victory Christian Center girls basketball team.

In fact, if Hicks really had her druthers, she’d go back to the role she’s enjoyed in season’s past: being an effective player who simply made plays to help the Kings win while the team’s “stars” received all the glory.

Knotts leaving Independence

Early in the 2009 football season, Tom Knotts thought it might be time to leave Independence High School – and North Carolina, for that matter.

He had conversations with his financial advisor. And since Knotts would be eligible for retirement from Charlotte-­Mecklenburg Schools at the end of the school year, his advisor thought it would be a good time for him, financially, to make a move.

Midway through the Patriots’ season, Knotts already had decided he would go. This week, he made it official.

Sports shorts 12/04/09

The Johnson C. Smith University women’s basketball team is ranked 22nd in this week’s USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 poll.

JCSU moved up two spots from last week’s No. 24 ranking. The Lady Golden Bulls are currently 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

JCSU jumped to a 6-0 start, its best under ninth-year coach Vanessa Taylor. The team is coming off a CIAA tournament championship season and its third NCAA tournament appearance in four years.

The No.

The New Earl of Hopewell

After transferring to Titans, point guard McLaurin takes leadership role

Just three games into the 2009-10 season, both Hopewell and Independences’ boys basketball teams struggled to keep their composure as they dashed back and forth the length of Independence’s crowded and dimly lit gym. The frantic pace of the game played on Nov. 23 was fueled by the Titans’ up-tempo style and the athletic Patriots’ underdog energy.

In this environment, turnovers were a constant for both teams.

Comfort Zone

Hopewell’s Conway always has found solace in the swimming pool

Hopewell girls swimmer Emily Conway rarely lets a day pass without taking a trip to the pool.

It’s a routine she’s kept her entire life.

Conway’s parents, David and Marty, first took her to the pool just weeks after she was born. Marty said putting Emily in the water was one of the only ways to keep her from crying.

“When she was 6 weeks old, the only thing that would make her happy was to put her in the pool,” said Marty Conway.