Observer readers select the top high school girls’ basketball teams of the past 40 years

Earlier this month, The Observer celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Sweet 16 high school girls’ basketball poll, which began in the 1984-85 season.

The media outlet released a list of all 40 past winners, including its ranking of the top 16 programs.

As part of the retrospective, a poll was launched for readers to vote and determine their top teams.

Below, find out which teams made the readers’ list and scroll down for a recap of all 40 Sweet 16 winners from the past 40 years.

▪ A similar poll for the boys’ teams is ongoing.

Readers’ Sweet 16 poll

Past Sweet 16 girls’ basketball champions

The 1980s

1984-85, McBee (S.C.): McBee’s girls won the 1A state championship, finished 29-0 and were named the first Sweet 16 champion from among the 100 high schools The Observer covered at the time. McBee beat 1984 state champion Bowman, 55-51, in the state final. McBee was in the finals for the third straight year and the fourth time in five years.

1985-86, West Caldwell: North Meck went 26-0 and won the 4A state title behind state player of the year Andrea Stinson, a junior, but West Caldwell (30-1) finished atop the Sweet 16 after starting at No. 1 and staying there all season. West Caldwell lost to Lenoir Hibriten in its conference tournament finals but won the N.C. 3A state title, 74-66, over Southwest Edgecombe.

1986-87, Bandys: Bandys didn’t win its conference tournament championship, but the Trojans finished 25-5, and won the banner after beating Clinton for the 2A state title. Bandys rallied from seven points down, led by championship MVP Mitzi Yount, who had 14 points and nine rebounds in the final.

1987-88, Bandys: Bandys finished 32-1 and repeated as Sweet 16 champions to become the first repeat poll winner. The Trojans, who won their second straight 2A state title, began the season No. 1 and led the poll until losing, 51-50, to Newton-Conover in February 1988.

1988-89, Union (S.C.): Led by star Marlene Jeter, who averaged 22.5 points and 11 rebounds per game and was The Observer’s Upper State and Associated Press state player of the year, Union finished 32-1 and beat Hartsville in the 4A final. Union, which was 29-1 and a state champion in 1988, cemented one of the more dominant runs in state history.

1989-90, Providence Day: The Chargers finished 27-1 and beat Country Day 65-57 to win the N.C. Independent Schools’ 2A state title. The Chargers finished ahead of North Iredell (23-5), the NCHSAA 3A state basketball champion. Freshman Konecka Drakeford scored a then-career-high 40 points to go with 12 rebounds, nine steals and three assists in the final. She also scored 14 straight points.

The 1990s

1990-91, McDowell: Coach Mike Silver’s Titans finished 29-1, taking the title over a McBee (S.C.) team that finished 25-0. McDowell, in Marion, N.C., won 24 games in a row to finish the season, won the school’s first NCHSAA state title and the Titans’ average margin of victory was 29.6 points. McDowell won three games by 61 points or more.

1991-92, Hartsville (S.C.): The Foxes finished 32-1 and captured the 4A state title against an Orangeburg-Wilkinson team that had been ranked No. 1 in the state all season. Led by Shannon Johnson, who broke the state record for assists, Hartsville finished 16th nationally by USA Today and won its third time in seven seasons. From 1986-92, the Foxes were 198-20, winning more games than any team in The Observer’s 171-school coverage area.

1992-93, Chester (S.C.): The Cyclones beat four S.C. 4A playoff opponents by an average of 18 points, finished 30-3 and won the school’s first state title in any sport since 1963. The title also was the school’s first state championship of any kind in a girls’ sport. Junior forward Allison Feaster, who had been a starter since seventh grade, averaged 23.8 points, 14 rebounds and 5.6 steals. In the playoffs, she scored 24, 32, 34 and 35 points.

1993-94, Bandys: The Trojans won a then-record third Sweet 16 banner after a 29-0 season under coach Karen Wimberly. Bandys beat Western Guilford 57-51 for the 2A title, the school’s sixth. Tiffany Chappell (18 points, 15 rebounds) was MVP of the state final.

1994-95, Freedom: The Patriots finished 29-1, and won the 4A state championship for the second straight year. Freedom finished the season on a 17-game win streak, led by All-American Natasha Davis, who signed with North Carolina.

1995-96, York (S.C.): No girls’ team in The Observer’s coverage area won a state title but York finished 25-3. The Cougars (25-3) lost in the state final and were led by region player of the year Chala Bankhead. Bankhead averaged 22 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. She scored 30 points or more in six games.

1996-97, Charlotte Latin: The Hawks finished 30-2 after returning four starters from a state semifinalist team. Latin beat Hammond School, 67-51, to win the NCISAA 2A state title. Star guard Tonya Phifer had a career-high 35 points and 12 rebounds in the final. Hammond School had beaten the Hawks twice during the regular season.

1997-98, Hickory: The Red Tornadoes finished 31-1, and won their second 3A state championship in four seasons. Hickory started the season by winning 20 straight games before losing to South Caldwell. After that, Hickory went on another win streak that ended with a Sweet 16 banner.

1998-99, Hickory: Led by five senior starters, the Red Tornadoes (32-0) repeated as Sweet 16 champions, led by Alicia Abernathy, a Charlotte 49ers recruit who averaged 19.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 5.3 steals. In four years, Hickory was 113-7. In a 69-64 NCHSAA 3A state final win against Morehead, Abernathy scored 18 of Hickory’s final 27 points.

1999-2000, Charlotte Christian: The Knights won their first NCISAA 3A state championship, led by 2A Farmville Central transfer Chrystal Baptist, a UNC recruit who was three-time Eastern Plains conference player of the year. Baptist and another future UNC player, junior Leah Metcalf, powered a 26-2 team that set school records for wins. Baptist had 38 points, and the winner, in a three-overtime state final win against Raleigh Ravenscroft.

The 2000s

2000-01, Providence Day: The Chargers finished 28-2 and won the NCISAA state title led by four-time Observer player of the year and Ms. N.C. Basketball Natasha Brackett (2,612 career points, 1,077 career rebounds), an Auburn signee. Providence Day beat Charlotte Christian, 64-50, in the state final. Brackett had 37 points, seven rebounds and six steals.

2001-02, Victory Christian: The Kings were 32-2, and won the school’s first Sweet 16 banner. Victory won by an average of 30 points starting four freshmen and a junior. The Kings won their final 19 games and a third straight NCISAA 1A state title, and they won the National Association of Christian Athletes national title. Freshman Kyria Buford became the school’s first All-Observer performer.

2002-03, Charlotte Christian: The Knights (27-4) won their second Sweet 16 title in four years, beating Raleigh’s Cardinal Gibbons by 21 points in the NCISAA 3A state final. Gibbons (27-4) lost twice to Christian by an average of 24 points.

2003-04, Victory Christian: Led by Observer player of the year Kyria Buford, the Kings beat teams then ranked Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the Sweet 16, and beat national No. 3 Mountain View (Utah). The Kings (30-5) lost to 5A Georgia state quarterfinalist Parkview and four nationally ranked teams, including No. 1 Bishop McNamara (Maryland). To finish the season, Victory won its fifth straight 1A state title.

2004-05, Providence Day: Chargers coach Barbara Nelson tied a Mecklenburg County record with her fifth state title, tying former West Charlotte coach Charles McCullough, who had five NCHSAA championships. Nelson’s team finished 28-4, and won the NCISAA 3A championship, led by freshman Britny Edwards and sophomore Pip Woodson.

2005-06, Providence Day: The Chargers finished 29-1, and repeated as the Sweet 16 champion and NCISAA state champion. The team was led by three of the state’s best players: top 50 national junior Epiphany Woodson and twin sisters Whitny and Britny Edwards, a pair of sophomores and the daughters of former East Carolina and NBA player Blue Edwards. Coach Barbara Nelson won a Mecklenburg County record sixth state title after a 63-52 win against Cary Academy.

2006-07, Providence Day: The Chargers won a third straight Sweet 16 banner and a third straight NCISAA state championship, going 30-4 against what coach Barbara Nelson said was the toughest schedule she’d compiled. Providence Day beat Forsyth Country Day, 60-38, in the state final.

2007-08, Concord: The Spiders finished 31-2 four years after they were 0-24. In 2008, Concord won the first 3A state championship in school history and the first girls’ basketball state title in Cabarrus County public school history. In the previous five seasons, no Cabarrus County girls’ team had won a playoff game. Coach Angela Morton, nicknamed “Patch,” was named the Observer’s coach of the year.

2008-09 West Charlotte: After losing in the 2008 state final, West Charlotte finished 28-3 and won the first 4A state title in the school’s then-71-year history. The Lions finished the year ranked No. 32 nationally by ESPN. West Charlotte beat national No. 36 Butler in the state semifinals. Butler finished No. 2 in the Sweet 16.

2009-10, Butler: After losing in the 4A semifinals to West Charlotte in 2009, Butler came back and defeated previously unbeaten Mooresville Green Hope 87-61 in the state final. The Observer’s player of the year, future McDonald’s All-American Cierra Burdick, had 28 points and 14 rebounds in the championship round.

The 2010s

2010-11, Salisbury: The Hornets lost their season opener to national power Butler and then won 27 straight games, finishing with a 76-44 win against East Bladen the state final. That was the largest margin of victory in the 2A championship in 34 years. Salisbury won its third straight state title.

2011-12, Providence Day: The Chargers finished 29-4 and won a third straight NCISAA 3A state championship led by three-time Associated Press all-state pick Tiffany Mitchell. The Chargers played a tough schedule that included games with perennial powers Thomasville Prep (now defunct) and Carolina Day, and two games with state power Charlotte Christian.

2012-13, Harding: The Rams finished 24-4, and won 19 straight games to end the season. Harding became the first Mecklenburg County team to win back-to-back NCHSAA state championships. Harding beat Chapel Hill, 56-52, to win the 3A state title.

2013-14, Myers Park: The Mustangs, led by former Providence Day coach Barbara Nelson, won the 4A state championship and were selected by MaxPreps as one of the nation’s top 10 teams out of more than 20,000 playing nationwide. The Mustangs were 30-1 and lost only to nationally ranked Blackman of Tennessee. Myers Park blew out Southeast Raleigh 61-46 in the 4A final.

2014-15, Myers Park: The Mustangs, ranked No. 4 nationally by USA Today, finished 29-1 and beat Southeast Raleigh, 52-47, to win their second straight 4A state championship and become the first Mecklenburg County 4A public school girls’ basketball team to repeat. The Mustangs also won their second straight Sweet 16 banner, edging a Providence Day team that won its sixth straight NCISAA 3A title. In a four-year run, Myers Park was 119-4 with two state titles.

2015-16, Providence Day: The Chargers finished 27-2, and won their final 11 games in a row, led by Gatorade N.C. player of the year Erin Whalen. Providence Day won its seventh straight NCISAA 3A state championship and took the title for the 11th time in 12 years. In the playoffs, Providence Day allowed 16, 24 and 21 points. Providence Day was 22-1 against N.C. teams and outscored opponents, on average, by a score of 54-25.

2016-17, Providence Day: The Chargers won their seventh Sweet 16 banner after finishing 26-4 and winning their eighth straight NCISAA 3A state championship. Providence Day was 22-1 against N.C. teams, losing to seven-time 2A champ Carolina Day. After that game, Providence Day won five straight games to clinch the 3A title.

2017-18, Mallard Creek: The Mavericks finished 28-3 under coach Clarence Johnson, and reached their second straight N.C. 4A Western Regional championship game. Mallard Creek was then 83-6 under Johnson in three seasons and had won 44 straight games against conference competition. No area team won a state championship in 2017-18.

2018-19, Davidson Day: The Patriots finished 21-5, and were the only Observer-area team to win an NCISAA 2A state championship. The Patriots had just two seniors and were led by junior Wake Forest commit Nevaeh Brown and sophomore Mallorie Haines, who committed to the Davidson Wildcats.

2019-20, Chambers: Chambers finished 26-5, and qualified for its first state final in 17 years. COVID canceled the state championship, however, and Chambers was named co-champion with Southeast Raleigh. Chambers beat conference rival Mallard Creek, 72-42, in the N.C. 4A Western Regional championship game.

The 2020s

2020-21, Chambers: Chambers repeated as N.C. 4A and Sweet 16 champion. Seven Charlotte-area girls’ teams won state titles in a season that was shortened due to COVID. Chambers finished 12-0 and beat opponents by an average of 19.4 points in the playoffs, including a 63-61 win against Independence in the third round. Chambers beat Garner, 74-38, in the state final.

2021-22, Chambers: The Cougars finished 24-6 and won their third straight 4A state title, a new state record for 4A teams, and their third straight Sweet 16 banner. In the state final, the Cougars rallied from 14 points down to beat Apex Friendship, 46-44.

2022-23, Salisbury: The Hornets won their first Sweet 16 banner since 2011 by winning 16 straight games to finish the season. Salisbury beat Seaforth, 48-39, in the 2A state final and finished 27-3, just ahead of West Rowan (31-0).

2023-24, Cannon School: The Cougars beat Providence Day, 62-51, to win their first NCISAA 4A state title since 2021 and the second in school history. Cannon finished 23-7 and won 12 straight games to finish the season.