‘We weren’t consistent enough’: Chatham Charter gets bounced from playoffs by Mountain Island Charter

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SILER CITY — Whether you were standing near the edge of the Chatham Charter bench like head coach Jason Messier, running up and down the court like senior power forward Trevor Golden or sitting in the stands, a noticeable pattern began to emerge and eventually became plain for everyone to see during Tuesday night’s first-round matchup in the NCHSAA Men’s 1A basketball playoffs.

Chatham Charter, time after time, would begin to dig itself out of a hole against a much more athletic and lengthy Mountain Island Charter team, only for the visitors to restore control, ultimately unscathed.

The result was a 72-46 season-ending loss for No. 7 seed Chatham Charter, which saw its 12-1 regular season cut short by a one-game stay in the postseason, just one year removed from a state semifinals appearance.

Following a mostly competitive 26 minutes of basketball, Mountain Island ended the game on a 21-3 run over six minutes that was as nonchalant as it was crucial, leaving Chatham Charter with its largest defeat in over four years.

The suddenness and sadness of postseason elimination is something nearly all teams deal with every year. And for the Knights, that’s certainly true.

Coming off of a 32-win season, Messier’s team lost just once in an abbreviated regular season, winning by 10-plus points on 10 occasions and 30-plus on four. On paper, this was a team that could have gone far.

But following Tuesday night’s defeat to No. 10 seed Mountain Island, there was little talk about what-ifs or rumination on a postseason run denied. Instead, blunt admissions that the better team won.

“We got (the deficit) down, and then we let them build it right back up,” Messier said. “We weren’t consistent enough for 32 minutes of basketball to get the victory.”

After trailing 11-3 in the opening minutes, Chatham Charter got back into the game largely on the strength of Golden, whose aggressiveness in the paint often led to his team’s best looks, whether they were transition layups, crowded dribble drives or tough, second-chance putbacks.

Golden finished as Chartham Charter’s leading scorer with 20 points, 12 of which came in the first half.

With both teams tied at 15 following the first quarter, Chatham Charter briefly took a three-point lead in the second period but trailed by eight, 33-25, at the break after a barrage of transition points from Mountain Island, including a buzzer-beating slam dunk by senior small forward Najee Steward, who scored 16 points and was one of four on Mountain Island to reach double-figures.

In a way, Steward’s dunk symbolized Chatham Charter’s struggles with Mountain Island’s athleticism.

“We had moments at the end of the half,” Messier said. “The first half, we had it down and next thing we know, in 40-something seconds they’re scoring 6-8 points.”

After Mountain Island extended its lead to 13 early in the third quarter, Chatham Charter sophomore guard/forward Adam Harvey (15 points) helped his team fight back with his outside shooting. The Knights made it 47-40, but a pivotal moment arrived when Harvey, with a chance to make it a five-point game, had a transition layup blocked before Mountain Island turned right around and scored on two straight possessions to take a 51-40 lead into the fourth quarter.

“They had some athletes,” Golden said. “We don’t have football here; they have football. I’m pretty sure they have a kid going to Carolina to play football. We just don’t see competition like that, but we just have to set our minds for better preparation.”

The University of North Carolina commit referred to by Golden was small forward Gabe Stephens, who chipped in 14 points and was one of three Mountain Island starters listed as 6-foot-3 or taller. The springy, 6-foot-5 Marquis Williams led the visitors with 21.

A three-pointer by Chatham Charter guard Darrius Taylor brought the Knights within eight early in the fourth, but it marked the end of his team’s series of rallies.

Relying largely on trips to the free throw lines, second-chance opportunities and transition points, Mountain Island went on a 16-0 run that sealed the deal.

Even when only minutes removed from defeat, both Golden — one of two outgoing seniors, along with guard Clay Griffin — and Messier had time for reflection on the season as a whole.

For Golden, there are the memories made and accomplishments achieved over the past few years. From his sophomore year onward, Golden was a part of a program that went 71-9.

The wins, of course, are tangible and countable. Other memorable aspects of high school basketball are not.

“The bus rides,” Golden said with a smile that suggested countless stories to be told. “Definitely the bus rides.”

Messier, meanwhile, is most proud of how his team handled a season altered by a pandemic and is optimistic about the future, considering he started four sophomores this season.

“Last year, we made it to the regional finals,” Messier said. “We lost four of our five starters, and people didn’t feel these guys would accomplish – and they did. They stepped up and we won our conference and won some big games. I thought we had a great year.”