Junior attackman Eli Morris scored four goals, including the game-winner, and senior goaltender Grayson Stricker made some crucial saves in a frantic fourth quarter as the South Meck boys completed a season sweep of Hopewell with a 9-8 win in Huntersville late Tuesday afternoon.

The Sabres, who moved to 4-6 on the season, led 8-6 after three periods and survived a late Titans rally that culminated in Stricker and the South defense fighting off a man-down situation as time expired. Senior attackmen Jordan Smith (2 goals, 1 assist) and Josh Bailey (1 goal, 1 assist) set the pace for the South offense early on, while middies Dylan Stewart and Daniel Nix scored important third-quarter goals to help the Sabres establish control heading into the fourth.

With six games remaining, the South boys have already won their most games since the 2006 season. They'll look to eclipse that mark and go for another series sweep against Butler at 7 p.m. in Matthews on Friday night.

Facing one of the top teams in the county, the Lady Sabres played Providence tough throughout before March 18 at home before dropping a 15-7 decision. South trailed 12-2 at halftime, but coach Brenna Houghton made some defensive adjustments and the Lady Sabres outplayed and outscored the Panthers 5-3 the rest of the way. Kristen Reeder had five goals to lead South, while Skye Klink chipped in two goals and two assists. The Lady Sabres next play at Ardrey Kell (6:30) on Tuesday, March 22.

The Sabre boys won their third straight game Wednesday at Mooresville, beating the Blue Devils 13-3 behind senior attackman Jordan Smith's five goals and two assists. South improved its record to 3-2, which is its first winning mark and three-game win streak in six years under new head coach Tim Murphy. Eli Morris, who has a team-leading 17 goals on the season so far, found the back of the net three times, while Daniel Nix and Dylan Stewart each scored twice and Steven Mortensen once. Filling in for sidelined starter Josh Bailey, sophomore attackman Matt Ludwick had a big night with three assists and four groundballs. Freshman Ben Beiser led the defense with four groundballs and goalie Grayson Stricker had 11 saves on the night.

The South Meck boys evened their record at 2-2 and moved up to third place in the conference with an exciting 10-8 win over rival Butler Monday night at Fred Boger Stadium. The Sabres built an 8-2 lead by halftime and survived a spirited second-half rally by the Bulldogs to win their second straight game at home. South beat Hopewell 10-7 on March 8.

The Sabres' offense was led by Eli Morris (4 goals, 1 assist), Josh Bailey (3 goals, 2 assists) and Jordan Smith (2 goals, 3 assists), but got perhaps its biggest play from junior middie Steven Mortensen when he stemmed the tide of the Butler comeback with a goal midway through the fourth quarter on an assist from Smith that put South up 9-6 and iced the win.

Defensively, South received huge games from freshman defenseman Ben Beiser (4 groundballs) and senior goalie Grayson Stricker (16 saves, 3 groundballs), while freshman Daniel Nix (7 groundballs) and junior Dylan Stewart (6) helped the Sabres dominate play at midfield. 

The Sabres go for their third straight win against Mooresville High on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be played at Mooresville Middle School at 233 Kistler Farm Road in Mooresville. Players should be at South to board the bus no later than 4:45. Please click on the GAME DIRECTIONS tab at left to view details of how to get there.

South Meck's girls lacrosse team opened its season March 3 at Fred Boger Stadium, losing to a strong Lake Norman squad 14-5. The homestanding Lady Sabres were led by seniors Kristen Reeder and Skye Klink, who scored two goals each. Classmate Katie Hodge scored the fifth goal for South, which returns to the field Saturday with an 11 a.m. game at Hough High.

The Sabre boys will have individual and team pictures taken before practice Saturday at South Meck, beginning at 10:30 a.m. All players should wear their white game jerseys and practice shorts.