South shook off a sleepy first half and put together a fabulous third quarter to whip visiting 4A Central Piedmont Conference rival West Forsyth 69-53.

“We practice way too hard not to play well,” said Greene. “Tonight, we finally put some things together.”

South’s 69 points were 13 more than it had scored in any game this season. Even more amazing, South (3-12, 1-1 CPC) had averaged just 38 ppg in its previous eight games — all losses.

The key was that sparkling third quarter in which South shot 9-for-15 from the field, went 4-for-6 from the line, committed only two turnovers and buried the Titans 24-9.

It was 27-27 two minutes into the second half when the Raiders spurted like they haven’t done in a long, long time. Brittney Gaddy scored inside, then Morgan Andrews got a steal and hit Katie Willett for a layup. Then Jennifer Morgan stepped in for a steal and took it all the way for a 33-27 lead.

Andrews followed with a corner jumper and fed Gaddy twice for easy buckets. Morgan ripped a 3-pointer and two free throws. Suddenly, the Raiders led 44-28 and had complete control of the game.

“Was I surprised that South played like that?” asked West Forsyth coach T.R. Richards, who glumly watched his team fall to 1-12 and 0-1 in the CPC. “No, honestly, I wasn’t. They were stone cold when I saw them play at Mount Tabor, but I haven’t ever played one of James Greene’s teams that didn’t hustle. I knew it would be tough coming down here. And it was.”

South did everything right after halftime. The 6-1 Gaddy, for whom West had no answers in the paint, scored 19 points and had eight rebounds.

Morgan played her best game since taking 40-plus stitches in her chin and mouth after taking a fall against West Rowan. The senior scored 16 points, picked up four steals and lobbed the ball inside to Gaddy for layups on four occasions.

Andrews hit two fourth-quarter 3-pointers when West threatened to sneak back in the game, contributed six assists and matched her career high with 11 points.

Then there was freshman point guard Katie “Bug” Willett, who had by far her best game with 10 points. She shot 4-for-5 on field goals and handled the ball so efficiently that the Raiders had only six second-half turnovers.

“I was more confident tonight,” said Willett, who made a name for herself in cross country last fall. “This was the first time that I just played and didn’t worry about making turnovers.”

“We’ve watched ‘Bug’ grow before our eyes,” said Greene. “She’s a big part of this team. She’s grown up and this team has grown with her.”

In the second half, South didn’t force difficult shots, knocked down five 3s, pounded the ball inside and played sound defense — a tough combination to beat.

“Coach Greene told us at halftime what to do and we got it into our heads to do it,” said Willett. “We knew that this time we were going to win. We were just so determined.”

And win South did, despite a game-high 21 points by West’s sweet-shooting Jessica Joyner, who hit three 3s.

Now, despite its unimposing 3-12 overall mark, South is 1-1 in the only place it really counts — the CPC standings. And four of the five CPC teams will make the state playoffs.

“There’s nothing we can do about those games we lost,” said Greene. “But that’s past history. This is a new season for us.”

“We can still be a good team,” added Willett. “We know we can.”

WEST FORSYTH (53) — Kiger 5, Dubose 9, Joyner 21, Finn, Payne 10, Wooten 1, Brewer 7, Etchison.

SOUTH ROWAN (69) — Andrews 11, Willett 10, Gaddy 19, Khan, Sheets 5, Morgan 16, Easley 2, Eird 1, Roberts, Yost 2, Miller 3.