LANDIS — Salisbury’s girls basketball program has been looking for a three-game winning streak since 1996.

After Tuesday night’s 55-52 loss at the South Rowan gym, the Hornets are still searching. But if it’s any consolation to coach Jennifer Shoaf, the Hornets didn’t lose this one nearly so much as South won it. For a game between the two girls teams in the county for whom fans have the lowest expectations, this game exceeded anyone’s wildest dreams. It was a long, long way from ugly.

“It was a good game. I sure don’t won’t to take take anything away from the way South played,” said Shoaf after her girls fell to 2-2. “You’ve gotta give them credit.”

The Raiders played with passion from wire to wire, not the easiest thing to do when you have yet to taste victory. But now South (1-3) knows just how good winning feels. South’s leader Brittney Gaddy was her usual superb self with 21 points and 25 rebounds, but her team finally got over the hump, because her teammates took a giant step forward.

Katie Willett (17 points) made eight huge free throws in the fourth quarter and took charge when someone in the Raider backcourt had to take over. Meanwhile, Mandy Yost, Britt Miller, Aisha Khan and Lauren Raper made Greene smile by getting on the floor early and often.

“We got it up tonight,” said Yost. “We played with confidence, because we’ve been working so hard to get better.”

“South took it to us,” sighed Shoaf.

Especially early. Greene paired 6-foot youngster Alexis Blackwood with Gaddy, giving the Raiders a monstrous size advantage on the Hornets, whose tallest player, JenReilly, was looking almost straight up at Gaddy. In fact, the Raider girls might have a size edge on John Davis’ Raider boys. Greene ordered his tall timber into a tight 2-3 zone and dared the Hornets to shoot. And the Hornets shot neither very often nor very well.

“We were hesitant, passive,” said Shoaf. “I mean, everyone in the world’s gonna play zone against us. We’ve got to be more aggressive.”

South jumped out 16-8 after a quarter by doing exactly what Greene had demanded in his pregame speech. “We had to box out and rebound the ball, because Salisbury jumps so much higher than us,” said Greene. “And we had to take care of the ball better than we’ve been doing.”

Greene also gave his team some unusual offensive instructions. Since many of his team’s turnovers in its first three games had come from trying to force-feed the ball to a triple-teamed Gaddy, he shifted gears.

“He told my teammates to take the ball away from me,” said Gaddy. “Coach said, ‘The only way Big Brit is going to get the ball is for people to take open shots and let her go get the rebounds.’ That’s what happened.”

Gaddy had 13 points by halftime and South was cruising 30-20.

Yost hit a long one right out of the locker room and the Raider lead swelled to 13. But the Hornets got a boost when Blackwood fouled out early. Then the quicker Hornets started pressing furiously and ran off nine straight points to get back in the game.

When Ternisha Charleston scored five in a flurry, Salisbury was within 38-35 and had momentum.

“But then,” said Shoaf, “we started missing so many easy opportunities.”

Salisbury did misfire on three straight from pointblank range on one trip. On another, Keke Chunn, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds, sailed into the lane, only to have her shot rejected by Gaddy. Chunn skied over everyone for the rebound, only to have Gaddy block her follow shot as well.

South held on as the clocked ticked away the frantic minutes. Down the stretch — even though Shoaf was begging her team not to let Willett get the ball — Willett kept getting it, kept getting fouled and kept making free throws. South needed every point, because Salisbury kept coming — with Reilly (17 points, 10 rebounds) scoring steadily and reserve Jamie Seay knocking down two 3-point bombs. Seay’s last 3-pointer made it 52-50 South with 22 seconds to go.

Willett then made a free throw for a three-point lead, but Chunn went coast-to-coast to make it 53-52, the closest Salisbury had been since 8-7.

Willett answered with two ice-water charity tosses for 55-52 and Greene called timeout with nine seconds left to set his defense.

He knew Salisbury would try to get the ball to Seay for a 3 and so did the everyone else in the gym.

“Coach said for us to play hard 21 (half-court man-to-man) and get in No. 30’s (Seay’s) face,” said Yost.

The Raiders did. The Hornets got Seay the ball, but she never had a clean look. She had to hurry a shot with little chance and time expired as the Hornets battled for the rebound.

“The screen just wasn’t there for Jamie,” said Shoaf. “It sure wasn’t her fault. It should never have come down to one shot.”

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NOTES: Gaddy is averaging 22 points per game. ... This was the sixth meeting between Greene and Shoaf, who became head coaches in the county at the same time (1996-97). They’ve each won three times. ... Willett’s 17 points was a career best, as was Seay’s nine. ... Reilly’s averaged 19.7 ppg in her last three games. ... South’s male cheerleaders debuted to rave reviews.

SALISBURY (52) — Reilly 17, Chunn 16, Seay 9, Charleston 7, Hanrahan 2, Taylor 1, Wingerson, Doby.

SOUTHROWAN (55) — Gaddy 21, Willett 17, Yost 5, Miller 5, Raper 3, Khan 2, Blackwood 2.

Salisbury 8 12 15 17 — 52 South Rowan 16 14 8 17 — 55