BY RONNIE GALLAGHER
SALISBURY POST

WINSTON-SALEM — Can the Mount Tabor girls basketball team finally be called the best squad in the Central Piedmont 4A Conference?

“I can’t really say that,” said South Rowan’s James Greene.

Tabor coach Dennis Ring was even more emphatic, spewing out a flat-out, “No!”

But the league standings don’t lie. Mount Tabor’s 63-47 win over the Raiders Friday night have the Spartans at 5-0 in a league that gets three playoff berths.

The second and third clubs? It’s anybody’s guess. South (4-16) is now tied with Davie County and Reynolds at 2-3. But Greene fully expects his team to be one of the playoff participants.

In fact, he said of the loss to Tabor, “My kids played probably their best game of the season. We gave Tabor as tough a time as anybody in the conference.”

Greene and Ring watched Brittney Gaddy and Alexis Blackwood dominate the boards, which makes Ring wonder about his team.

“We have the best record but if we had to play Alexis and Brittney every game, we’d be the most un-rebounding team in the league,” he said. “We attempted to kick (Gaddy) in the shins several times but it didn’t work.

“I’m kidding. Coach Greene has done a great job with her. She is much improved from last year.”

But free throw shooting was the key. The Spartans sank 20-of-32.

“We couldn’t keep them off the line,” Greene said. “We’re reaching in too much in practice and if you do it in practice, you’ll do it in games.”

Putting Tabor on the line is bad news.

“We’re the best free throw shooting team around here, boys or girls,” Ring said. “We’re shooting 71 percent, 73 percent in the conference.”

Tabor was 12-of-17 in the first half, running out to a 36-23 lead at intermission. Gaddy, a junior, and Blackwood, a freshman, finished with 16 and 13.

Gaddy, Rowan County’s leading scorer, fouled out with five minutes remaining with South down 11, 54-43. Blackwood had no help underneath from that point.

“Blackwood stepped up,” Greene said. “To be a freshman, she has come a long way. She’s worked hard. She’s only 14.”

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NOTES: Greene’s team is young, period. “I think we’re going to OK,” he said. ... Gaddy had 10 rebounds, Blackwood 9. ... Nicole Parker had 9 points. ... South will be favored Tuesday when it hosts 1-16 (1-4) West Forsyth Tuesday.

SOUTH ROWAN (47) — Gaddy 16, Blackwood 13, Parker 9, Yost 3, Efird 3, Raper 3, Willett, Khan.

MOUNT TABOR (63)— Schleupner 19, Goolsby 10, Caldwell 10, Herb 7, Reaves 6, Decker 3, Allen 2, Crafton 2, Bethea 2, Copeland 1, Hemphill 1.

South Rowan 8 15 13 11 — 47

Mount Tabor 14 22 14 13 — 63