LANDIS—As expected, North Rowan’s fast girls team forced the Raiders into turnovers.
As expected, South Rowan’s giant basketball squad forced the Cavaliers into turnovers.
Throw in 60 personal fouls, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a basketball game —to forget, perhaps.
“We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on,”said South’s Alexius Blackwood, who paced her team to a 69-41 victory Tuesday night against visiting North.
South improved to 2-0 for the year despite turning the ball over 43 times. The key came from inside, where Blackwood tallied 18 points and fellow 6-footer Sade Jordan added nine. The duo dominated the boards, combining for 25 rebounds, and scored on plenty of putbacks over the shorter Cavs (0-1).
“We use our post kids as the foundation of the team,”South head coach James Greene said. “They’re our stabilizer and we understand that.”
North couldn’t compete with that kind of size, but did throw impressive speed at the Raiders. Cavalier returners Crystal Craige (11 points) and Moriah Jones (eight) led the way, but 41 turnovers and a 20-for-47 showing at the free-throw line proved too much to overcome.
“Our speed didn’t take over except a little bit in the second quarter,”North head coach Mike White said. “Then every time we scored, there was a lapse on defense and they scored.”
South came in with a win under its belt last week, while North had merely scrimmaged twice. But both teams looked rusty in the opening period, combining for 24 turnovers. South led 15-6 after the period thanks in part to senior Mandy Yost, who had her first of four four-point quarters in a strong showing.
The Raiders led by as many as 17 points in the second quarter. And even after North’s 6-0 run late in the period, South led 35-19 at the half.
Keosha Mack extended the South advantage with three quick steals to open the third quarter and the rout was on at an agonizingly slow pace. North committed 26 fouls and South 34 as the teams combined to shoot 83 free throws. The Raiders were more on the mark, hitting 20 of 36, and also managed a much stronger 42 percent from the field (24-for-57).
North shot just 10-for-55 (18 percent) from the floor, scoring four points in the third quarter before bouncing back in the fourth quarter by forcing the Raiders into 15 turnovers.
“Tonight the kids played impatient, fouled a lot. We got winded and started reaching,”Greene said. “But we’re getting better every day, growing. It was a great team effort where everyone took care of their particular role.”
NORTH ROWAN (41) — Cameron, Foxx 2, Lipscomb, Hunter 6, Craige 11, Jones 8, Purnell 3, Suber, Hendrick 2, Stallings 3, Hairston, Cuthbertson 6.
SOUTH ROWAN (69) — Yost 16, Mack 3, Jordan 9, Parker 5, Billings, Willett 5, Russell 5, Brown 2, Blackwood 18, Rucker 4, Littlejohn 2.
North Rowan 6 13 4 18 — 41
South Rowan 15 20 12 22 — 69
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Contact Steve Hanf at 704-797-4256 or shanf@salisburypost.com
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