South girls open basketball playoffs Monday

BY STAFF REPORTS
SALISBURY POST

South Rowan’s girls will get the state basketball playoffs started for area teams when they host Durham Riverside on Monday at 7 p.m. in a 4A first-round game.

South (15-10) is the No. 2 seed from the Central Piedmont, while Riverside is the No. 4 team from the Pac 6.

“All I’ve heard about Riverside is they have some pretty nice outside shooting, but people tell me we might have an advantage with our post kids,” said Greene. “Mostly I’m just gonna worry about getting my team ready, not about who we’re playing. But I will say I expect a very evenly matched game and a nice crowd.”

Greene said he’d like to believe the long bus-ride down from Durham will take something out of Riverside’s Pirates, but then again, he can still vividly recall South’s 92-53 first-round home loss to McDowell County last season.

“The long ride didn’t seem to take too much out of those mountain girls last year,” Greene joked.

South’s No. 2 seeding was preserved Friday night when top-seeded Davie County beat third-seeded West Forsyth in the CPC tourney championship game.

If South beats Riverside, it faces a road game on Wednesday.

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Teams that must play first-round games have to win three games to advance to the regionals. Teams with first-round byes have to win two. Games start at 7 p.m. unless there happens to be a girls-boys doubleheader at the same site. In that case, games are at 6:30 (girls) and 8 (boys).

All sectional games will be played in one of the participants’ home gym this time around, a monetarily motivated move by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. In other words, no gatherings of teams at neutral sites like Catawba College or Pfeiffer University.

Higher seeds host games. If teams with equal seeds meet, it’s been predetermined that certain conferences have seeding priority over others. This seemingly innocent wrinkle could lead to some interesting developments.

For instance, if West Rowan’s boys, top seed from the 3A North Piedmont Conference, were to win their opening game on Thursday, they could conceivably meet the No. 1 seed from the South Piedmont in a sectional final.

If that game does take place on March 2 — based on predetermined conference priorities — the unbeaten Falcons would find themselves making a road trip into a hostile environment.

Believe it or not.

Ask West coach Mike Gurley to bend your ear about that potential scenario.

Something else to keep an eye on. If West wins Thursday and A.L. Brown wins Tuesday and Thursday, they’d meet for a fourth time. West would obviously host that matchup if it happens.

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Area boys teams open play on Tuesday night, with North Rowan at home and Salisbury, A.L. Brown and Davie County on the road.

North (12-14), No. 3 from the 2A Central Carolina Conference, entertains Monroe, No. 3 seed out of the Rocky River.

The CCC has seeding priority over the RRC, which explains why the Cavs get to play at home.

Salisbury (10-15), No. 4 seed from the CCC, will be an underdog when it travels to high-powered Reidsville, No. 2 seed from the North State.

Davie’s boys (15-8), No. 3 out of the CPC, play on the road on Tuesday at Metro Conference No. 3 Mount Tabor, a familiar foe from Tabor’s days in the CPC.

A.L. Brown’s boys (18-7) will be out to avenge the whipping Ragsdale laid on them in the football playoffs. The Wonders, No. 3 out of the NPC, will play in the house of the Tigers, No. 3 seed from the Piedmont Triad.

If North survives the first round, it plays at North State champ Burlington Cummings on Thursday.

If Salisbury wins, it’s on the road — gulp! — against CCC champ Lexington on Thursday.

Both Davie and A.L. Brown would play conference champs (Pac 6 and South Piedmont, respectively) on the road on Thursday if they survive their openers.

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East Rowan’s girls (19-6), No. 2 out of the NPC, and Davie County’s girls (16-8), champs of the CPC, have first-round byes and won’t get started until Wednesday night. Both will be at home and will take on first-round winners.

If East and Davie win their games on Wednesday, they’ll be back in action on Friday.

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West Rowan’s boys get cranked up last. The probable foe for the Falcons (25-0) is a strong Asheboro squad, No. 2 seed out of the Tri-County.

If the Falcons win Thursday, they’ll play Saturday for the right to advance to the regionals.