Cav girls held to single field goal in first half of loss

SPENCER — On Tuesday night, North Rowan girls coach Mike White finally found some of that consistency he’s been seeking all season.

The Cavaliers scored a meager three points in the first quarter, then followed up with three more in an equally miserable second quarter.

Now that’s consistency, albeit not exactly what White had in mind.

With the weather unseasonably warm, the Cavs were unreasonably cold in a frustrating 37-26 2A Central Carolina Conference loss to visiting West Stokes. Frustrating, because in the eyes of West Stokes coach Bob Sullivan, the Cavaliers (1-17, 1-8) did everything right except put the ball in the hole.

“North really ran the ball up and down and they put great defensive pressure on us,” Sullivan said.

Of course, when you shoot 15 percent from the field (9-for-60) like the Cavs did, all the defense in the world isn’t going to save you. The Cavs’ 1-for-23 performance in the first half — thankfully Crystal Craige hit a 3-pointer with five minutes left in the second quarter to prevent a shutout — was hardly suitable for general audiences.

To their credit, the Cavs never stopped hustling, but the nets never did start rustling.

“The effort was there, especially in the second half,” said White. “But shots wouldn’t go down. They just rolled around and came out. Other times, it was like we went in there expecting a call that we didn’t get.”

North’s defense did a great job on West Stokes post player Jennifer Culler, who had overpowered the Cavs for 22 points when the purple-clad Wildcats won in King. This time, Culler got just four, but 5-foot-10 freshman post Mollie Fowler took up the slack with 14 points and 19 boards.

“We just couldn’t box that girl out,” sighed White.

At times, West Stokes’ young guards wilted against quicker North’s pressure, but the Wildcats’ 17-for-26 accuracy at the foul line compensated for 22 turnovers.

West Stokes (9-10, 6-3) took control from the outset, scoring on a set play off the tip and rolling out to a 12-3 lead by the end of the first quarter.

North eventually fought back as close as 25-20 on a Moriah Jones 3-pointer with 5:50 left in the game, but West Stokes didn’t make a turnover over the next four minutes and reeled off eight points in a row to ice the issue.

“We got that great start and a good lead,” said Sullivan. “But we were still concerned right to the end, because if you look at their scores, North’s been one heck of a fourth-quarter team.”

“The first half we couldn’t have hit the side of a barn,” groaned White. “That was a killer. That had to be our lowest half all season.”

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NOTES:No one seems impressed with West Stokes, but Sullivan’s team is apparently playoff-bound after winning a series of tight games. West has won seven of 10 after a slow start. ... Next for the Cavs is rival Salisbury on Friday. White feels his girls can upset the Hornets if they duplicate last night’s defensive effort. North allowed only 10 field goals. ... The Cavs shot 75 percent from the line, but got only eight attempts.

WEST STOKES (37) — Mo. Fowler 14, Bowman 8, Mann 6, Newsome 4, Culler 4, Ragan 1, Loggins, Cobb, Adams, Me. Fowler, Hall.

NORTH ROWAN (26) — Jones 9, Craige 8, Hunter 4, Suber 3, Hendrick 2, Foxx, Cuthbertson, Purnell, Stalling.

W. Stokes 12 4 7 14 — 37

North Rowan 3 3 9 11 — 26

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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com .