Gallagher column: Notes 'n' quotes

Livingstone College's coach James Stinson in game with Bowie State. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Catawba's Jim Baker in game with Brevard College . Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

We spend so much time lauding Rowan County high schools and their exciting play and large crowds, we forget to mention there's some good hoops action going on in local college gyms.

Watch Catawba or Livingstone play and you leave telling yourself, "That's some pretty darn entertaining basketball."

The two Salisbury colleges are 1.2 miles apart and play in Division II — Catawba in the South Atlantic Conference and Livingstone in the CIAA.

Have you seen Catawba's Donald Rutherford dunk? Have you watched Livingstone's Jarrod Stockton's spin moves or Aaron Caruthers' ballhanding?

If not, you're missing out. Even free-throw shooting is a thing of beauty. At least, if your name is Rob Fields. The Catawba senior is one of the best in the country, shooting 90 percent.

And though both teams lost Saturday, they kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.

Catawba lost 94-88 in double-overtime. Livingstone lost at Virginia State 80-79 but had two chances to win at the end.

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Catawba's Jim Baker and Livingstone's James Stinson have assembled quality rosters.

Haven't heard of Megail Cannon? He scored 23 for Livingstone on Saturday.

You have heard of Antonio Houston. The Catawba senior has 1,945 points and before the season is over, will be one of only two SAC players to finish a career with over 2,000. Wingate's Sean Barnette (2,324) is the other.

It's hard not to know the coaches. Baker will go over 300 career wins shortly. He's at 297. Stinson has turned around a moribund program by recruiting not only talented kids, but kids with good character.

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And there's yet another pretty good Division II program just down Highway 52 in Dave Davis' Pfeiffer Falcons.

Entertaining? My gosh, the Falcons are the nation's top-scoring team at over 100 points per game.

Let's see here, how did Dave's team do Saturday? Pfeiffer hit 20 — count' em, 20 — 3-pointers in an 84-52 win against Erskine. That means only 24 points came from "boring" two-pointers and free throws.

Entertaining? CBS Sports is coming to Misenheimer on Saturday to call Pfeiffer's home game, which starts at noon. No kidding.

Seems CBS wanted to do a Division II game and the metropolis of Misenheimer was the pick.

Livingstone is home on Thursday. Pfeiffer has its national TV appearance. Catawba will be home on Feb. 6.

Go watch some Division II basketball. It's good stuff.

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But of course, this area is high school crazy.

And there is plenty of it:

- Tonight, you can follow North Rowan to South Davidson.

- On Tuesday, there are five doubleheaders with Salisbury (against Thomasville), West Rowan (against West Iredell) and East (against Carson) at home. South goes to North Iredell and North heads to Gray Stone.

- On Wednesday, the top two teams in the North Piedmont Conference are on the road. West visits A.L. Brown and Carson goes West Davidson.

- On Thursday, South comes to West.

- On Friday, there are five more doubleheaders. Carson (against West Iredell) and South (against Statesville) are at home. Salisbury goes to West Davidson, East travels to North Iredell and North visits Albemarle.

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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-42387 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com.