Prep Basketball: North Iredell girls 63, South Rowan 22

By Jordan Honeycutt

sports@salisburypost.com

STATESVILLE — Sister Act. No, not the nun movie with Whoopi Goldberg –– but the movie that South Rowan got to watch instead Wednesday, starring the Johnson sisters of North Iredell.

Bri and Mariah combined for 25 points as South fell prey to the more athletic Raiders 63-22 in the NPC tournament semifinals.

The game –– which turned out ugly–– actually wasn’t too bad at the halfway mark.

The Raiders trailed only 20-9 at intermission with freshman star Avery Locklear having three fouls.

“I felt pretty good about where we were, to be two shots away from making it a game as bad as we were playing,” South Rowan coach Jarrod Smith said. “We had a lack of execution in the first half and I was hoping that we would hit some more shots in the second, but we didn’t and they did.”

Did they ever?

About a minute into the second half, Locklear drove to the rim and collided with Mariah Johnson and drew her fourth foul.

When Locklear went out, North Iredell heated up.

The victorious Raiders turned out a 27-point third quarter and with ferocious defense–– held South Rowan just three.

The higher seed continued to stretch the margin as Brooke Redmond could have been arrested for larceny for all of the steals and layups she converted.

Redmond added 15 to the Johnsons’ 25.

“We were really stagnant in that first half and couldn’t get our shots to fall,” North Iredell coach Tami Ramsey said. “I told them to attack more in the second half and be more aggressive driving to the hoop. Even more so when Avery (Locklear) picked up her fourth foul.”

Smith didn’t want to pull his star from the game, but knew he had to.

By the time he got Locklear back in action, it was too late.

“There was a lot that went wrong tonight, but the main thing to me was rebounding,” Smith said. “I would hate to know how many second and third attempts they got but it was just a crazy amount.”

The rebounding drill that North Iredell ran was in large due to Bri Johnson and Redmond.

“It was tough inside tonight,” Bri Johnson said. “We like that, though, and we just had to be strong and run the floor to get those easy looks. We want this tournament bad.”

North Iredell will now get its chance as it awaits the winner of tonight’s battle between Carson and West Rowan.

For the Raiders, they waved goodbye to several seniors, including Lauren Miller, who had nine points, and Kayla Corriher.

NORTH IREDELL (63) — Redmond 15, B. Johnson 13, M. Johson 12, Cartner 10, Fox 4, Lunsford 4, Haneline 3, Moore 2, Robbins.

SOUTH ROWAN (22) — Miller 9, Locklear 7, Allison 3, Chipman 2, K. Corriher 1, Bost, Coley, L. Corriher, Deal, Honeycutt, Hubbard, McCoy, Register, Stamey.

S. Rowan 03 06 03 10 — 22

N. Iredell 11 09 27 16 — 63