Coach Kelly Everhart’s Cavaliers beat East for the third time this season in the opening round of the Sam Moir Christmas Classic at Catawba College’s Goodman Gym.

North, now 6-2, will also be playing undefeated West (10-0), the tourney’s defending champion, for the third time when the big rivals meet at 4:30 p.m. today in the semifinals.

“We don’t have any trouble getting up for West Rowan, and likewise West doesn’t have any trouble getting up for us, so it should be another good game. We’ve had two barnburners with them, and we just look for another one,” said Everhart, whose Cavs lost 67-61 at West and fell 82-81 at North in two December meetings.

“We should have won the last one,” said Everhart. “We gave it away down the stretch. The kids knew it. They were pleased with their effort except for the last two minutes of the game. ... I just hope that maybe we’ll be in that same position this time and maybe handle the pressure a little better down the stretch.”

“We want them. We’ve lost to them too many times,” said North post player Bryan McCullough, who contributed eight points and six rebounds to the victory. “We’ve got to get this one — just play hard and keep going at it.”

East’s Mark Flynn, whose Mustangs (2-9) had played well at home against North in a 50-42 loss eight days earlier, was impressed with the Cavaliers.

“I think they can play with anybody in the state, mainly because of their depth. They’ve got the quickness, they can trap and they can score. They really have no weakness. They haven’t got a whole lot of size, but that doesn’t matter with their speed,” said Flynn, whose East team was scheduled to take on South Rowan at 1:30 p.m. today in the losers bracket.

As for playing with anybody in the state, Everhart said, “I think that we can, if our shots are going in, and that’s true with anybody.”

North took a lot of shots, 76, and hit 30 of them for a percentage of 39.5. Wing player Mario Sturdivant came off the bench to lead the Cavaliers with 15 points.

“He’s just now getting back into the basketball rhythm,” said Everhart of the senior, who started at quarterback for North Carolina in the recent Shrine Bowl football game. “He did some things by crashing the boards, getting rebounds and putbacks, scoring that way.”

Sturdivant had nine rebounds, several assists and two steals along with his scoring.

North went on an early 10-0 run for a 12-2 lead, then had a 16-0 run for a whopping 28-3 advantage. It was 35-12 at halftime. The Cavs’ biggest lead was 44 points at 61-17 in the fourth period.

“I think the game over at East made us focus a little more, which was good,” said Everhart. “We hadn’t been on the court for a week or so. After we got our legs about us and got used to the atmosphere, I felt like we loosened up and started playing a little bit. That’s kind of what we live by, getting it rolling and using our pressure defense to get turnovers and hopefully get easy shots on the other end.”

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NOTES: The 23 points scored by East matched the Mustangs’ lowest total ever in the holiday tourney. East shot only 19.2 percent from the floor (10-for-52). “I thought tonight was the worst game of the year and the three years I’ve been here,” said Flynn. “I’m embarrassed, and the guys in there (locker room), I’m sure they’re embarrassed. If they’re not, they’re not alive.” ... East also scored 23 against Salisbury in the first tourney at Catawba in 1971. ... The lowest total in school history was 20 against Davie County in 1960. ... Defensively, North missed a school record by one point. The Cavaliers held Monroe to 22 in 1962. ... Point guard Dre Byrd of North just missed double figures with nine points, while McCullough, Marcus Lawing and Graham Hosch each finished with eight. ... Cedric Gill led East’s scoring with 10 points and added nine rebounds, while Taylor Weber led the losers on the boards with 10 rebounds.

EAST ROWAN (23) — Misenheimer 3, Gill 10, Shepherd, Weber 1, Cornelius 2, Sides 1, Rusher 2, Butler 2, Ledbetter 2, Hollifield, Martinez.

NORTH ROWAN(65) — Lawing 8, Reddick 2, McCullough 8, Phillips 4, Byrd 9, Sturdivant 15, J. Miller 5, Davis 4, Hosch 8, A. Miller 2, Witherspoon.

East Rowan 3 9 2 9 — 23