South, 0-2 for the season, battled back to within one point in the third quarter before falling 49-39 in the nonconference high school basketball game at the South gym.

Mooresville, playing its season opener, surged to a 14-0 lead before South’s Brittney Gaddy converted on a three-point play with 1:21 left in the first quarter. Midway through the second period, it was 28-6.

Guard Morgan Andrews then led the Raiders’ comeback that cut the deficit to 31-22 by halftime and 33-32 with just more than three minutes left in the third period. The senior had all 11 of her points during that stretch.

Then foul trouble caught up with the young Raiders. Gaddy, Andrews and Jennifer Morgan each picked up a fourth foul in a span of just more than a minute. Mooresville went back on top 38-32 at the end of the quarter and eventually led by 11.

“We know that we’ve got a tremendously young team, and we understand that it’s going to be a process,” said coach James Greene, whose Raiders fell to East Rowan 70-53 the previous night.

“We’ve got a lot of unanswered questions as of yet. Our defensive intensity is not where we want it to be. We’re trying to be aggressive, but we are fouling,” he added.

Gaddy fouled out with 7:42 left in the game, and Andrews and Morgan followed at 6:22 and 5:47, respectively. Reserves Nicole Parker and Katie Willett fouled out in the closing minutes.

Greene, whose Raiders won 58 games in his first three seasons as head coach, believes in a man-to-man pressure defense, and South’s quickness caused Mooresville a lot of problems (35 turnovers), but he’s not sure the defense is right for his players.

“We are going to look at some other things defensively. We’re going to see what might better fit the kids if the 41 (fullcourt man-to-man) is not doing it, although we did it pretty well tonight. We’ve got to go back to the basics and just see what’ll work for these kids,” he said.

“They’re going to be O.K. The team spirit is not broken. The team effort is good. I tell the kids all the time, ‘It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish up,’” Greene added.

Forwards LaurenPlyler and Liz Florence both had big games for Mooresville. Plyler scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds for a double-double and added four steals, two blocked shots and a couple of assists. Florence finished with 14 points, a game-high 16 rebounds, four steals and an assist.

For South, Andrews and Morgan each scored 11 points. Ashlie Sheets was the Raiders’ leading rebounder with 13 plus blocking a couple of shots.

“Sheets is very consistent. She gives you the same thing in practice,” said Greene of his senior, who sat out last season because of injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

n

NOTES: South struggled offensively, going only 10-for-71 (14.1 percent) on field goals, while Mooresville was 19-for-50 (38 percent). South did outshoot the Blue Devils at the foul line, making 16 of 30 as compared to a dismal 11-for-43 for the visitors. ... Mooresville had a 51-39 rebounding edge. ... South had 32 turnovers, three less than Mooresville. ... The contest started an hour late (7 p.m.) after the jayvee boys game went overtime. ... South returns to action next Monday at North Rowan

MOORESVILLE (49) — Pardew 3, Plyler 19, Florence 14, Eckley 3, Johanson 1, Mayhew 2, Faulise, Swearengin 3, Johns, Formaniuk 4.

SOUTH ROWAN (39) — Gaddy 5, Morgan 11, Sheets 4, Andrews 11, Blewitt, Willett 5, Parker 1, Efird, Khan, Miller, Easley, Yost 2.

Mooresville 16 15 7 11 — 49