Staff report
Reid Shaver hammered home three dunks in the early going, and South Rowan’s boys then pulled away for an 85-50 win against visiting North Iredell in an NPC opener Tuesday night.
Hunter Morrison scored 28 points to pace South (2-1, 1-0). Steven Johnson and Blake Houston had 13 points apiece.
South won its conference opener for the second time since 1996, when it beat Mount Tabor en route to a second-place finish in the CPC. South defeated Davie County to begin CPC play in 2006.”We’re starting so early with conference games, you have to be ready to go,” South coach John Davis said. “To get that first win in conference is always huge. The momentum is big, and you try to build from one game to the next. Obviously we’ll be able to build off this one.”
South led by one point entering the second quarter, and it outscored North Iredell by a 27-10 margin in the period. Another double-digit difference in the third quarter helped South enter the fourth with a 71-42 advantage.
Morrison has scored at least 24 points in each of South’s first three games.
“He took care of the basketball, and we were able to get good ball movement,” Davis said. “We were able to spot him up some, and he was able to get in the paint with some dribble-drives and penetration.”
Shaver and Addison Corriher played strong defense. Corriher, B.J. Grant and John Davis, the coach’s son, helped control the boards for South.
Shaver’s emphatic dunks energized the home crowd.
“They were pretty impressive,” South coach John Davis said. “(The fans) were ready to go.”
NORTH IREDELL (50) ó R.Sharpe 12, Jordan 8, K.Sharpe 7, Hayes 5, Pharr 3, Smith 2, Bauchard 2, Torrence 2, Ward 2.SOUTH ROWAN (85) ó Morrison 28, Johnson 13, Houston 13, Shaver 9, Davis 7, Grant 7, Honeycutt 2, Walker 2, Corriher 2, Huffman 2.
N. Iredell 16 10 16 8 ó 50
S. Rowan 17 27 27 14 ó 85n South Rowan girls
South Rowan’s girls, who were swept by North Iredell last season, opened NPC play with a 59-57 victory against the Raiders.
Taylor May had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead South Rowan (2-1, 1-0). Nikki Graham had 12 points, and Molly Garrett added 11. Sam Goins had 12 rebounds and four steals.
“It’s great first to get a league win,” South coach Jim Brooks said. “To get a win at home, you try to protect your home court. It’s better to be 1-0 than 0-1.”
South never trailed, and it led by as many as nine points. The Raiders entered the second and third quarters with a three-point edge.
“Every time they did something, we were able to come back and match it,” Brooks said.
Brianna Johnson led North Iredell with 21 points. Mandeesa Singletery added 11.
NORTH IREDELL (57) ó Johnson 21, M.Singletery 11, Swicegood 8, Haynes 5, Harkey 4, Branch 2, F.Singletery 2.
SOUTH ROWAN (59) ó May 18, Graham 12, Garrett 11, Morrow 6, Haywood 5, Goins 3, Sides 2, Ashley, Roberts.
N. Iredell 9 13 13 21 ó 57
S. Rowan 15 10 13 21 ó 59