From staff reports
The Moir Classic notebook …
Salisbury’s girls are going for their sixth consecutive Sam Moir Christmas Classic title, but the experience is relatively new to coach Andrew Mitchell.
Mitchell, the MVP of the boys tournament as a North Rowan player in 1983, is in his first season as Salisbury’s coach. Jennifer Shoaf led the Hornets to the first four championships during their current run, and Dee Miller directed the program last year.
“Any time I’m blessed to play for any kind of championship ó Christmas tournament or Y league ó it’s always exciting for me,” Mitchell said. “You get to the championship game, that says a lot about your team. I’m very excited. I’m not taking it for granted it all.”
*
CHECKING IN: East Rowan senior Ashley Collins left the locker room following a 41-37 win against South Rowan’s girls and immediately called head coach Karen Garmon, who missed the game to attend a funeral, with an update on the final score.
Danielle Porter, a varsity assistant who is also East’s jayvee coach, led the team Monday.
“It was competitive, for sure,” Porter said. “It was different being in front of this crowd with the magnitude of the Christmas tournament.”
Garmon should be back on the sidelines for today’s 6:30 p.m. final between East and Salisbury.
The Hornets won 76-27 over East in the 2007 championship game and beat the Mustangs by 23 points earlier this season.
*
FOUL PLAY: South girls coach Jim Brooks had no issue with the officiating, but he wasn’t pleased that his team shot only four free throws. East attempted 26, including 18 in the final six minutes as it spread the floor with a lead.
“With the power players we’ve got, we have to get it down low and be stronger,” Brooks said. “One of the things we talked about is getting fouled, and we didn’t. We have to get back on the free-throw line.”
South guard Nikki Graham went 2-for-2 at the line, but her biggest strength is 3-point shooting. She made three deep 3s to help the Raiders take an 11-10 lead into the second quarter.
*
TY LAWSON AWARD: Carson’s Brandon Ferrare and West Rowan’s Mila Simmons are among the county’s fastest players from one end of the court to the other.
Ferrare, a quick point guard, zipped and zagged past East Rowan in a first-round win.
“I don’t know if he could win many races ó he probably could ó but with a basketball out on the floor, he’s very, very fast,” Carson coach Brian Perry said. “When he gets a head of steam up, it’s hard to get in front of him. I’ve said it before. How he goes is how we go.”
That blur racing past Davie coach Debbie Evans in the first round was Simmons.
“Unbelievable quickness,” Evans said. “Before we can even see, she is scooting right by us.”
*
COACHES CORNER: Pfeiffer coach Dave Davis and Davidson County Community College coach Matt Ridge sat side-by-side watching Monday’s action.
Ridge, who won 22 games last year at DCCC, is currently leading a fast-paced team ranked nationally at the junior college level with an 11-1 record.
You can’t talk of a fast-paced style without mentioning Pfeiffer’s Davis.
Salisbury’s Brandon Abel and Thaddeus Williams, as well as South Rowan teammates Hunter Morrison and Reid Shaver, were some of the impressive-looking seniors who displayed their talents in the first boys semifinal.
Shaver, like Davis, is a redhead.
*
HURTING: North Rowan’s D.J. Hipps didn’t play much down the stretch as the Cavaliers beat Davie on Monday.
North coach Kelly Everhart said Hipps, the team’s leading scorer, is still suffering from a deep thigh bruise sustained a few weeks ago. He attempted only four shots in 20 minutes Monday and hit three.
–
HISTORY: No. 2 seed Salisbury goes for a repeat championship and its 12th title, while top-seeded West tries for its 11th. West coach Mike Gurley goes for his fifth crowns. If he gets it, he’ll tie Sam Gealy for the record for boys championships.
Fans haven’t been treated to a West-Salisbury final since 1992 when Dadrian Cuthbertson, Ken Clarke, Paul Cuthbertson, Denon Hogue and Joel Fleming led the Falcons to a 64-61 victory over a Salisbury club led by Bobby Phillips.
–
HOLIDAY HANGOVER: Gurley scouted the Carson-East Rowan game in the first round.
East lost 74-51.
“East battled and East got the ball where it wanted to get the ball, but it couldn’t make shots,” Gurley said. “But that can happen with a week off and a lot of Santa Claus and a lot of mashed potatoes, turkey and pecan pie. I watched East and I said to myself, ‘You know what, the same thing could happen to the Falcons.’ ”
It did happen.
West can’t play a whole lot worse offensively than it did the first 20 minutes against Carson.
–
NEIGHBORS: Carson will continue its boys basketball rivalry with South Rowan today at 4:30 p.m. in the third-place game.
Carson coach Brian Perry believes his team has improved in the Moir, avenging an NPC loss to East and playing better against West, which recently routed the Cougars 79-35.
“By no means have we played great, but we have played better,” Perry said. “That doesn’t mean we’re leaving here with grins because we lost to West by 20.”
–
NORTHEAST MEDICAL: The boys final is set in the Northeast Medical Center Christmas Tournament.
Northwest Cabarrus got 18 points from Tyler Honeycutt and 10 from Juwan Reid and defeated Central Cabarrus 78-52 in the semifinals on Monday.
Northwest will play West Stanly tonight at J.M. Robinson.

Mike London, Bret Strelow and Ronnie Gallagher contributed to the notebook.