From staff reports
Salisbury’s girls basketball team plays Mitchell County in the 2A Western Regional at UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m.
East Davidson (30-0) plays against Smoky Mountain (24-3) at 7 p.m.
Winners meet at UNC Greensboro’s Fleming Gym on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the Western championship.
Salisbury is 26-3. Its three losses this season are to defending state champ East Davidson.
Salisbury could get a fourth shot at East Davidson Saturday, but both CCC teams have to beat a tough opponent first.
Salisbury last encountered Mitchell (27-2) when it lost to the Mountaineers 54-42 in a 2003 regional final. That was Shayla Fields’ sophomore year when the Hornets first broke through to a regional. They’ve made it back every year sinc.
Salisbury has had two recent matchups with Smoky Mountain, when the Mustangs were led by current UNC guard Cetera DeGraffenreid.
The Hornets blasted Smoky Mountain 46-24 in the 2006 regional final, but Smoky Mountain beat the Hornets 73-65 in a 2007 regional semi.
Salisbury has played East Davidson seven times in the last two seasons.
Salisbury split regular-season meetings with the Golden Eagles last season, beat them in double overtime in the CCC tournament championship game, then lost to East Davidson 51-37 in the regional final.
East Davidson finally won in Salisbury’s gym this season, taking a 52-46 decision even though Salisbury had a three-point lead late in the game.
The Golden Eagles repeated with a 52-46 victory in Thomasville, then edged the Hornets 45-43 in the CCC tournament championship game.
Salisbury is led by three of the top 11 scorers in school history.
Senior Shi-Heria Shipp (1,238 points) is fourth, junior Bubbles Phifer (987) is ninth, and senior De’Rya Wylie (927) is 11th.
East Davidson is led by a strong senior class that features 6-foot Anna Freeman, 5-11 Elizabeth Merritt, who signed with Catawba, and 3-point shooter Alyssa Cutshaw.
Junior point guard Candace Fox and Stacy Hicks are the other starters on a very experienced team. Haley Grimsley, MVP of last year’s regional, comes off the bench.
Lakin Norris and Autumn Thompson usually lead Mitchell’s Mountaineers. Norris scored 21 points as the Mountaineers routed East Rutherford 60-34 in a sectional final.
Smoky Mountain is led by 1,000-point scorer Ashley Robinson and Felicia Johnson. They combined for 44 points and 20 rebounds in Smoky’s sectional final win against Newton-Conover. Natasha Junaluska had 10 assists in the sectional final.
Playing in the Eastern Regional at Greenville Rose on Wednesday are Graham (26-1), Jacksonville Northside (25-3), Southwest Onslow (25-3) and Hillsborough Orange (20-6). Graham, which lost 62-59 to East Davidson in last year’s championship game, is the favorite in the Eastern half.
– College track
Appalachian State’s Mark Sturgis (North Rowan) won the triple jump (50 feet, 1/2 inch) and was fourth in the 200 (22.26) as the Mountaineers won the Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
* ASU’s Phillip Bush (North) was seventh in the 200 (22.66) and eighth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.46).
* Western Carolina’s Ryan Pless (East Rowan) was fifth in the shot put (49-51/2) and ninth in the weight throw (44-71/2) at the SoCon Meet.
* Western’s Daniel Joseph (NW Cabarrus) was third in the triple jump with an effort of 46-4.
– Prep baseball
The prep baseball season was scheduled to start today, but weather is certain to postpone all openers.
– Catawba schedule
Catawba has rescheduled Saturday’s postponed baseball doubleheader with Tusculum to April 13.
A game scheduled with Pfeiffer on April 13 will be moved to April 14.
Catawba was scheduled to play Lake Erie at home today but will play Lake Erie in Hickory on Thursday.
Softball was washed out again.