From staff reports
Senior Brittany Higgins surpassed 1,000 career points for Catawba’s women’s basketball team on Wednesday, but the Indians were blown out 77-48 at Newberry in a SAC tournament quarterfinal game.
Higgins needed 11 points for the milestone and had 14 at halftime. She finished with 20.
Higgins is the 12th Catawba woman to score 1,000.
Sixth-seeded Catawba was out of it by halftime and finished its season at 16-12. The Indians shot 30 percent from the field and were mauled on the boards 53-29.
Third-seeded Newberry (18-10) took an early 17-7 lead and expanded its edge to 46-25 at the break. Newberry hit six 3s in the first half.
Keena Phillips scored 20 points for Newberry, which moves on to Saturday’s semifinals.
CATAWBA (48) ó Higgins 20, Clark 9, Sullivan 6, Crane 4, K. Long 4, Whitley 3, N. Long 2, Connor, Dameron, Hicks.
NEWBERRY (77) ó Phillips 20, Bulcher 16, Marquardt 16, Alexander 11, Ward 6, Coates 4, Johnson 2, Thomas 2.
Catawba 25 23 ó 48
Newberry 46 31 ó 77
– Catawba soccer
Chad Miller has been named head women’s soccer coach at Catawba.
Miller has served as an assistant coach at Western Carolina since 2006 where his many duties included recruiting coordinator.
“We are very excited to have Coach Miller join the Catawba community and continue the excellence which has become synonymous with the women’s soccer program,” Catawba athletics director Dennis Davidson said. “With his ties to Pfeiffer, Coach Miller definitely has the Division II experience to go along with his more recent DI work. The mixture of his coaching background is a solid base to continue the great work of his predecessors.”
Miller, a 1994 Pfeiffer graduate, was a four-year letterman and captained the Falcons as a senior.
He was an assistant at North Stanly and head coach at West Stanly before compiling a record of 80-50-9 as Pfeiffer’s head coach. His teams won CVAC titles in 2000 and 2005.
– Catawba tennis
Catawba’s women’s tennis team picked up five singles wins and beat J.C. Smith 7-2 on Tuesday.
Steffi Cook, Nikiah Knox, Kim Renspie and Meg Kittel won in singles and doubles for the Indians (6-4).
* Catawba’s men’s tennis team swept doubles and downed J.C. Smith 8-1 on Tuesday.
Sean Soltan, Matt King, Tom McCormack and Uri Yarkoni won in singles and doubles for the Indians (7-2).n White honored
Catawba sophomore MacKenzie White (Carson) was named SAC Player of the Week for softball.
White was 4-for-4, including a grand slam and a two-run homer.
– College baseball
Matt Ingold (South Rowan) had two hits and a walk in five trips to the plate as UNC Pembroke swept two games from Clarion Tuesday.
* Craig Beasley (West Rowan) pitched for Mount Olive in a 5-3 loss against Tusculum Wednesday. Beasley allowed one hit and an unearned run in 21/3 innings.
– Prep baseball
Fields remained too wet on Wednesday to get the prep baseball season started.
West Rowan is moving today’s 4:30 p.m. game with Piedmont from Mount Ulla down to Union County where there was less snowfall.
“The only competition we could have had on our field Wednesday was sailing,” West coach David Wright said. “It was an aquarium.”
West is scheduled to take on Eastern Wayne in the Impact Baseball Invitational Saturday at 5 p.m. at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. West is ranked third in the Impact Baseball 3A preseason poll. Eastern Wayne, 21-7 last season, is ranked fifth.
East Rowan is ranked seventh in the Impact poll. Rocky Mount is No. 1, with Ragsdale ranked second.
* Carson-North Rowan was postponed from Wednesday to March 11.
* South Rowan-Salisbury has been rescheduled for March 19.
– Overseas basketball
Terris Sifford (West Rowan) had 40 points and 13 rebounds for his team in Italy recently, despite calling it a night in the third quarter.
– Rowan Little League
Rowan Little League softball still has a few spots remaining. Contact Jeff Bernhardt at 704-855-9849.
– China Grove leagues
China Grove youth baseball and softball leagues are in their final stages of registration.
Register at Dale’s Sporting Goods in downtown China Grove by March 7.Registration fee is $45 for Coach Pitch and $50 for Junior Division and Senior Division. There will be a $5 late registration fee.
Call 704-857-1439 for information.
– Salisbury Rowan Runners
The Salisbury Rowan Runners Club will hold its spring Beginning Runners Training Program starting this Tuesday at the Salisbury Civic Center.
The program will run every Tuesday for eight weeks from 6:30-7:30. The $35 cost includes club membership, T-shirt and entry fee to a race. Contact David Freeze at 704-239-5508 or Steve Clark at 704-638-5275.
– Carolina Phenoms
Carolina Phenoms AAU basketball tryouts are this Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon for 13-under/7th grade boys born on or after Sept. 1, 1994. Contact Brian Miller 704-754-1863 or Andre Archie 704-232-0801.