By Ryan Bisesi
rbisesi@salisburypost.com
STATESVILLE — It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Although South Rowan’s effort proved to be the exception to that statement Wednesday night in a 50-30 win at Statesville in a 3-A North Piedmont Conference battle. The win helped the Raiders keep pace with West Rowan, 11/2 games ahead of South in the league.
After jumping out to a 23-6 lead at the end of the opening quarter, A winless Statesville team crawled back within 10, holding South to just six points in the second quarter.
“After we got that big lead, we got a little comfortable,” South coach Jarrod Smith said. “I felt defensively, we let up a lot.”
Senior Nicole Barringer, who’s getting looks from several Division I schools for her volleyball talents, showed her skills to be trasparent on the basketball court with a game-high 14 points, all of which came in the first quarter. Barringer hit four 3-pointers, coming close to the effort where she hit six against Central Cabbarus. Her first trey gave South (6-9, 3-3 NP) the lead for keeps at 6-3 and was part of a 14-0 run early on.
“If I hit one (three), then I’m normally good for the rest of the game,” Barringer said. “It was going to be a good night after I hit that first one.”
After the Greyhounds went to a man-to-man defense, South struggled to find good looks, only hitting one field goal in the second quarter. Statesville (0-15, 0-7 NP) pulled within 25-15 on a jumper from Courtney McCord.
“For them to give that much effort regardless of that first quarter says a lot about their character,” said Statesville coach Ashley Stroehlein, who was sitting in for head coach Todd Jones. Cameron Bradley was the lone scorer in double figures for Statesville with 11 points.
South hit four straight free throws to push its edge to 29-15 at halftime and led 40-23 at the end of the third quarter.
Krista Swartz and Lauren Miller each scored 11 for the Raiders.
SOUTH ROWAN (50)— Barringer 14, Miller 11, Swartz 11, Goins 9, Gaddy 5, K. Corriher 3, L. Corriher 3, McManus 3, Allison 2, Jones, Register.
STATESVILLE (30) —C. Bradley 11, Witt 8, B. Bradley 5, Hardig 4, McCord 2, Eller, Wilkins, McKinney, Crosswhite.
S. Rowan 23 6 11 10 — 50
Statesville 6 9 8 7 — 30