From staff reports
South Rowan beat Salisbury 70-62 in overtime in a thrilling semifinal game in the Scooter Sherrill Alumni Throwback Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Down by six early, South finished the first half on a 27-8 run for a 36-23 halftime lead.
That lead was erased in the second half by a flurry of points by Salisburyís Marvin Dixon, Robert Harris and Leonard Owens. Then the lead see-sawed back and forth during the final four minutes of regulation.
Steve Heggins made two free throws with 12 seconds left for a 57-54 South lead.
Salisbury appeared beaten when Owens missed a 3-point try, but Dixon recovered the ball after a scramble and buried a contested 3-pointer that beat the buzzer and forced overtime.
Undaunted, South took charge right away in the three-minute overtime session on a dunk by Carlos Dixon, Marvinís brother.
A 3-pointer by Wes Honeycutt provided a small cushion, and Tony Propst, who didnít score in regulation, canned four straight free throws as South pulled away.
Marvin Dixon and Harris both fouled out in the final minute of a contentious game that included three technicals.
Carlos Dixonís 26 points led South. Heggins had 14, and Josh Chapman got nine of his 11 from behind the arc.
Marvin Dixon scored 23 for the Hornets, while Owens added 13.
Semifinal (OT)
SOUTH (70)ó C. Dixon 26, Heggins 14, Chapman 11, Honeycutt 9, Propst 4, Cross 4, Davis 1, Parks 1, Osterhus, Pauley, Brown.
SALISBURY (62) ó M. Dixon 23, Owens 13, Turner 9, Harris 8, Hamilton 6, Jones 3, Dalton, Drye, Fields.
South Rowan 36 21 13 ó 70
Salisbury 23 34 5 ó 62
North Rowan 79, Carson 75
Ed Suber scored 23 points and Tristan Rankin added 19 for North Rowan in a 79-75 win against Carson early on Saturday.
Avery Patterson scored 28 points for the Cougars.
Consolation bracket
NORTH ROWAN (79)ó Suber 23, Rankin 19, J. Kesler 14, McCullough 10, Starks 8, House 5.
CARSON (75) ó Patterson 28, Mason 16, Omar 15, Finger 11, Doby 5, Kosinski.
North Rowan 43 36 ó 79
Carson 47 28 ó 75
North Meck 79, East Rowan 65
It was Showtime for electrifying North Meck guard Tory New, who poured in 36 points. Captain Titus Ivory added 24.
Kurt Misenheimer scored 17 for East, while Eric Taylor and Taylor Weber had 15 apiece.
Consolation bracket
NORTH MECK (79)ó New 36, Ivory 24, Hancock 10, McGill 5, Moore 4, McCorkle.
EAST ROWAN (65) óMisenheimer 17, Taylor 15, Weber 15, Hopkins 10, Eagle 3, Lefko 3, Frick 2.
North Meck 43 36 ó 79
East Rowan 35 30 ó 65
North Rowan 69, Salisbury 62
Overseas pro veteran Bryan McCullough led the Cavaliers with 20 points, Sam Starks had 18, and Rankin pitched in with 15.
Harris led the Hornets with 20 points, while Levar Hamilton had 18.
Consolation bracket
NORTH ROWAN (69)ó McCullough 20, Starks 18, Rankin 15, Kesler 11, House 5, Geter.
SALISBURY (62) óHarris 20, Hamilton 18, Dixon 10, Turner 5, Jones 5, Dalton 4.
North Rowan 46 23 ó 69
Salisbury 33 29 ó 62
North Rowan 85, North Meck 80 (third)
North Rowan had to be exhausted, playing its third game of the day, but it held off short-handed North Meck, which was missing several key players, to take third place.
Tristan Rankin had a torrid shooting game for the Cavaliers, burying five 3s and scoring 34 points, including 20 in a lights-out second half. Still, the most amazing story had to be 40-something Jimmy Kesler, who was still out-sprinting players down the floor for easy hoops. Kesler scored 21 points.
New pumped in 26 for North Meck, while Ivory added 20.
North Meck led by 11 with 6:20 remaining in the first half, but a determined drive by Kesler ignited a run by the Cavaliers that led to a 37-36 halftime lead.
Northís Lamar Geter hit a 3-pointer to open the second half, and McCullough scored five points in the blink of an eye as the Cavaliers took control.
With Rankin firing in shots from all angles, North Rowan pushed ahead by 13 with 10 minutes left, but New and Ivory led a last-ditch surge by the Vikings that cut the Cavsí lead to 78-77 with 50 seconds left.
Geter hit two clutch free throws with the game on the line. Then Kesler found Starks for a soaring three-point play with 20 seconds left to seal third place.
Third-place game
NORTH MECK (80)óNew 26, Ivory 20, McGill 15, Shamsideen 13, Hancock 6, McCorkle.
NORTH ROWAN (85) óRankin 34, Kesler 21, Starks 11, Geter 10, McCullough 7, House 2.
North Meck 36 44 ó 80
North Rowan 37 48 ó 85
n Salisbury boosters
The Salisbury High School Athletic Booster Club meets on Monday, Aug. 1, in the Media Center. All are welcome.
The 2011-12 budget will be approved at this meeting.
Membership fees of $30 will be accepted at the meeting. Membership includes a SHS Hornets car magnet.
n Local golf
Joan Harris was first in the low net competition at the Country Club of Salisbury on a recent WGA Play Day with a 77.
Jayne Hubbard shot a 79 while Betsey Edgeworth produced an 85.