By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan junior Shay Steele needed 367 points for 1,000, and it looked for a while like she might get all of them in Tuesday’s NPC blowout of Statesville.
With 3:33 still left in the first quarter, Steele already had 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting. All six buckets came on layups or drives by the fast, 6-foot-2 southpaw from the left side of the hoop.
“We changed our offense some, trying to get the ball into the post more,” Steele explained. “We got a lot of easy shots early in the game.”
The Falcons, playing without standout guard Nycieko Dixon, called the dogs off early and cruised to a 67-37 victory over the Greyhounds.
Steele didn’t play in the second or fourth quarters and settled for 17 points, six blocks, six boards and three steals.
“I could’ve scored a lot more, but a win’s a win,” Steele said.
In all seriousness, she could’ve broken the school record of 42 points without breaking a sweat, but coach Todd McNeely was merciful and he also was looking at the schedule — the Falcons play at Salisbury tonight.
“With games back-to-back, it was good that we got to rest the starters’s legs some and that we got to play everybody,” he said.
West (2-2, 1-0) had lost two in a row, but there wasn’t much danger of a third straight setback. Steele and Alison Dutton dominated the opening minutes inside as the Falcons grabbed an 11-0 lead.
Brittany Barber also contributed six points in the period, and West led 27-3 after the first eight minutes.
“It’s an ongoing process, and we’ve been working on a few things,” McNeely said. “We put Shay in some different positions tonight offensively and defensively.”
West’s backups won the second quarter 12-11, with Christa Landy and Quanice Miller scoring two buckets apiece. Tiffany Ball and Keya James also produced points.
Alison Sobataka accounted for three buckets in the third quarter. Barber and Chelsea Hunter added a couple of field goals apiece as the Falcons went ahead 56-25.
Steele blocked four shots in the third quarter — without hearing a whistle — and that may have been the highlight of her night. Steele’s foul issues limited West in losses to Lake Norman and Davie.
“Zero fouls tonight,” she said cheerfully, as she formed a circle with her fingers.
Brooke Harrington’s behind-the-back dribble was the best moment of the fourth quarter for the Falcons.
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NOTES: Dixon will play tonight against Salisbury. … Ineya Hairston scored 19 for Statesville (0-6, 0-1).
STATESVILLE (37) — Hairston 19, Wright 7, Hartig 6, Elliott 3, Padgett 2, Turner, Lewis, McKinney.
WEST ROWAN (67) — Steele 17, Barber 11, Miller 8, Sobataka 7, Dutton 6, Harrington 5, Landy 4, Hunter 4, Ball 3, James 2, Ramsue, Cross.
Statesville 3 11 11 12 — 37
W. Rowan 27 12 17 21 — 67