From staff and wire reports
Davie County’s boys basketball team clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Sam Moir Christmas Classic with a 73-39 rout of Forbush on Tuesday.
Davie (9-1) played without leading scorer Nate Jones (coach’s decision), but it hardly mattered.
Shannon Dillard and Caleb Martin led the War Eagles with 21 points each, and Davie blew the game open with a 26-6 advantage in the second quarter. Dillard had eight boards, while Martin picked up six assists.
Davie earned a first-day bye in the Christmas tournament and opens play in a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday.
Davie’s girls fell to Forbush 52-48 despite 28 points by Amy Steller. Laura Shelton added 13 for the War Eagles.
Davie (2-8) is certain to be the No. 6 seed in the Christmas Tournament (Dec. 27-29) and will debut in the event next Tuesday at 3 p.m.
A.L. Brown splits
A.L. Brown’s girls basketball team won at Cox Mill 55-21 on Tuesday for their second straight SPC victory.
Trailing 10-7 early, the Wonders went to a press and outscored the Chargers (0-3 SPC) 25-2 the rest of the half.
The Wonders had a 45-30 edge on the boards and forced 27 turnovers. Endia Cannon and Champagne Brice scored 11 points each.
The Wonder girls beat Central Cabarrus 43-33 on Friday. Raven Phifer scored nine points, with Brice adding eight and Cannon seven.
A.L. Brown guard Aaliyah Spears will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL she suffered in the game at Carson.
A.L. Brown’s boys lost 48-46 to Cox Mill in SPC play on Tuesday. The Wonders rallied from a 30-19 halftime deficit to take the lead, but they couldn’t hold off the Chargers and fell to 0-3 in the league.
“Turnovers and free throws,” A.L. Brown coach Shelwyn Klutz said. “Until we get better in those two areas, it’s going to be a struggle for us to win basketball games.”
Derrick Copeland led the Wonders (4-4) with 14 points. Braxton Waddell had nine. Keeon Johnson scored eight.
The Wonders lost 63-58 in overtime to Central Cabarrus on Friday. Brown was done in by woeful 9-for-25 free-throw shooting in that one.
Copeland scored 17, Waddell had 14, and Michael Carr added eight.
Tevin Stark (deep bone bruise) has missed the last six games, but he is expected to return in January. Stark is a difference-maker. He was averaging 14.5 points per game when he was injured.
The Wonder boys are set to play Hough in the opening round of the Cox Mill Christmas tourney next Wednesday.
GIRLS
A.L. BROWN (55) — Brice 11, Cannon 11, Grant 8, Smith 7, Phifer 6, Raper 4, Lane 3, Tuttle 3, Chalmers 2, Shue, Vernon.
COX MILL (21) — Earl 8, Cella 5, Stafford 3, Slice 2, Joshi 2, Banard 1.
A.L. Brown 15 17 11 12 — 55
Cox Mill 10 2 9 0 — 21
Bulldogs, Wildcats split
In a game played on Tuesday that could determine North Rowan’s primary challenger in the YVC boys basketball race, Albemarle beat South Davidson 75-62 in Denton to hand coach Jim Young’s Wildcats their first league loss.
Albemarle coach Al Andrew employed a triangle-and-two against the Hatfield twins, and the Bulldogs got off to a quick start and led all the way.
Gregory Childress tossed in 25 points to lead the Bulldogs. Austin Hatfield (15), Taylor Hatfield (14) and Wil Collins (11) led the Wildcats. Both teams are 4-1 in the YVC.
North hasn’t played South Davidson yet. The Cavaliers crushed Albemarle in the teams’ first meeting, but many of the Bulldogs were just coming off the football field.
In the girls game, Madi Beeson scored 14 points and Larsen Sigmon added 12 as South Davidson beat the Bulldogs 48-43.
Hoops schedule
North Rowan is home against West Rowan tonight for a varsity doubleheader that should start at 6 p.m. Other doubleheaders tonight are Newton-Conover at Salisbury; Carson at South Rowan, and North Iredell at East Rowan.
Marlins sign Sherrill
Pitcher Garrett Sherrill (A.L. Brown) has signed with the Florida Marlins organization and will report to Spring Training.
After a stellar career at A.L. Brown and three strong seasons at Appalachian State, Sherrill was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 12th round in 2008.
A 6-foot-5 right-handed reliever, Sherrill, 24, played two seasons in the Brewers organization, but he was released after he experienced arm problems.
He’s pitched 60 games in independent leagues the past two seasons, posting an 8-3 record.
All-State football
The AP All-State team was released on Tuesday. While no Rowan players are on the team, Davie County offensive lineman Cole Blankenship and Northwest Cabarrus punter Bradley Pinion did make the squad.
See Scoreboard.
8th-grade hoops
China Grove 66, North 60
Leading scorer for the Red Devils with 27 points was Michael Morrison. Ryan Bearden scored 10, and Brennan Lambert had 9.
Leading North’s Mavericks with 22 points was Naquis Caldwell.
Knox 64, Corriher-Lipe 37
Jalen Sanders led the way for the Trojans (8-1) with 21 points and six steals.
Deshawn Troutman had 11 points. Dente Baker added 10. Raquan Shell and Donnell Alexander scored eight each.
Christian Holbrook scored 19 for the Yellow Jackets.
Sacred Heart hoops
The Sacred Heart jayvee boys basketball team lost a 27-24 thriller at High Point’s Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Michael Childress led the Dolphins (7-2) with nine points. Jack Fisher had eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Will Taylor added five points and Keegan Dillon led the defense.
Sacred Heart returns to conference play on Jan. 6 against Salisbury Academy.
Prep swimming
South Rowan’s girls scored 132 points and topped East Rowan (112) and Statesville (40).
South got wins from Nicole Mauldin ( 200 IM, 100 back), Kaylin Little (100 fly, 100 breast), Leslie Franks (100 free) and Kristina Miller (500 free). Mauldin, Little, Taylor Kluttz and Franks won the 200 free relay.
East Rowan’s girls got a win from Madison Hall (200 free). Hall, Meagan Barbetto, Hailey Bartleson and Anna Leigh Shuping won the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay.
South’s boys scored 136 points to top East Rowan (103) and Statesville (49).
The Raiders got individual wins from Patrick King (200 free, 500 free), Jeremiah Bradshaw (200 IM), Luke Rary(100 fly) and Caleb Helms (100 free, 100 breast).
South’s Bradshaw, King, Rary and Helms won the 400 free relay.
East’s boys got two wins from Luke Evans (50 free, 100 back). Evans, Wyatt Zander, Danny Martin and Jason Troutman won the 200 medley relay.
Catawba swimming
Catawba’s women’s team finished fifth and the men’s team was fourth in the Shark Invitational at Nova Southeastern.
Andrew McCollister (Salisbury) completed a rewarding meet with a school record and NCAA ‘B’ time in the 1650 free at 16:13.77. He placed sixth.
He finished eighth in the 200 breast at 2:11.49, and his point total for the meet was third best overall on the men’s side. Magnus Lundgren’s time of 46.79 in the 100 free was a school record and NCAA ‘B’ cut. He placed seventh.
On the women’s side, Katia Kruglov finished off her record-breaking performance at the four-day meet with another school record in the 200 back at 2:04.33, good enough for second place and an NCAA ‘B’ cut. She also snagged the school record for the 100 free at 53.39 when she led off the 400 free relay.
ACC women’s hoops
DURHAM — Allison Vernerey scored 18 of her 22 points in the decisive first half, and No. 9 Duke forced 40 turnovers in a 107-45 rout of UNC Wilmington on Tuesday night.
Tricia Liston added 18 points and Elizabeth Williams finished with 16 for the Blue Devils (8-2).n MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Chey Shegog scored 19 points and Krista Goss had 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 23 North Carolina to a 65-61 win over East Carolina on Tuesday night.
The Tar Heels twice pulled down rebounds after missing free throws in the final 23 seconds, keeping the Pirates (6-4) from getting a chance to pull off their first upset of a Top 25 team in four years.
Chareya Smith led East Carolina with 14 points, while Tatiana Chapple added 11 points and seven rebounds.