By Sean Rinehart
sports@salisburypost.com
GRANITE QUARRY ó Nothing went right tonight for the lady Mustangs in a humid East Rowan gymnasium as they fell to the Raiders of North Iredell 59-44.
The lady Mustangs stayed relatively within reach throughout most of the first quarter. However, with about 1:55 to play in the first, the Raiders pulled away and never looked back with a 17-9 lead.
ěThey are a quality team,î said East Rowan head coach Danielle Porter after her teamís tough loss. ěWe need to reduce the amount of turnovers and give ourselves a chance.î
Turnovers were definitely the story of the evening, as East accumulated 9 in the first quarter and 28 a total of throughout the contest.
The Raiders managed to control the ball well, as they only gave up the ball 9 times.
ěThis is a big win for us,î said North Iredell head coach Tami Ramsey. ěWe took pretty good care of the ball. East is a good team with a good inside game, but I thought we played well.î
The Raiders decided they would take any opportunity for the outside shot this evening, as they went 5 of 11 from the 3-point line in the first half; however, they could not improve on that number in the second half, going 0 for 4.
ěWe need to be more patient offensively,î said Ramsey. ěOverall, I am pretty pleased for the most part.î
One definite standout for the lady Raiders was the play of forward Brooke Redmond. While she only went 5 of 15 from the field, she totaled 15 points and truly provided a spark for her team as she was all over the court making her presence felt.
Junior guard Caroline Fry, who managed 13 points while going 3-for-6 at the 3-point line, led East Rowan.
Strong play from freshmen center Kelli Fisher helped keep the lady Mustangs in reach for a while, but even her 12 points and dominant presence in the pain wasnít enough to grab the lead.
ěWe are rebuilding right now,î said Porter. ěI felt we were able to get different pieces of the puzzle together tonight.î
NORTH IREDELL (59) ó Redmond 15, Cartner 12, Hanelino 9, Lunsford 9, M. Johnson 7, Robbins 6, Fox 1, Childress, Moore, Brown, B. Johnson.
E. ROWAN (44) ó Fry 13, Fisher 12, Wike 8, Brown 5, Poole 3, Lowe 3, Gobble, Sides, Thomas, Gullett.
N. Iredell 19 18 18 4 ó 59
E. Rowan 14 13 7 10 ó 44