By David Shaw
dshaw@salisburypost.com
STATESVILLE — It’s hard to tell if the Carson boys basketball team is jinxed or snakebit.
Either way, the Cougars are last in the NPC after stumbling 55-43 at North Iredell on Friday.
“It feels like there’s something on us,” coach Brian Perry said after Carson (5-12, 1-5) fell to 0-3 in January. “I don’t know if we’ve got the whammy on us or what, but it seems like there’s a lid on the basket. We just can’t make shots. We’ve got to find ways to score.”
The victory moved North (6-10, 2-4) out of the league basement and provided coach Tony Davenport with a rare glimpse of what-could-still-be.
“It was an important game because we’re still fighting for that last playoff spot,” he said. “You’ve got those top three (teams) and we’re part of the bottom four. But everyone’s beating everyone up and really, it’s still up for grabs.”
No one has a longer way to climb than Carson. Shorthanded due to injuries to Malachi Parker and Myquon Stout, the Cougars fell behind early last night and never got untracked.
“It’s just sometimes we’re not willing to do whatever it takes to win,” explained sophomore Tre Williams. “Nobody’s willing to do this, nobody’s willing to do that. By the time we picked ourselves up it was a little too late.”
Don’t blame Williams for Carson’s mid-winter chill. The 5-foot-9 guard was a firing sparkplug, pouring in a game-high 21 points.
“I thought the baskets he made in the second half gave us a chance,” Perry said. “He’s carried a lot of the load offensively for us. What we need now are some other guys to step up and play with a little more aggressiveness.”
Perry pointed his voice like a bazooka at 6-5 sophomore Colton Laws, junior guard D.J. Love and early-season producer Donta Gilbert. “Everyone’s got to get better,” he said.
To his credit, Perry refused to make excuses despite a number of marginal calls that went against the Cougars.
“When you’re losing that’s what happens,” Perry said. “Balls go off your fingertips, calls go the other way. We’ve got to find a way to create our own good luck. We’ve got to dig ourselves out and get back in this thing.”
CARSON (43) — Williams 21, Love 10, Laws 6, Howard 6, Gilbert, Raper, Abbitt. Martin.
NORTH IREDELL (55) — St. John 19, Hunt 13, Nolen 7, Brown 6, Colvin 5, Laws 4, Ely 1.
Carson 4 11 9 19 — 43
N. Iredell 8 16 14 17 — 55