From staff and wire reports
The first two rounds of the wrestling state dual team playoffs will be contested tonight at venues around the state.
North Rowan, ranked second in 1A, is at home tonight.
The YVC champs (29-6) are matched against fifth-ranked Monroe Central Academy (42-1), the Rocky River champs, in the first round. That match is scheduled to begin a 5 p.m.
The other first-round match at North pits Ayden-Grifton against Southwest Onslow.
The winners of the first-round matches then will square off for a sectional title, with the survivor advancing to wrestle again on Thursday.
In the 2A playoffs, CCC runner-up Salisbury (6-6) is at home against unbeaten Monroe Piedmont (33-0), the top-ranked 2A team.
Also wrestling at Salisbury tonight are North Surry and Randleman.
East Rowan made the 3A bracket on Monday as a wild-card team.
The Mustangs (19-5) wrestle tonight against West Henderson (17-7) at Concord Jay M. Robinson.
SPC top seed Robinson (18-1), ranked third in 3A, is taking on Gastonia Ashbrook in the other first-round matchup.
SPC runner-up A.L. Brown (19-14) wrestles fourth-ranked Southwestern Randolph (32-2), the Mid-Piedmont champ, tonight at North Iredell (25-4).
NPC top seed North Iredell (25-4) takes on St. Stephens in the other first-round match.
In the 4A playoffs, CPC champ Davie (26-2), ranked fourth, is matched against Alexander Central (20-13) in the first round. They’ll wrestle at Mooresville.
Mooresville (30-8) tangles with Charlotte Independence in the other first-round matchup.
Blue Bear women fall
Livingstone women’s basketball team was outscored 31-7 over the final 10 minutes on Monday and lost 82-61 to Shaw.
Kendra McKinney led the Blue Bears with 16 points. Jasmine Murray added 13 points and Kelcyn Manurs finished with 10. Murray also led the Blue Bears with eight rebounds.
Shemieka Brown (North Rowan) had a huge game for Shaw, shooting 7-for-8 and scoring 17 points.
The Blue Bears entertain Fayetteville State on Saturday.
Prep indoor track
The NCHSAA indoor track championships are all on Saturday at the Eddie Smith Indoor Arena on the UNC campus.
The 1-A/2-A/3-A meet starts at 9 a.m. The 4A meets starts at 4 p.m.
Gray Stone’s individual girls qualifiers are Hunter Latimer, Illa Jones and Caroline McLeod in the 1000 meter.
Also qualifying was the girls 4×800 relay team of Latimer, Jones, Janna Featherstone and Caroline McLeod and the 4×400 relay team of Kendall Taylor, Latimer, McLeod and Jones.
Prep swimming
Swimming state championships are set for Cary’s Triangle Aquatic Center, with 3A competition starting on Thursday.
South Rowan’s 200 freestyle relay team of Nicole Mauldin, Kaylin Little, Taylor Kluttz and Leslie Franks (7th in the regional, 1:50.06) will compete in the 3A meet.
Franks also qualified in the 50 free (11th, 26.38). South’s 200 free boys relay team of Caleb Helms, Trevor Burrow, Jeremiah Bradshaw and Luke Rary (12th, 1:40.23) also qualified.
East Rowan’s girls 200 free relay team of Madison Hall, Meagan Barbetto, Hailey Bartleson and Anna Leigh Shuping (10th, 1:51.23) qualified.
East’s Luke Evans qualified in the 50 free (10th, 23.41) and 100 back (10th, 59.01). East’s 200 free relay team of Evans, Jason Troutman, Charles Goff and Danny Martin (9th, 1:39.33) also qualified.
Regional backstroke winner Davied Sanchez will lead A.L. Brown’s contingent in the state meet.
Prep football
Head football coaches met in Greensboro on Friday for the annual North Carolina Football Coaches Association winter meeting.
Coaches were overwhelmingly in favor of dumping the “pod” system that’s being used for the playoffs and returning to a 12-week regular season.
Edenton Holmes coach Wes Mattera spoke for a lot of coaches when he stated, “I think the premise behind it (pod system) initially was a good thought, but it’s essentially turned the playoffs into a conference tournament.”
For more on the winter meeting, check out Chris Hughes’ story at CarolinaPreps.com.
Hurley Y hoops
Teams need to sign up by March 12 the adult church league basketball at the Hurley YMCA.
There will be a coaches meeting on March 12.
Games are on Mondays and Thursdays.
The cost is $425 per team.
Contact Kenno Shoaf at 704-636-0111.
College wrestling
Matt Cusack (Davie) won three of his first five matches for the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School team.
7th-grade hoops
Erwin’s girls topped China Grove 36-19 on Monday.
Breya Philpot had 24 rebounds, nine points, seven steals and five blocked shots for the Eagles.
Erwin (4-0) was also led by Destiny Jackson with eight points and five steals, and Micah Furr with six points and six rebounds. Ashlyn Mills and Bree Medlin had eight and seven rebounds, respectively.
China Grove (3-1) was paced by Keara McClary and Brieanna Bauer with eight and six points, respectively.
Erwin’s boys took a 42-35 victory over China Grove.
Lucas Morton scored 12 points and Datavian Davis added 11 for the Eagles (2-2). Norman Kelly scored six points.
Dillon Norton led China Grove’s Red Devils with 16 points. Hayden Wilson scored 12.
Devils rout UNC women
DURHAM — Tricia Liston started hitting 3-pointers, and her Duke teammates quickly got into the act.
They all added up to one of the Blue Devils’ biggest beatdowns of their top rival.
No. 5 Duke routed No. 22 North Carolina 96-56 on Monday night after Liston scored 16 of her 23 points during a decisive first-half run in which the Blue Devils seemingly couldn’t miss.
“We were knocking down shots like it was nothing,” sophomore Chelsea Gray said.
Richa Jackson added 17 points for the Blue Devils (19-3, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). They shot 54 percent and led by 41 in claiming their third straight win over their fiercest rivals — and second-most lopsided in series history, surpassed only by Duke’s 101-58 romp over UNC in 2000.
“I just kept thinking, ‘Well, they’ve got to miss some shots once in a while,’” North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “And they hardly missed any.”
Gray finished with 15 points and Elizabeth Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Duke, which outscored North Carolina 39-12 during a 101/2 minute stretch late in the first half.
Liston hit three of the Blue Devils’ seven 3-pointers during that run, and they matched a season high with 10 3s while also racking up 23 assists for the second time in four games.
“You’ve got to move that ball and you’ve got to find each other,” Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “The reason we shot so well was because there were a lot of easy buckets. There (were) a lot of easy looks with no defense because of the way we were passing the ball.”
Chay Shegog had 19 points to lead the Tar Heels (17-6, 7-3). They managed just four field goals over the last 13 minutes of the half and had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Shay Selby finished with 10 points for Duke, which won its 28th straight ACC game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
While powerhouse Connecticut has won at Cameron twice since 2009 — — none of the Blue Devils’ conference rivals have been able to do it just once during that span.