From staff reports
Catawba’s women’s basketball team lost 81-69 at Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday.
The Bears (18-6, 10-5) exploded for 53 points in the second half and tightened up the SAC standings considerably. Catawba (16-7, 11-4) now leads by one game over Wingate and L-R.
Cameron Sealey scored 20 points, and Jazzmine Charles (Central Davidson) had 17 for the Bears.
The Indians led by 10 points early in the second half, but Daley and Charles sparked a comeback by the Bears.
Chloe Bully led the Indians with 21 points. Nisha Long scored 20, and Dana Hicks had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jolysa Connor had 10 points and six assists.
CATAWBA (69) — Bully 21, Long 20, Hicks 14, Connor 10, Lewis 2, Merritt 2, Clay, May, Coleman, Sullivan.
L-R (81) — Sealey 20, Charles 17, Culler 15, Laughter 9, Brinkley 6, Katt 6, Patton 3, Bongiorno 3, Gust 2.
Catawba 39 30 — 69
Lenoir-Rhyne 28 53 — 81
Catawba men win
Keon Moore’s 24 points and nine rebounds led Catawba’s men’s basketball team to a surprising 66-60 win at Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday night.
Catawba (7-16, 4-11) missed its final four shots and went 3-for-6 from the line in the last 20 seconds, yet managed to hold on for the win.
Lee Martin and Stuart Thomson scored eight points each for the Indians. Tyrece Little had 10 rebounds.
L-R (12-12, 8-7) got 25 points from D.J. Blackmon.
Catawba is home against Tusculum on Saturday afternoon.
CATAWBA (66) — Moore 24, Thomson 8, Martin 8, Gilmore 7, Little 6, Huntley 5, Strickland 5, Lovelace 3, Tamer, Watson, Drakeford, Tyree.
L-R (60) — Blackmon 25, Beasley 10, Jones 9, McClure 6, McKenzie 2, Davis 2, Hathcock 2, Thomas 2, Kunz 2, Hawkins, McClintock, Brown, Terrell.
Catawba 34 32 — 66
Lenoir-Rhyne 23 37 — 60
Prep basketball
Davie County’s boys fell behind by 18 points in the second quarter but still rallied to beat Reagan 73-65 in a CPC semifinal played on Wednesday in Pfafftown.
Davie (18-6) clinched the CPC’s No. 2 seed for the 4A state playoffs.
“Early on, we were missing open 3s and missing layups,” Davie coach Mike Absher said. “It was awful.”
As has been the case frequently this year, Nate Jones got hot in the second quarter and brought the War Eagles all the way back to a six-point halftime deficit. The senior had 11 of his 28 points in the second quarter.
“Nate got going, and we also started defending a lot better,” Absher said. “When some shots started falling, that’s when our defense picked up a notch.”
Davis Absher had five points in a handful of seconds as Davie moved in front in the third quarter.
Davie then sealed victory by shooting 15-for-18 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Jones was 7-for-8.
Cody Martin scored 14 points. Absher and Kenyon Tatum had 10 each. Shannon Dillard scored nine after some early struggles.
Braeshaun Dozier scored 17 points for the Raiders, who will be the CPC’s No. 3 seed.
Davie will now play for its first-ever CPC tournament title against No. 1 seed Mount Tabor on Friday. Davie hasn’t made it to the CPC championship game in 17 years.
Davie’s girls were eliminated from the tournament 55-39 on Tuesday by North Davidson despite a 25-point outburst by Amy Steller.
College hoops
K.J. Sherrill (West Rowan) had four points and four rebounds for Charlotte in Wednesday’s 75-65 A-10 win against Dayton.
Darius Moose (Carson) scored nine points for Brevard in a 69-58 loss to Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday.
Livingstone basketball
Livingstone’s men’s basketball team is home tonight at 7 p.m. for a non-conference game against Davis & Elkins (W. Va.).
Youth wrestling
East Rowan won the Rowan County Youth Wrestling League championship by beating West Rowan.
East won its fourth title in five years. Coaches are Lonnie Hinceman, Aaron Plyler, Justin Kepley, James Lovingood and Scott Lowry.
East’s Gabe Hinceman, Isaac Hinceman and Sam Wall were unbeaten this season.
The league started seven years ago and includes East Rowan, West Rowan, South Rowan, Southeast and Salisbury/North Rowan) and includes more than 150 participants.
Teams are broken up into a K-3 grade division and 4-6 grade division, along with weight class
The league hosts a Christmas tournament each year that brings in teams from around the region. The top 3 receive medals in the individual format
The league’s all-star team (Team RoCo) will compete in the North Carolina Elementary State Duals.
League info can be found at rowanwrestling.com or jhinson@yahoo.com.
Catawba football
Kelley McCoy (5-11, 175), a receiver from Georgia, is Catawba’s latest football recruit.
McCoy played both ways for Lanier High (safety on defense) and is his new high school’s first-ever football signee.
Hoops tryouts
AAU basketball tryouts will be held at Hall Gym on Sunday from 5-6 for girls in grades 4-6.
Contact Tom McDaniel at 704-637-1261.
There also will be a coaches meeting at 7 p.m.
Local golf
Twenty-nine GARS members played in a chilly Texas Scramble earlier this week at Crescent.
Low ‘A’ flight player with a net of 61.89 was Ernest Wagner.
Low ‘B’ flight player with a net of 65.19 was Bill Bradley.
Low ‘C’ flight player with a net of 58.85 was Bobby Wagoner.
Harold Caudill was low ‘D’ flight player with a net of 64.87.
College softball
Catawba’s softball split a doubleheader with Pfeiffer on Wednesday.
Catawba lost 2-0 in the first game but took the nightcap 7-1.
Alli Justice and Tara Gibbs had two-run doubles to spark Catawba (8-2) in the second game. Emily B. Huneycutt and Selena Ashley got the job done in the circle.
Melanie Conklin pitched a four-hitter for the Falcons in the opener.
College baseball
UNC Pembroke’s Thomas Allen (East Rowan) took a loss against Coker on Wednesday as the Braves fell for the first time. Allen (1-1) started on the mound, pitched 41/3 innings and allowed three runs. He struck out two.
College lacrosse
Catawba got three goals each from Braden Artem and Steven Ridolfo and topped Gettysburg 12-6 in men’s lacrosse on Wednesday.
The 12th-ranked Indians (2-0) scored the game’s first four goals.
Michael Pecchia made 13 saves for the Indians.