LANDIS – South Rowan sophomore guard Avery Locklear didn’t just break the school scoring record on opening night – she shattered it.
Locklear, who sat down with 1:16 remaining, scored 43 points in South’s 82-65 victory against visiting Northwest Cabarrus.
Beth Miller scored 37 against North Rowan in 1964 and Jill Cress matched that total in 1995 in the CPC game against R.J. Reynolds. Locklear, who scored 25 after halftime, raised the bar at South by a half-dozen points.
“The record is exciting, but it’s something you can’t do without good teammates,” Locklear said. “They got a lot of steals and rebounds and made a lot of great passes. Everyone contributed. It’s a game we can all be proud of.”
Cassidy Chipman scored 11 for the Raiders, and Lynsey Corriher had 10. Sylvetta’s Bost’s quickness keyed a defensive effort that forced 24 NWC turnovers.
Madison Swift scored 16 inside for the Trojans.
The game did not appear headed to the memorable category early. When Northwest’s Jennifer Farrar made a long 3-pointer that beat the horn that ended the first quarter, South was down 18-9 and appeared to be in for a long night.
“We just had to get the nerves out,” Corriher said. “We formed a lot as a team after that bad start.”
South removed the nerves during a second quarter in which it put up 25 points South didn’t get a bucket from anyone other than Locklear until halfway through that quarter, but the game turned around when some other Raiders started connecting.Corriher hit two shots and Carolina Hubbard nailed two jumpers, and the Raiders pushed to a 34-29 halftime lead.
“I thought we played really young in the first quarter, but we played like basketball players in the second quarter,” winning coach Jarrod Smith said. “We forced a lot of turnovers, and good things started to happen.”
They kept happening in the third quarter when Chipman suddenly made four baskets, and Locklear, who got 14 of her points on free throws, kept driving and getting to the foul line. Locklear, who had three fouls at halftime, managed to avoid a fourth one that might have changed the game.
“It was our hustle more than anything,” Locklear said. “We got after every loose ball. If there was a ball on the floor, there was a white jersey down there to get it.”
The team scoring record for South girls was set in the 1974-75 season when when Raiders unloaded 93-21 on brand-new West Iredell on opening night.
South might have gotten 93 in this one, except it shot under 50 percent from the free-throw line.
“Our free-throw shooting wasn’t good enough and I’m upset that we gave up 65,” Smith said. “But I’m proud of the girls for getting a win. The turkey always tastes better after a win.”
NW CABARRUS (65) – Swift 16, Farrar 12, Sh. Bost 8, Bennett 7, Grant 5, Holt 4, J. Bost 4, Dixon 4, McNeil 2, Lambert 2, Wallace, Smith.
SOUTH ROWAN (84) – Locklear 43, Chipman 11, Corriher 10, Sy. Bost 5, Stamey 5, Martin 4, Hubbard 4, Davis 2, McClendon, Honeycutt, Coley.
NWC 18 11 17 19 – 65
S. Rowan 9 25 26 22 ­- 82