KANNAPOLIS — Carson has found its calling card on the court — defense.
The Cougars capped a perfect 3-0 week Friday night by suffocating Northwest Cabarrus for the 44-32 victory on the road.
It was the third straight game they held their opponent under 40 points, with the 32 points allowed setting a season best.
“We are much more of a defensive-minded team,” Carson coach Brooke Misenheimer said. “If we don’t play defense, we do not put ourselves in a position to win. We have to play defense in order to win.
“Every win is crucial right now,” she continued. “It wasn’t pretty all the time, but we found a way to win.”
The strong defensive effort started in the first quarter with the Cougars limiting Northwest to just four points in the frame, pulling ahead 7-4 early on a Kate Cole trey.
Carson led by as much as eight in the first half and took a 17-12 lead into the locker room.
The Trojans finally broke through in the third, jumping ahead 26-25 on back-to-back 3-pointers. But Cole hit two jumpers of her own with her last one beating the horn to put the Cougars back in front, 31-26.
Carson dialed up more pressure in the fourth, which led to fast-break chances down the court. Syndey Huffman continued her surge, hitting a runner to push the lead out to five before Megan Grey was hacked on a drive to the basket.
Grey then nailed a baseline jumper as the lead hit double-figures at 40-30, sealing the victory.
“We watched some film before the game and made some major adjustments,” Misenheimer said. “We won all three games this week — that’s something we haven’t accomplished all season. So that’s definitely a sign that we’re growing.”
Leading the charge was Alex Allen, who turned in a big double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds. Cole added 14.

CARSON (44) — Allen 16, Cole 14, Huffman 5, Grey 5, Clark 4, Jackson, Roberson, VanVoorhis, Hunsucker.
NORTHWEST CABARRUS (32) — Bennette 13, Bost 9, Lambert 5, Grant 3, Smith 2, Williford, Wareham, Wallace, Shaw, Hott.
Carson 7 10 14 13 — 44
NW Cabarrus 4 8 14 6 — 32