From staff reports

SPENCER — North Rowan’s boys lost to highly regarded 4A Charlotte Ardrey Kell 62-57 in overtime late Thursday night.

“I don’t like praising losses, but I loved the effort we had against a veteran team with two college signees and some more who will sign,” North Rowan coach Andrew Mitchell said. “Our guys are down right now, but there’s nothing I can be down about. Ardrey Kell’s team  has been together a long time. This was our third game with almost a whole new team and we’ve still got some more players who will be coming out.”

North Rowan (2-1) got 22 points from Jalen Sanders and 13 from Joseph Scott. Henderson Lentz hit two 3-pointers and took three charges.

The Cavaliers took a 29-22 lead at halftime, but Ardrey Kell’s taller Knights erased their deficit with a 21-point third quarter.

Both teams battled serious foul trouble down the stretch. North Rowan’s last lead came with 4:34 left in regulation when Sanders converted a driving and-one for a 49-48 lead.

Seth Davis made a free throw with 38 seconds left to give the Knights (5-1) a 54-52 lead. Sanders drove for the tying points with 23 seconds left and Sanders blocked a jump shot by Devin Cooper in the closing seconds to send the game to overtime.

North Rowan was outscored 8-3 in the overtime session. Henderson Lentz fouled out early in the overtime, and with North trailing 58-57 with 40 seconds remaining in the OT period, Luke Lawson drew the fifth foul on Sanders. That was the turning point. Lawson made one free throw for a two-point lead, but more importantly, Sanders, who was carrying the Cavaliers’ offense was out of the game.

North Rowan’s Paris Hillie  got  to the rim on a drive with 21 seconds left, but when he missed , Rhyle Scott rebounded for the Knights.

Two free throws by Collin Cooper  then put the Knights in the driver’s seat.

Devin Cooper (13), Elon signee Stephen Santa Ana (12) and  Josh Freund (11) were in double figures for the Knights.

“It was a good game for us,” Mitchell said. “When you play the good teams, that helps you see things about your own team.”

ARDREY KELL (62)

D. Cooper 13, Santa-Ana 12, Freund 11, R. Scott 9, Davis 8, C. Cooper 6, Lawson 3.

NORTH ROWAN (57)

Sanders 22, J. Scott 13, Lentz 9, Handy 4, Hillie 4, Mungin 3, Shields 2, Debose, Sirleaf.

A. Kell              7    15  21    11   8 — 62

N. Rowan      14   15  13    12   3 — 57

 

North Rowan girls

4A Ardrey Kell pulled away from North Rowan’s cold-shooting girls in the second half and won 54-35.

Ashley Blaire and Demeria Robinson scored 11 points each for the Cavaliers.

Darah Dewalt scored 13 for the Knights (4-2), whose roster includes three daughters of former Carolina Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad.

North Rowan (2-1) played very well early and led 20-15 midway through the second quarter.

“I think we surprised them some early,” North Rowan coach Brian Lytton said. “But then they got serious and they were able to take it to another level.”

It was 23-23 at halftime.

The turning point came when Blaire went down with cramps with the Cavaliers trailing 31-29 midway through the third quarter and had to be helped off the court. North Rowan didn’t score for almost 10 minutes before Blaire returned  and made a 3-pointer.

North Rowan was outscored 31-12 in the second half.

“We hoped for  a better showing, but it’s a game that will help us,” Lytton said. “Ardrey Kell is very talented and we just struggled to score.”

ARDREY KELL (54)

Dewalt 13, C. Muhammad 9, Jor. Muhammad 9, Gilmore 6, Booker 6, McCain 5, Rogers 3, Griffin 2, Davis 1.

NORTH ROWAN (35)

Blaire 11, Robinson 11, Farmer 8, Alexander 3, Morrison 2, Washington, Allen, Mills, Russell, Pruitt, Cannon.

A. Kell              13    10   17    14   — 54

N. Rowan      12      11   6    6       — 35

 

West Rowan girls

In West Rowan’s 60-41 loss to Mooresville, Khaila Hall scored 12 points and Taylor Martin had eight for the Falcons (2-2).

Amber Sherrill scored 19 for Mooresville (2-2).

• In West Rowan’s 64-24 win at Northwest Cabarrus, Martin scored 17 and Peyton Greene had 11.

 

A.L. Brown girls

Kyla Downs scored 12 points to lead A.L. Brown (3-0) to a 57-32 win at Salisbury on Thursday.

Aitana Grant scored 11 for the Wonders. Talethia Alexander scored 10, and Esther Kituku had eight.

 

Jayvees

Owen White scored 11 points, Elijah Moss had 10, and Terin Myers had seven as Carson’s jayvee boys beat Davie 57-40 on Thursday.

• East Rowan’s jayvees won 51-46 against Central Davidson on Wednesday. Lucas Morton scored 14 for the Mustangs. Isaac Baker and Paiton File had 10 apiece.

 

SPC

Concord Jay M. Robinson will be moving from 4A to 3A next school year after appealing to the NCHSAA.

Robinson will be in the South Piedmont Confernce, making it a 10-team league.

 

8th-grade basketball

North Rowan Middle’s boys won 57-34 at Southeast.

Brevin Goodlett had 29 points, five steals and five rebounds. Goodlett scored 19 in the first half as the Mavericks took a 35-10 lead.

Logan Stoner made three 3-pointers and scored 13 points. Jaden Perry scored seven, and Quintous Smith had six.

Cole Hales scored 11 for Southeast. Harrison Doby had eight.

On Monday, North Rowan takes on Corriher-Lipe and Southeast is at Mooresville.

• Erwin’s girls won 47-25 against China Grove.

Lauren Weisensel scored 14 points for the Eagles. Maddie Trexler (8), Iyahnna Neal (6), Lanie Fulk (6) and Lauren Coughenour (5) were next in scoring for the Eagles.

• Erwin’s boys defeated China Grove 47-34. Nate Hamilton, Cole Mabry, Hill Fowler and Taivon Torrence led the Eagles.

The Eagles will play at Knox  on Monday.

• West Rowan Middle’s girls won 34-27 against Southeast.

Chantal Robinson scored 13 points for the Bulldogs, and Hannah Pratt had 12.

Nancy Gamewell had 12 points and eight rebounds for Southeast.Kaitlyn Honeycutt scored 11.

• Knox’s girls won 35-6 against West Rowan Middle.

Bryanna Troutman scored 12 points for the Trojans (6-0). Taccora Robinson had 10.

• West Rowan Middle’s boys won 46-40 against Knox.

Anthony Chance scored 16 points for the Bulldogs. Jake Perez scored eight, Devin Basenback had six, and Payne Stolsworth had five. Basenback had eight rebounds.

John Jefferies scored 12 for the Trojans, Isaiah Rankin had 10.

 

College basketball

Eric Dubose scored 28 points in Livingstone’s 73-71 win at Queens on Wednesday.

Livingstone is off this weekend.

• Catawba hosts Carson-Newman in a SAC doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

• GRU Augusta’s Keshun Sherrill (West Rowan) scored 25 points in an 87-78  win against Paine  on Wednesday.

 

College football

Catawba center Taylor Fender was named to the  Daktronics All-Super Region Two football team. He was a four-year starter for the Indians and averaged four knockdown blocks per game as a senior.

 

College baseball

Appalachian State signed eight baseball players in   the early signing period.

The class includes pitcher/infielder Breydan Gorham (Western Alamance), Left-handed pitcher Bobby Hampton (Charles B. Aycock), pitcher Seth Hardin (Providence Grove), outfielder Darryl Johnson (Harnett Central), outfielder  Tanner Mann-Fix (Olympic), Outfielder Beau Myers (Wesleyan Christian), outfielder/left-handed pitcher Colin Schmid (New Bern) and pitcher  Stephen Schoch (Laurel, Md.).

College cross country

Gil Gilreath (NW Cabarrus) will be competing with the Mars Hill men’s cross country team in the Division II national championships on Saturday in Louisville. Mars Hill won the Southeast Region title. Gilreath finished 26th, running 33:50 in a 10K.

 

Local golf

Kristi Laton made a hole-in-one on No, 17 at the Country Club of Salisbury on Thursday.

She used a 6-iron on the 127-yard hole. Phyllis Durland and Faye Cline witnessed the feat.