Area Sports Briefs: North Rowan home Monday in final pre-Christmas games
Published 12:15 am Monday, December 22, 2014
From staff reports
North Rowan’s basketball teams host Winston-Salem Prep on Monday in matchups that will finalize the seeding process for the eight-school, 16-team Sam Moir Christmas Classic to be played at Catawba on Dec. 27, 29-30.
Eight games will be played each day.
Monday’s doubleheader in Spencer starts with the girls game at 6 p.m. Both Winston-Salem Prep teams are very strong, so the Cavaliers will have their work cut out.
Winston-Salem Prep’s boys are 6-2 and are coming off a win against 4A Mount Tabor. Winston-Salem Prep lost to 4A R.J. Reynolds (10-1) by three points.
Winston-Salem Prep’s boys have won three straight 1A state championships and developed quite a rivalry with the Cavaliers while North Rowan was in the 1A ranks.
North Rowan’s 92-85 double-overtime regional final win against Winston-Salem Prep in 2011 was one of the epic victories in school history and probably is remembered even more than the Cavaliers’ state-title game win vs. Pender that season.
In 2013, North Rowan lost 72-70 to Winston-Salem Prep in a regional semifinal.
North Rowan (6-1) has lost only to 4A Ardrey Kell this season. That setback came in overtime.
Jalen Sanders and Joseph Scott lead the Cavaliers. They combined for 49 points in Saturday’s 81-73 win against Crossroads Charter.
If North Rowan’s boys win against Winston-Salem Prep, the Cavaliers will be seeded No. 1 for the Sam Moir Christmas Classic and will take on No. 8 seed South Rowan in the first round.
If North Rowan loses Monday, it will be the No. 2 seed for the tournament, with Salisbury (8-2) taking the top seed. The No. 2 seed will face No. 7 seed East Rowan in the first round.
• Winston-Salem Prep’s girls are 8-2. The Phoenix lost Friday to unbeaten 4A R.J. Reynolds 48-43 and are coming off a win on Saturday against Mount Tabor.
North Rowan’s girls (3-2) have not played since they pounded Lake Norman Charter 66-20 on Dec. 10.
North Rowan’s losses came against 4As Ardrey Kell and Reynolds.
North Rowan’s girls will be seeded third for the Christmas tournament if they win on Monday because they would have the same winning percentage as South Rowan (6-3) and won head-to-head against the Raiders.
If the Cavaliers lose Monday, they’ll be seeded either fifth or sixth. A coin flip would be required to break a tie for fifth with Carson (5-5).
Girls seeds 3 through 6 for the Christmas tournament will be determined by North Rowan’s result. A North Rowan loss would make South Rowan the No. 3 seed, with Mooresville (5-3) getting the No. 4 seed.
• The boys seeds other than No. 1 and No. 2 are set for the Christmas tournament. Mooresville (5-3) is No. 3, with Carson (5-5) No. 4 and West Rowan (5-5) No. 5. Carson won head-to-head against the Falcons. Davie (3-5) is the No. 6 seed.
The only girls seeds that are already set are No. 1 East Rowan (8-1), No. 2 Davie (7-2), No. 7 West Rowan (4-6) and No. 8 Salisbury (2-8).
College basketball
Catawba Valley Community College won 77-60 against Virginia Western.
Seth Martin (West Rowan) and Kenyon Tatum (North Rowan) scored eight each for CVCC, while Dalton Nelson (North Rowan) had six.
• Shay Steele (West Rowan) had 24 points on Sunday as Morehead State lost to Cleveland State 80-72.
• Ayana Avery (West Rowan) scored 11 points and made three 3-pointers on Sunday in a 73-60 loss to Virginia Tech.