From staff reports
East Rowan’s Nick Lyerly and Jennifer Chang of Cary were named the 2015 North Carolina Junior Players of the Year by the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and Carolinas Golf Association (CGA).
The N.C. Junior Player of the Year award recognizes the boy and girl who have had the most successful year in amateur and junior golf events at the local, state, regional and national levels.
Chang, a 16-year-old sophomore at Athens Drive High School, finished first place five times in 2015.
Lyerly, a 17-year-old high school junior at East Rowan, won seven tournaments in 2015. His wins included the 3A State Championship, the High Point Junior Open, the Rowan Junior Open, the Palmetto High School Championship, the TYGA State Championship, the NCJGF Irish Creek tournament and (a tie in) the NC Trusted Choice Big I Junior Championship.
“Nicholas is a hard worker who loves to play golf and loves to practice. He is very coachable and always listens which makes him a great student of the game,” said Jay Hill, the Head Golf Professional at Balsam Mountain Preserve who has worked with Lyerly for the past five years. “He is very sharp mentally and has developed a mindset of playing smart, but being aggressive when he can. He is just a great kid on and off the golf course.
In the 28 events Lyerly played in 2015, he finished in the top ten 20 times and had a scoring average of 71.51.
Lyerly has verbally committed to play college golf at UNC Greensboro.
These outstanding juniors, along with the 2015 N.C. All-State girls and boys teams, will be honored at the N.C. Junior Golf Night Awards Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines.
•••
Salisbury senior Grace Yatawara was named to the All-State girls second team.

Catawba men fall
Queens, ranked eighth in the latest NABC Poll, stayed unbeaten with a 94-79 win over visiting Catawba in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action on Wednesday night at the Levine Center.
The Royals are 12-0, 6-0 in the SAC.
Catawba fell to 6-7 and 4-3.
Catawba trailed 18-2 out of the gate and never threatened. Queens led 54-27 at halftime.
Jerrin Morrison returned after missing two games with an injury to lead Catawba with 17 points. Jameel Taylor had 12 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Barber collected 11 points. Rakeen Brown chipped in with 10 points.
Rob Lewis led Queens with 20 points, hitting on four 3-pointers.
Catawba heads to Brevard on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip-off.

Catawba women win
The Catawba women’s basketball team put together a dominating second half and rolled to an 85-61 SAC victory over Queens on Wednesday night at the Levine Center.
The Catawba Indians improved to 5-8 overall and 2-5 in the SAC and won for the first time this season on the road
Queens is 2-9. 0-6.
Leading only 35-32 at the half, Catawba put up 50 points in the second half.
Terri Rogers had a huge game for the Indians with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Five Catawba players reached double figure. Jada Hundley followed Rogers with 12 points. Bri Johnson added 11 points. Zhaquondalee Greer and Alexis Newbold both scoring 10 each.

Boys basketball
Davie beat an Australian touring team 70-59 in Mocksville on Wednesday.
Nic Starnes and Cory Heiner scored 17 points apiece to pace the War Eagles.
Davie, which led 40-35 at halftime, improved to 10-5.
•••
Jordan McDaniel scored a career-best 26 points and made the game-winning free throws as Davie County’s boys wom 78-76 against CPC rival North Davidson on Tuesday.

Boys box
Davie 78, North Davidson 76

DAVIE (78) — McDaniel 26, Slabach 14, Wall 14, Heiner 12, Starnes 7, Walton 3, Mua 2.
NORTH DAVIDSON (73) — Borgen 19, Moore 17, Hill 14, Franklin 11, Hester 10, Reid 3, Henson 2.
Davie 13 14 22 29 — 78
N. Davidson 16 18 25 14 — 76
•••
Carson’s boys lost 68-42 to Hickory Ridge on Tuesday in SPC play.
Avery Metcalf scored 23 points to lead the Ragin’ Bulls.
Jamarius Hairston led the Cougars with 13 points.

Boys box
Hickory Ridge 68, Carson 42

HICKORY RIDGE (68) — Avery Metcalf 23, Heidtke 12, Smith 9, Andrew Metcalf 6, Cottingham 4, Leary 4, Wimbish 2, Walker 2, Burley 2, Carter 2, Ruggerio 2.
CARSON (42) — Hairston 13, Herron-Cuthbertson 7, Bearden 6, Banks 5, Westbrook 3, White 3, Whicker 3, Hogue 2.

Hickory Ridge 14 6 30 18 — 68
Carson 11 6 8 17 — 42

From staff reports
East Rowan’s Nick Lyerly and Jennifer Chang of Cary were named the 2015 North Carolina Junior Players of the Year by the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and Carolinas Golf Association (CGA).
The N.C. Junior Player of the Year award recognizes the boy and girl who have had the most successful year in amateur and junior golf events at the local, state, regional and national levels.
Chang, a 16-year-old sophomore at Athens Drive High School, finished first place five times in 2015.
Lyerly, a 17-year-old high school junior at East Rowan, won seven tournaments in 2015. His wins included the 3A State Championship, the High Point Junior Open, the Rowan Junior Open, the Palmetto High School Championship, the TYGA State Championship, the NCJGF Irish Creek tournament and (a tie in) the NC Trusted Choice Big I Junior Championship.
“Nicholas is a hard worker who loves to play golf and loves to practice. He is very coachable and always listens which makes him a great student of the game,” said Jay Hill, the Head Golf Professional at Balsam Mountain Preserve who has worked with Lyerly for the past five years. “He is very sharp mentally and has developed a mindset of playing smart, but being aggressive when he can. He is just a great kid on and off the golf course.
In the 28 events Lyerly played in 2015, he finished in the top ten 20 times and had a scoring average of 71.51.
Lyerly has verbally committed to play college golf at UNC Greensboro.
These outstanding juniors, along with the 2015 N.C. All-State girls and boys teams, will be honored at the N.C. Junior Golf Night Awards Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines.
•••
Salisbury senior Grace Yatawara was named to the All-State girls second team.

Catawba men fall
Queens, ranked eighth in the latest NABC Poll, stayed unbeaten with a 94-79 win over visiting Catawba in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action on Wednesday night at the Levine Center.
The Royals are 12-0, 6-0 in the SAC.
Catawba fell to 6-7 and 4-3.
Catawba trailed 18-2 out of the gate and never threatened. Queens led 54-27 at halftime.
Jerrin Morrison returned after missing two games with an injury to lead Catawba with 17 points. Jameel Taylor had 12 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Barber collected 11 points. Rakeen Brown chipped in with 10 points.
Rob Lewis led Queens with 20 points, hitting on four 3-pointers.
Catawba heads to Brevard on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip-off.

Catawba women win
The Catawba women’s basketball team put together a dominating second half and rolled to an 85-61 SAC victory over Queens on Wednesday night at the Levine Center.
The Catawba Indians improved to 5-8 overall and 2-5 in the SAC and won for the first time this season on the road
Queens is 2-9. 0-6.
Leading only 35-32 at the half, Catawba put up 50 points in the second half.
Terri Rogers had a huge game for the Indians with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Five Catawba players reached double figure. Jada Hundley followed Rogers with 12 points. Bri Johnson added 11 points. Zhaquondalee Greer and Alexis Newbold both scoring 10 each.

Boys basketball
Davie beat an Australian touring team 70-59 in Mocksville on Wednesday.
Nic Starnes and Cory Heiner scored 17 points apiece to pace the War Eagles.
Davie, which led 40-35 at halftime, improved to 10-5.
•••
Jordan McDaniel scored a career-best 26 points and made the game-winning free throws as Davie County’s boys wom 78-76 against CPC rival North Davidson on Tuesday.

Boys box
Davie 78, North Davidson 76

DAVIE (78) — McDaniel 26, Slabach 14, Wall 14, Heiner 12, Starnes 7, Walton 3, Mua 2.
NORTH DAVIDSON (73) — Borgen 19, Moore 17, Hill 14, Franklin 11, Hester 10, Reid 3, Henson 2.
Davie 13 14 22 29 — 78
N. Davidson 16 18 25 14 — 76
•••
Carson’s boys lost 68-42 to Hickory Ridge on Tuesday in SPC play.
Avery Metcalf scored 23 points to lead the Ragin’ Bulls.
Jamarius Hairston led the Cougars with 13 points.

Boys box
Hickory Ridge 68, Carson 42

HICKORY RIDGE (68) — Avery Metcalf 23, Heidtke 12, Smith 9, Andrew Metcalf 6, Cottingham 4, Leary 4, Wimbish 2, Walker 2, Burley 2, Carter 2, Ruggerio 2.
CARSON (42) — Hairston 13, Herron-Cuthbertson 7, Bearden 6, Banks 5, Westbrook 3, White 3, Whicker 3, Hogue 2.

Hickory Ridge 14 6 30 18 — 68
Carson 11 6 8 17 — 42

Northwest Cabarrus won 65-49 against A.L. Brown on Wednesday.
Boys box
A.L. Brown 7 14 11 17 — 49
NW Cabarrus 13 13 16 23 — 65
A.L. BROWN (49) — Neal 14, Johnson 13, Williamson 7, Reid 6, Medley 5, Scott 3, Harris 1
NW CABARRUS (65) — Cammack 17, Stevens 17, Caldwell 12, Clark 9, Baker 4, Foreman 2, Litterell 2, Burns 2.

Jayvee girls
Carson won 24-14 against Hickory Ridge.
The Cougars (11-0) got eight points from Tayler Harwood and five from Katie Jewell.
Defensive Standouts were Nancy Gamewell, Sarah Musselwhite and Shaleah Jolly.

Jayvee boys
West Rowan won 52-46 against Cox Mill, with Logan Sproul and Josiah Dixon leading the way.

8th-grade basketball
Mooreville won 40-35 against West Rowan.
Both teams are 8-3.
Quay Weeks led the Bulldogs with 15 points, and Jay Joseph added nine.
Malik Birchett led Mooresville with 11 points.
•••
China Grove’s girls defeated Corriher-Lipe 35-10 behind a career-high 21 points from Whitley Arnott. The Red Devils were bolstered by good team defense and solid rebounding.

Girls basketball
West Rowan’s girls won 57-43 against Cox Mill on Tuesday.

Girls box
West 57, Cox Mill 43

COX MILL (43) — Barker 12, Haney 10, Stafford 6, Rincus 6, Wilson 2, Sondrini 2, White 2, Manigault 2, Surratt 1.
WEST ROWAN (57) — Martin 17, Alexander 13, Sobataka 9, Hall 6, Miller 5, Pharr 2, Vaughters 2, Linder, Williams Pruitt.

Cox Mill       17   4   12   10   — 43
West Rowan            17   9   17   14   — 57
•••
Central Cabarrus won 59-54 over East Rowan in SPC play on Tuesday.

Girls box
Central 59, East Rowan 54

CENTRAL CABARRUS (59) — Holit 37, Wallace 11, Van Dyke 6, Breedlove 5, Ratzloff, Benton, Myrick.
EAST ROWAN (54) — Shenell Pharr 24, Shenique Pharr 10, J. Lowe 10, Small 6, Wagner 2, Weisensel, Harrison, S. Lowe.

C. Cabarrus 7 15 11 26 — 59
East 11 11 18 14 — 54

•••
Hickory Ridge won 54-36 against Carson on Tuesday in China Grove.

Girls box
Hickory Ridge 54, Carson 36

HICKORY RIDGE (54) — Smith 22, McManimen 10, Means 6, Jones 6, Miller 5, Shears 3
CARSON (36) — Ketchie 10, Turney 8, Gabriel 7, Gadson 7, Wiggins 2, Shumaker 2, Street, Furr, Fesperman, Taylor.

Hickory Ridge 8 19 11 16 — 54
Carson 4 9 13 10 — 36

•••

Jayvee girls
Carson won 24-14 against Hickory Ridge.
The Cougars (11-0) got eight points from Tayler Harwood and five from Katie Jewell.
Defensive Standouts were Nancy Gamewell, Sarah Musselwhite and Shaleah Jolly.

Jayvee boys
West Rowan won 52-46 against Cox Mill, with Logan Sproul and Josiah Dixon leading the way.

8th-grade basketball
Mooreville won 40-35 against West Rowan.
Both teams are 8-3.
Quay Weeks led the Bulldogs with 15 points, and Jay Joseph added nine.
Malik Birchett led Mooresville with 11 points.
•••
China Grove’s girls defeated Corriher-Lipe 35-10 behind a career-high 21 points from Whitley Arnott. The Red Devils were bolstered by good team defense and solid rebounding.

Girls basketball
West Rowan’s girls won 57-43 against Cox Mill on Tuesday.

Girls box
West 57, Cox Mill 43

COX MILL (43) — Barker 12, Haney 10, Stafford 6, Rincus 6, Wilson 2, Sondrini 2, White 2, Manigault 2, Surratt 1.
WEST ROWAN (57) — Martin 17, Alexander 13, Sobataka 9, Hall 6, Miller 5, Pharr 2, Vaughters 2, Linder, Williams Pruitt.

Cox Mill       17   4   12   10   — 43
West Rowan            17   9   17   14   — 57
•••
Central Cabarrus won 59-54 over East Rowan in SPC play on Tuesday.

Girls box
Central 59, East Rowan 54

CENTRAL CABARRUS (59) — Holit 37, Wallace 11, Van Dyke 6, Breedlove 5, Ratzloff, Benton, Myrick.
EAST ROWAN (54) — Shenell Pharr 24, Shenique Pharr 10, J. Lowe 10, Small 6, Wagner 2, Weisensel, Harrison, S. Lowe.

C. Cabarrus 7 15 11 26 — 59
East 11 11 18 14 — 54

•••
Hickory Ridge won 54-36 against Carson on Tuesday in China Grove.

Girls box
Hickory Ridge 54, Carson 36

HICKORY RIDGE (54) — Smith 22, McManimen 10, Means 6, Jones 6, Miller 5, Shears 3
CARSON (36) — Ketchie 10, Turney 8, Gabriel 7, Gadson 7, Wiggins 2, Shumaker 2, Street, Furr, Fesperman, Taylor.

Hickory Ridge 8 19 11 16 — 54
Carson 4 9 13 10 — 36