By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A few scattered basketball games are in the books, but the season will begin for real on Tuesday.

For South Rowan’s boys and girls, Salisbury’s boys and girls and North Rowan’s boys, Tuesday’s openers will be conference games.

That’s due to the changing landscape for Rowan athletics created by realignment. Salisbury and North Rowan didn’t play their first conference basketball game last season until January.

South and Salisbury are part of a 10-team 2A Central Carolina Conference (one more team than football because new school Oak Grove didn’t compete in varsity football, but the Grizzlies do have varsity basketball teams). That means 18 conference games for everybody, so they need to get started right away.

North is competing in the nine-team 1A Yadkin Valley Conference, so the Cavaliers are getting started with YVC play early.

The YVC will look a bit different than it did during football season. Chatham Central competed in football, but won’t be a league member in basketball. Uwharrie Charter and Gray Stone Day don’t play football, but they’ll be active in basketball.

West Rowan, East Rowan and Carson had to play early conference games in recent years, but now that they’re in the six-team North Piedmont Conference, league play won’t begin until January 5. That gives West’s boys some time to rebuild and gives Carson’s boys, who have an experienced starting five, a chance to develop a bench.

Rowan’s girls teams should be quite strong, with Salisbury, Carson, West Rowan and South Rowan well-stocked with returning players.

All five girls who made first team all-county are back in uniform. Three of the second team players are back, as well as four of the Honorable Mention players.

Eleven girls who have scored 20 points in a game are back. Three of them own a 30-point game. Carson’s Olivia Gabriel is in position to become the leading scorer in her school’s history, while South’s Janiya Downs is on track to do the same thing during the 2018-19 season.

Salisbury — Salisbury soared from 14 wins to 21 last season under Rowan County Coach of the Year Lakai Brice. First team all-county player Bryanna Troutman, a multi-skilled junior, leads the Hornets. Guard Anayia Fulson was second team all-county as a freshman. Senior guard Maria Capito was Honorable Mention. Capito and Troutman are in range of becoming 1,000-point scorers.

Carson — Carson coach Brooke Misenheimer is now Brooke Miseneheimer Stouder and returns the two standouts and a lot of the supporting cast from a 21-7 team. Gabriel, a senior, and McKenzie Gadson, a junior, were first team all-county picks. Carson (1-1 in the early going) also has been bolstered by a freshman class that’s going to help right away. Gabriel has more than 1,200 career points. Gadson is likely to reach 1,000 this season.

South — Player of the Year Downs, a junior who already has 960 points to her credit, leads the Raiders, who jumped from seven wins to 14 last season for coach John Davis. Senior guard Tazah Hardin was second team all-county, while senior Riley Corriher was Honorable Mention. South also returns starters Brooke Lowery and Whitley Arnott.

West — West coach Ashley Poole returns the core of a 13-13 team. Senior scoring machine Egypt Alexander already has surpassed 1,000 points and was a first team all-county pick. Abigail Wilson made second team all-county as a freshman. Junior Mary Sobataka was Honorable Mention and is on track for a 1,000-point career. West has five more girls back who played a lot of minutes. Three of them — Myanna Hillie, Taylor Poole and Shyann Vaughters — scored more than 100 points last season.

East — East was 4-20 in coach Kevin Holland’s first year and has a challenging season ahead with a thin roster of seven players. East (0-1) still has the Harrison sisters, Adalie and Hollie. Adalie, a sophomore point guard, was Honorable Mention all-county.

North — North was 4-18 in coach Ron Bost’s debut. North (0-1) will be counting on some talented freshmen to help out a handful of returners.

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As far as the Rowan boys, Carson is the team that has obvious reasons for high expectations. Carson managed a 14-11 record last season competing in the loaded South Piedmont Conference that produced the last two 3A state champions in Robinson and Cox Mill.  Now in the 3A North Piedmont Conference, the Cougars have a realistic chance to compete for their first conference title.

Carson — Coach Brian Perry returns five of his top six players, including 6-foot-4 senior Jamarius Hairston, a 1,000-point scorer and a first team all-c0unty player. Senior point guard Jailen Williams and 6-4 senior forward Owen White were second team all-county performers. Both have scored more than 500 career points. Senior Cameron Prugh and junior Cole Perry, who has grown considerably, will provide a lot of 3-pointers. Carson (1-0) opened with a win against 4A Hickory Ridge.

West — Rowan County Coach of the Year in 2016-17, Mike Gurley is back for his 21st season and has put 391 wins in the record book during his time in Mount Ulla. West was 18-10 last year and returns 6-8 Rowan County Player of the Year Caleb Mauldin (1,396 career points), but most of the big guy’s supporting cast graduated. Martavio Rankin and Tyrese Lawrence are the other returners with experience. West opens Monday at Lake Norman.

North — Andrew Mitchell, who piloted North to a 1A state title and a 2A runner-up finish during a seven-year tenure, is on a leave of absence. His replacement, Martin Unger, has considerable college experience. North lost Joe Scott and Henderson Lentz, the big guns on a 14-12 team. The returners are led by Honorable Mention all-county Brevin Goodlett and Dayjuwon Cooke. Both are good rebounders.

East  — Kurt Misenheimer’s Mustangs (0-2) have a chance to be much better than last season’s 4-20 . The Mustangs also will benefit from not seeing a steady diet of the Cabarrus schools and they have a tough inside tandem in Elton Hooper and Brandon Jefferson. Gabe Hinceman, Bryson Sprinkle, Trevor Scruggs and Christian Bennett add more experience.

Salisbury — The Hornets lost key people from a 15-8 club, including big man Tre Oats and shooter Will Leckonby. Point guard Trell Baker, second team all-county, heads the returners for coach Bryan Withers. Oshaun Robinson, 6-5 Bill Fisher and Cameron Gill got significant minutes last season.

South — South has won just one time in the last two seasons — that was last season’s finale — but there’s a chance for a major move forward this season under coach Andrew McCain with the move to a 2A league and six experienced players on the roster. Zach Powers, Tyrese Shaver and Garrett Harrington will present an imposing 6-7, 6-5 and 6-5 frontline and the Raiders also return guards Bailey Graham, Dillon Kluttz and Connor Childers. Graham was the leading scorer and was Honorable Mention all-county.

Davie coach Mike Absher is back for his 15th season and pilots an experienced, Cooper Wall-led team that could challenge for the Central Piedmont Conference championship. Mount Tabor beat up on Davie (1-0) in recent seasons, but is no longer in the league. Wall’s junior season was cut short by ACL surgery, but he entered the season with 703 career points.

Davie was only 11-13 last year, but will be a lot better this time. Davie will play at West on Tuesday.

A.L. Brown coach Shelwyn Klutz starts his 21st season on Tuesday. The Wonders struggled to 3-17 last season in the 4A ranks. As good as the 3A South Piedmont Conference is, the Wonders should have a better chance this time.

Full previews for all the teams are upcoming.