From staff reports

West Rowan’s basketball teams are scheduled to open North Piedmont Conference play tonight against North Iredell in Olin.

Boys coach Mike Gurley enters the contest with 499 career victories,  with a county-record  397 wins coming at West Rowan.

Now in his 21st season at West, Gurley has broken the county record for longevity for boys basketball coaches. He had been tied with Spencer/North Rowan coach Walt Baker with 20 seasons. Gurley’s winning percentage is .696.

Gurley’s record at West Rowan as well as the leaderboard for county’s boys basketball coaches are in today’s Scoreboard.

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West Rowan’s Caleb Mauldin surpassed 1,700 career points in Wednesday’s game with South Rowan and ranks sixth in Rowan County history behind West’s Scooter Sherrill, Donte Minter and Keshun Sherrill, Salisbury’s Bobby Phillips and Carson’s Darius Moose.

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East Rowan is on the road at South Iredell tonight to start NPC play. The East boys will be up against a strong South Iredell team that put up 100 points earlier this week in a win against Lake Norman.

South Iredell’s Alex Angle enters the game with 998 career points.

The Vikings are expected to be the biggest challenger to  Carson in the NPC boys race.

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Both games should be good at Carson where the Cougars start NPC play against Statesville.

Carson’s boys (12-0) and girls (12-1) are ranked in the top five in 3A.

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Salisbury and South Rowan clashed in the Christmas tournament in boys and girls action, but the teams will square off tonight at Salisbury for the first time as Central Carolina Conference rivals.

South’s girls upset Salisbury in a tournament semifinal — the only loss of the season for the ninth-ranked Hornets — but South has injury issues and won’t be at full strength tonight.

Salisbury’s once-beaten boys also are highly ranked in the state in 2A. They handled South with relative ease in a first-round tournament encounter.

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Salisbury will take on North Rowan on Saturday  at Catawba College.

The boys teams met in the recent Christmas tournament, with Salisbury’s boys taking an overtime win in the semifinals.

Gates will open at 3:30 p.m. The jayvee boys game is at 4:30 p.m., with the varsity games following.

North is the home team for this matchup. Admission is $7. Since the game is being played at a neutral site, YVC and CCC passes won’t be honored.

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North Rowan is at South Davidson tonight, with the Cavalier boys expected to stay unbeaten in the Yadkin Valley Conference.

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In YVC action on Thursday, South Davidson swept Gray Stone. It was the first league loss for the Gray Stone girls.

Jacob Byerly scored 14 points to lead South Davidson’s boys to a 70-53 victory over the Knights.

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Davie’s teams open Central Piedmont Conference play tonight at home against R.J. Reynolds.

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The Central Cabarrus girls rolled against Concord, 57-22, in South Piedmont Conference action on Thursday.

The Vikings, now 2-0 in the league, got 14 points each from Maranda Benton and Nevaeh Brown.

Jenazi Chambers scored 11 for the Spiders.

Concord won the boys game, 59-55.

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Braedon Allen scored 18 points to lead Northwest Cabarrus to a 64-57 SPC win against A.L. Brown on Wednesday.

Jala Campbell paced the Wonders with 13.

Northwest’s boys clobbered the Wonders, 67-38.

Chalen Stafford-Gill led the Trojans with 18 points. T’Darien Neal had 12 for the Wonders.

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Fans who watched the Sam Moir Christmas Classic had to be impressed by North Stanly junior guard Bryson Childress.

Childress scored 22 of his 30 points in the first quarter of Tuesday’s Yadkin Valley Conference win against North Moore.

There’s a North Rowan-North Stanly YVC showdown looming next Monday in New London.

Middle school hoops

Varsity

Erwin’s girls beat Mooresville 49-21.

Mary Spry scored 15, Leah Hinceman had 11, and Hannah Isley and Olivia McCray scored five each.

Scores:

China Grove, 40, North 24

Knox 40, Corriher-Lipe 11

North Rowan 48, Southeast 34

Standings:

China Grove and Erwin are tied for first with 11-1 records. Knox is third at 9-3. North  (6-6) is fourth.

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Southeast’s Alex Barerra hit the game-winner with 12 seconds left to give Southeast’s boys a 43-42 win over West Rowan.  Noah Loeblein led West  with 15 points. Camden Stamper had nine and Casey Gouge had seven.

Scores:

North 30, China Grove 29

Knox 63, Corriher-Lipe 16

Mooresville 41, Erwin 29

Standings:

North Rowan and Mooresville are tied for first with 11-1 records.

Erwin is third at 8-4, with China Grove (6-6) in fourth place.

Mid. school jayvees

Erwin’s girls lost to Mooresville, 44-12.

Hannah Waddell scored five points for the Eagles.

Cailynn Winford scored 12 for Mooresville.  Taliyah Brown had 10.