From staff reports

Basketball roundup …

OLIN — West Rowan’s Mike Gurley got his 500th win as a boys basketball varsity head coach on Friday. It was Gurley’s 398th win at West. He won 102 at Lexington before coming to West prior to the 1997-98 season.

Caleb Mauldin led the Falcons to an easy 65-29 win in their North Piedmont Conference opener by scoring 26 points. Jay Joseph scored 14 for West (7-7, 1-0).

Travis Wilcox led the Raiders (4-10, 0-1) with eight points.

W. Rowan 65, N. Iredell 29

W. ROWAN (65)

Mauldin 26, Joseph 14, Rankin 7, Warren 7, Dixon 6,  Myers 3, Tadlock 2,  Sproul, Brawley, Stolsworth.

N. IREDELL (29)

Wilcox 8, Tuggle 7, Ross 4, Cass 3, Skinner 2,  Barzee 2, Liles 2, Highman 1.

West Rowan   15  14   14    22     ­ — 65

N. Iredell     7  10    7       5      ­—  29

Salisbury boys

SALISBURY — It wasn’t the Hornets’ best effort, but Salisbury’s boys basketball team held off South Rowan, 47-40, on Friday to stay unbeaten in the Central Carolina Conference.

“We’re in good position,” said Salisbury coach Bryan Withers, whose team holds a two-game edge in the CCC.

Salisbury was great at the start, jumping out to a 12-0 lead.

“But after that we had zero intensity,” Withers said. “We missed so many easy shots and we let South get back in the game.”

Bailey Graham hit a 3-pointer right before halftime for the Raiders, and they were down 26-15 at the break.

“They hit that 3 to get it down to 11, and our body language changed some,” Withers said. “We didn’t play very well at all in the second half.”

Bill Fisher led Salisbury (11-1, 9-0) with 17 points. Trell Baker had 10, and Xavier Kesler added nine.

Tyrese Shaver and Graham scored 12 each for the Raiders (4-10, 4-4), who have dropped their last six. Zach Powers had 11.

Salisbury 47, S. Rowan 40

S. ROWAN (40)

Shaver 12, Graham 12, Powers 11, Childers 3, Oglesby 2.

SALISBURY (47)

Fisher 17, Baker 10, Kesler 9, Moss 6, Robinson 4, Davis 1.

S. Rowan   4   11   16    9     ­ — 40

Salisbury   15  11    9  12      ­—   47

North boys

DENTON — North Rowan’s bench ignited the Cavalier boys late in the first quarter and keyed an 82-45 win at South Davidson on Friday.

“We came out flat, but we inserted our bench guys and they got us going,” North coach Martin Unger said. “Our defense definitely wasn’t good the first six minutes, but the bench picked it up for us and we took over the game.”

North (8-3, 7-0) enjoyed a 32-point second quarter and led 50-26 at halftime in the Yadkin Valley Conference contest.

Senior Dajuan Clement scored a career-high 18 for North. Dayjuwon Cooke (16), Chaz McCombs (14) and Brevin Goodlett (11) also were in double figures.

South Davidson dropped to 4-10 and 2-5 in the YVC.

North plays Salisbury at Catawba tonight, with the varsity boys game expected to start at 7:30 p.m.

“Our guys were very disappointed with losing to Salisbury in the Christmas tournament (in overtime),” Unger said. “Maybe they were looking ahead some to Saturday and maybe that was part of the reason for our slow start tonight. But you can’t do that. You’ve got to come to play every night.”

N. Rowan 82, S. Davidson 45

N. ROWAN (82)

Clement 18, Cooke 16, McCombs 14, Goodlett 11, Page 8, Goodes 6, Davis 6, Colson 3, Smith, Stoner.

S. DAVIDSON (45)

Not available.

N. Rowan   18  32   19    13     ­ —  82

S. Davidson   14  12   8      11      ­— 45

East boys

TROUTMAN — East Rowan’s boys hung with strong South Iredell for a half, but eventually the Vikings pulled away for a 59-37 victory on Friday in the North Piedmont Conference opener for both teams.

It was 23-all at halftime.

“We played a great first half,” East coach Kurt Misenheimer said. “We were only down seven at the end of the third quarter.”

But South Iredell pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring East, 22-7.

Gabe Hinceman scored 15  to lead East (6-8, 0-1).

“Gabe came out aggressive and took it to the basket from the beginning of the game,” Misenheimer said.

Alex Angle scored 13 and surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for the Vikings (11-3, 1-0).   

“Our last couple of losses have been the same story,” Misenheimer said. “We can’t put together a sufficient offensive effort in the second half. Most of it is self-inflicted — unforced turnovers and missed free throws.”

Misenheimer believes East is as good defensively as anyone. That’s something to build on.

“We held those guys to 59 and they average about 85,” Misenheimer said. “Our guys know we can compete with and beat anyone we step on the floor with.”

S. Iredell 59, E. Rowan 37

E. ROWAN (37)

Hinceman 15, Hooper 6, Spry 5, Bennett 5, Jefferson 4, Sprinkle 2.

S.IREDELL (59)

Chaaban 13, Angle 13, Liechty 10, Everhart 7, Pope 5, Gaither 4, Dowdy 4, Dulin 2, Oglietti 1.

E. Rowan   14  9     7      7     ­ — 37

S. Iredell   12 11   14  22     ­—  59

  Davie boys

Jacob Hendrix scored 18 points, Cooper Wall had 16, and Michael Walton added 14 as Davie County’s boys opened Central Piedmont Conference play with a 62-50 home win against  R.J. Reynolds.

West girls 

OLIN — London Liles, a 6-foot senior, scored 24 points and led North Iredell’s girls to a 58-48 win over West Rowan in the North Piedmont Conference opener for both teams.

North Iredell (13-2, 1-0) is tall with Liles and 6-1 Rachel Lalonde (nine points). Addie Pennell scored 13 for the ninth-ranked Raiders.

Egypt Alexander scored 19 and Abigail Wilson had 16 for the Falcons (10-4, 0-1). The game was even after a quarter, but North Iredell moved out to a 32-24 lead at halftime.

  N. Iredell 58, W. Rowan 48

WEST (48)

Alexander 19, Wilson 16, Pharr 4, Sobataka 4, Connolly 2, Blabon 2, Robinson 1, Poole, Vaughters, Hairston 0.

N. IREDELL (58)

Liles 24, Pennell 13, Lalonde 9, Allen 7, Turner 4, Grinton 1.

West Rowan   14   10   9     15     ­ —  48

N. Iredell   14   18    13  13      ­—  58

North girls

DENTON — Hannah Cranford scored 18 points and Mallory Gardner had 17 as South Davidson defeated North Rowan, 48-36, in Yadkin Valley Conference girls action on Friday.

The Wildcats  (9-5, 6-1)survived a cold third quarter. North is 4-8 overall and 3-4 in the league.

N. Rowan     12   8    5    11     ­ — 36

S. Davidson   18  13    4    13      ­—  48

East girls

TROUTMAN — Sophomore guard Sarah Nelson hit eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points to lead South Iredell to a 58-29 win against East Rowan on Friday.

East was down 40-15 at halftime. It was the North Piedmont Conference opener for the Mustangs (5-9, 0-1), as well as the Vikings (4-10, 1-0).

“It was a disappointing effort,” East coach Kevin Holland said. “We came out flat and never got any better.”

East welcomed Zee Winford back from an injury. She scored four points.

Adalie Harrison scored nine to lead the Mustangs. Carmen Fraley had six.

S. Iredell 58, E. Rowan 29

E. ROWAN (29)

A. Harrison 9, Fraley 6, H. Harrison 5, Winford 4, Mitchell 4, Houpe 1, Miller.

S.IREDELL (58)

Nelson 26, Mercer 11, Knapp 6, Kimmel 4, Bell 3, Wightman 3, Durham 3. Labelle 2.

E. Rowan   9     6    3    11     ­ — 29

S. Iredell   19 21   8    10      ­— 58