Area Sports Briefs: Big game for Ajayi close to home

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 15, 2019

From staff reports

MISENHEIMER — Playing close to home, Averett senior Amani Ajayi turned in a big effort in a USA South women’s basketball game played at Pfeiffer’s Merner Gym on Monday.

Ajayi (East Rowan) had  17 points, 11 rebounds and four steals in a  78-70 victory.

She got off to a slow start, missing some jumpers, but she got going by making three layups that helped Averett take a 16-4 lead in the early going.

Ajayi, a three-year starter, has averaged 10.1 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Cougars (10-6, 7-2) this season.

She had 17 rebounds on Dec. 30 to tie her career high.

Brooke Carthon scored 25 to lead Averett.

Mya Johnson scored 23 for Pfeiffer (6-5, 3-4).

Davie wins again

MOCKSVILLE — Michael Walton scored 20 points to lead Davie County to a 67-50 Central Piedmont Conference win against Glenn on Monday.

The senior surpassed 1,000  points for his career.

Jacob Hendrix scored 14 for the War Eagles (13-1, 2-0).

Troy Griggs and Owen McCormack added nine apiece for the War Eagles, who are tied for eighth in 4A in the state media poll. Justice Redmon had eight.

Julius Reese led the Bobcats (7-7, 1-1) with 14 points.

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Davie lost the girls game, 64-24.

GLENN (50) — Reese 14, Williams 11, Napper 8,  Carlton 4, Frazier 4, Clements 3, Fuller 2, Gainey 2, Elbert 2.

DAVIE (67) — Walton 20, Hendrix 14, Griggs 9, McCormack 9, Redmon 8, Johnson 5, Smith 2.

Glenn     6    9   1 8   17 —  50

Davie     10   20  20   17  — 67

HS girls basketball

Ledford point guard Lyrik Thorne, who signed with Catawba, has surpassed 2,000 career points.

HS boys basketball

North Stanly senior Bryson Childress is 12 points away from breaking the school scoring record of 1,762 set in 2015 by Stephen Misenheimer.

Mid. school hoops

Erwin’s girls won against North Rowan, 41-28, in a tournament semifinal played on Monday at West Rowan Middle.

Haley Dalton had 16 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Eagles and joined the 400-point club.

Leah Hinceman had 10  points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Icesis Nwaford had six points and seven rebounds. Hannah Waddell scored six points. Lindsey Cook had four assists and four steals.

• Erwin beat China Grove in the first round, 55-14,    with Dalton scoring 13, Hinceman 10 and Nwaford nine. Anasty Faavesi scored eight, while  Cook had six.

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Top-seeded Erwin plays No. 2 seed Knox for the championship at 4 on Wednesday. The teams tied for first place in the regular season and split their meetings.

Knox advanced with a win against West Rowan.

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Boys semifinals are scheduled for today at West Rowan Middle, with top-seeded Mooresville taking on No. 4 West Rowan at 4 p.m.

No. 2 North Rowan plays No. 3 Knox at 5:30 p.m.

College baseball

Mars Hill senior catcher Matt Honeycutt (South Rowan) is on the preseason All-America team announced by the   Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

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Catawba announced the signings of West Rowan lefty Daniel Durham and former East Rowan right-hander John Owen, who went on to pitch at Pitt Community College.

Both players have been standouts for the Rowan County American Legion team.

Stories are upcoming.

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Catawba shortstop Jeremy Simpson (West Rowan) has made a successful comeback from the labrum surgery that sidelined him last season.

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Catawba opens a new season on Feb. 1 in Florida, but has a long homestand starting on Feb. 6.

A Catawba baseball preview is upcoming.

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A player to watch for the Indians is new center fielder Bryce Butler, a junior college All-American in Illinois last season.

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Freshman pitcher Trent Montgomery and freshman two-way player Robbie Cowie were fall standouts for the Indians.

  

Legion baseball

The 2019 state tournament will be hosted by Cherryville.

The 20th annual event will be held July 26-30 at Cherryville’s Fraley Field.

College basketball

Cornell senior Matt Morgan (Cox Mill) recently became  only the sixth Ivy League player in history to top 2,000 career points.

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Cody Martin, who played three high school seasons for Davie County, has surpassed 1,000 points for Nevada.

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Catawba is at home Wednesday at 8 p.m. for a huge South Atlantic Conference matchup with Queens.

The Indians (13-2, 6-1) are in second place, while Queens is in first place and is still unbeaten in the SAC.

Catawba is coming off a big home win against Lincoln Memorial.

Women’s basketball

Aliyah Farmer (North Rowan) had 16 points and six rebounds in UNC Pembroke’s 55-54 win against Georgia College on Sunday.

Avery Locklear (South Rowan) scored five for the Braves.

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Tyzarea Alexander (Salisbury) had another big game for Methodist on Sunday. She scored 16 in  a 67-56 loss to Greensboro.

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Former Central Cabarrus star Mahaley Holit had a huge game for Hampton in a 68-54 win against Radford recently. She had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

College swimming

Catawba jumped into the pool with two-time defending national champion Queens for a dual swim meet  at the Levine Center.

The Queens men, ranked second in Division II, picked up a 166-37 victory, while the women, ranked No. 1, grabbed a 165-40 win over the Indians.

College football

Catawba put three seniors on the Don Hansen All-Super Region Two team. — tight end Jourdan Osinskie,  guard Qiunzavious Sands and running back  Kenyatta Greene.

Jayvee girls hoops

Hannah Isley scored 11  and Camden Corley had seven in Carson’s 40-19 win against East Rowan.  Allie Burns and Riley Isley were defensive standouts.

Olivia McCray scored eight for the Mustangs.

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Megyn Spicer scored seven to lead West Rowan in a 34-17 loss to South Iredell.