Staff report

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s girls basketball team cared more about getting better than about going undefeated.

The Hornets came close on Tuesday but couldn’t hold off perennial 4A power Northwest Guilford in the SHS gym.

Northwest Guilford’s Vikings rallied in the fourth quarter and won 51-50.

“It was a good game, but the difference was that Northwest Guilford finished plays down the stretch and we didn’t,” Salisbury coach Lakai Brice said.  “They’d studied us on livestream and new all our tendencies and they were calling out our plays when we ran them, even the inbounds plays. That rattled our girls a little bit, but we have to learn to play off the play.”

Salisbury led almost all the way and was up 21-15 after a low-scoring first half. The Hornets still had a six-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Vikings stepped up the pressure and started chipping away. They caught up and went ahead late in the contest.

“We’ll learn how to execute in the tough games,” Brice said.

Counting this year’s 2-0 mark, Northwest Guilford has a record of 166-16 over the last seven seasons, including two 4A state titles.

Northwest Guilford made it to the fourth round in the 4A playoffs last season and has four seniors. Northwest Guilford won its first game this season 54-21.

Salisbury got 24 points from sophomore guard Kyla Bryant.

Rachel McCullough and Icesis Nwafor scored seven points each. Jaleiah Gibson scored six points.

Jamecia Huntley  had 11 rebounds.

 

NW GUILFORD (51) — N/A

SALISBURY (50) — Bryant 24, McCullough 7, Nwafor 7, Gibson 6, Noble 3, Huntley 3.

NWG               9    6    15   21   — 51

Salisbury       11   10   15   14   — 50