Staff report

BESSEMER CITY — North Rowan’s boys basketball team travels to Bessemer City tonight for a 6 p.m. game.

This is a third round game in the 1A state playoffs.

Bessemer City is in Gaston County, six miles from Gastonia and about 25 miles west of Charlotte

Sixth-seeded Bessemer City (22-4) played in a 1A/2A split league and shared the conference title with 2A Shelby.

Bessemer City beat Mount Airy 65-54 in the second round of the playoffs.

Bessemer City features exceptional guard play. Randall Pettus, a 6-foot point guard, has fantastic stats. He averages 26 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 6.3 steals.

Bessemer City’s lean big man, 6-foot-7 Keshawn Adams, averages a double-double, 15 and 13.

The third scorer is 6-foot-2 Nazari Smarr (14.0).

North Rowan (19-5) is the No. 14 seed and has won at home against Queen’s Grant and on the road at No. 3 seed Uwharrie Charter in the playoffs.

Guard Quashawn Carpenter (12.8) is the leading scorer for a balanced North squad. Derrick Hanson (10.3) and Amir Alexander (10.1) also average double figures.

Darell Carpenter has been scoring more lately. Pharrell Hailey is the biggest Cavalier at 6-foot-5, and will be counted on for rebounding and defense.