Staff report

SALISBURY — After a shaky start, Salisbury’s boys basketball team was terrific for the last three quarters on Friday.

The Hornets got 38 points from Juke Harris and wiped out rival North Rowan 86-57 on Senior Night for a season sweep and a share of the Central Carolina Conference championship with Thomasville. Thomasville edged an inspired Lexington team 73-72 in overtime on the road on Friday to earn its share of the title.

The Hornets (17-5, 11-1) lost at Thomasville to open CCC play very early in the season, so they had to win the rest of their leagues games.

Challenge accepted. They did it.

Salisbury has won 10 in a row and is eighth in the 2A West RPI rankings.

With Wake Forest making a visit to the gym, Harris turned in an unusual 38 with no made 3-pointers. But North (11-13, 6-6) couldn’t keep the 6-foot-6 guard off the foul line. He went 16-for-19 on free throws. His other 22 points came on attacking 2s.

North had been blitzed right from the start when the teams played in Spencer, so the Cavaliers were determined to give a better account of themselves.

They started well against an unusual Salisbury Senior Night lineup. Harris only scored five in the first quarter — North’s Dyzarious Carpenter matched that production — and the Cavaliers took a 14-11 lead to the second quarter.

Salisbury caught up at 18-all on a Mike Geter free throw. Not long after that, Harris was leading the Hornets on one of their patented sprees to take control of the game. He scored 16 in the second quarter, including 8-for-8 on free throws. The Hornets held the visitors to 10 in the quarter and were up 38-24 at halftime.

Harris added 10 more in the third quarter as Salisbury stretched its lead to a comfortable 65-42.

Salisbury, which took 33 foul shots and made 24, was able to get seniors on the floor to finish off a satisfying victory in front of a packed house.

Geter, who made three buckets in the third quarter, scored 13, one of his better offensive games of the season. Jalen Chunn scored a career-best 12 and made the Hornets’ only two 3-pointers.

George Maxwell scored 18 to lead North. Carpenter’s 17-point night included three 3-pointers. Jayden Polk helped out with nine points, while Jerricho Charleston contributed eight.

North is 32nd in the 1A West RPI rankings. The bracket will include 32 teams.

North Rowan will play in the first round of the CCC tourney on Monday. The Cavaliers will host No. 6 seed West Davidson.

Salisbury will have a first-round bye and will play in the semifinals either Wednesday or Thursday at a site TBA,

North Rowan    14    10    18   15   — 57

Salisbury            11     27   27   21   — 86

North — Maxwell 18, Carpenter 17, Polk 9, Charleston 8, Alexander 4, Alford 1.

Salisbury — Harris 38, Geter 13, Chunn 12, Brown 8, Walker 5, Sheppard 4, Colbert 2, Webb 2, Ross 2.