CCC girls basketball: Bryant leads Hornets to unbeaten league season

Published 10:03 am Saturday, February 11, 2023

 

Staff report

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s girls basketball program has a new No. 2 all-time scorer.

Celebrating Senior Night and another Central Carolina Conference championship, Kyla Bryant made two free throws late in Salisbury’s 64-34 victory against North Rowan on Friday for 1,661 career points.

Donna Carr, who held the program scoring record for a number of years with 1,659 points, is now third on the list.

Carr’s school record, set in the mid-1990s, was broken by phenom Shayla Fields almost two decades ago. Fields finished her high school career with 2,783 points, a record for Salisbury — and for Rowan County.

It’s one of those records that may be permanent.

Bryant and Mary Morgan, four-year fixtures in the lineup for the Hornets, are 90-8 during their careers. They went 51-0 in CCC games and they are 7-0 in CCC tournament games, with one tourney to go.

Bryant scored 24 against North and has scored 20-plus in her last 10 games. She also defends, handles and passes. She had four assists and three steals.

The scorebook doesn’t reveal what Morgan contributes, but the stat sheet does. She scored only two points Friday, but she had nine rebounds and six assists and took two charges.

It also was Senior Night for Haley Dalton and Icesis Nwafor, who have been Hornets for three seasons.

This is the first season they’ve been counted on as full-time players, and they’ve come through, helping the Hornets replace four good players.

Dalton blocked four shots and scored 10 points on Friday.

Nwafor had 15 points and four assists. Her 3-point shooting — she made two in the first quarter and three in the first half — helped the Hornets move out to a comfortable lead against the second-place Cavaliers (16-7, 10-2).  Bryant and Nwafor combined for 21 as the Hornets took a 26-13 halftime lead.

Bryant made two 3-pointers and MaKayla Noble found the range in the third quarter as the Hornets expanded their lead.

Noble had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Bailee Goodlett, who had four steals, scored 23 for North. She has scored 20-plus in nine games in a row and has scored in double figures in every game of a three-year varsity career.

Brittany Ellis had seven points and seven rebounds. Dasia Elder had four points and five rebounds, but only three Cavaliers scored.

Five of North’s seven losses have been to West Rowan and Salisbury. North is 10th in the 1A West RPI rankings.

Salisbury (19-3, 12-0) is fourth in the 2A West RPI rankings.

Salisbury will play in the CCC tournament semifinals on Wednesday against South Davidson or East Davidson.

North will play a first-round tournament game at home on Monday against seventh-seeded Thomasville.

The win was the 181st in 10 seasons for Salisbury coach Lakai Brice. She’s fifth all-time in the county and is two behind Perry Bradshaw, who coached South Rowan for 11 seasons, including Tracy Connor’s three years of excellence.

North Rowan     8      5      11    10   — 34

Salisbury           15     11      20   18  — 64

North — Bailee Goodlett 23, Ellis 7, D. Elder 4.

Salisbury — Bryant 24, Nwafor 15, Noble 13, Dalton 10, Morgan 2.