High school girls basketball: West, Salisbury, North girls romp in first round of playoffs

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 22, 2023

From staff reports

MOUNT ULLA — Junior Lauren Arnold scored her 1,000th career point on a fourth-quarter free throw to highlight an easy opening-round playoff win for West Rowan’s girls. The top-seeded Falcons battered No. 32 seed West Charlotte 70-21 on Tuesday.

The Falcons (26-0) led 27-8 after a quarter and held the Lions (7-17) to three points in the second quarter to take a 47-11 halftime lead.

Arnold had nine in the first quarter to get the Falcons rolling and finished with 21 to lead West. The Falcons got a career-high 18 points from Mya Edwards, who had a 10-point second quarter. De’Mya Phifer added 13 points.

West Rowan will host 16th-seeded North Davidson on Thursday. The Black Knights beat Dudley 53-38 on Tuesday.

West Charlotte    8    3    6    4    — 21

West Rowan        27  20  18   5    — 70

West Rowan — Arnold 21, Edwards 18, Phifer 13, Thompson 8, Huntley 4, Clarke 4, Tenor 2.

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SALISBURY — Salisbury’s third-seeded girls overwhelmed 30th-seeded Wilkes Central 65-21 in a 2A first-round matchup.

All five Salisbury starters scored for a 10-1 lead and led 27-3 after eight minutes. Wilkes Central (6-19) didn’t make a field goal until the second quarter.

The entire second half was played with a running clock.

MaKayla Noble scored 10 points in the first quarter and scored all of her 18 points before halftime.

Kyla Bryant scored 14 of her 16 in the first half.

Icesis Nwfor scored seven points to help the Hornets (22-3) take charge at the outset. Torese Evans scored eight off the bench.

Next for Salisbury is 14th-seeded Forbush. Forbush beat Lexington 51-47.

Wilkes Central    3   7    4   7   — 21

Salisbury           27   25  2   11  — 65

Salisbury — Noble 18, Bryant 16, Evans 8, Nwafor 7, Arnold 5, Morgan 4, Zapata 3, Myers 2, Dalton 2.

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SPENCER — Juniors Bailee Goodlett and Brittany Ellis combined for 60 points as North Rowan’s girls blew out South Stokes  77-39 in a 1A playoff game.

North had things under control after a devastating 24-4 first quarter.

Goodlett got 14 of her 32 points in the first quarter as eighth-seeded North (19-8) jumped on the 25th-seeded Sauras (9-15). She had seven steals and six assists.

She’s scored 755 points in a amazing season and is approaching the school single-season scoring record that has stood for almost 30 years..

Ellis made five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 28. She had five rebounds and four assists.

Bloom Goodlett, who had four assists, and Chloee Stoner provided six rebounds each.

North will host ninth-seeded Highlands on Thursday. Highlands beat Hiwassee Dam 43-36 on Tuesday.

South Stokes    4    16   13    6    — 39

North Rowan   24  18   23   12   — 77

North — Bailee Goodlett 32, Ellis 28, Stoner 6, D. Elder 5, Bloom Goodlett 4, Stockton 2.