High schools basketball: North splits with Tigers

Published 6:54 pm Thursday, January 30, 2025

Staff report

SPENCER — Emari Russell’s 24-point game was impressive, and Dyzarious Carpenter’s 24-point second half was insane.

North Rowan’s 1-2 punch led a 79-60 boys basketball win against Mount Pleasant that required a second-half comeback on Wednesday in the North gym.

North trailed the Tigers 34-28 at the break, but the Cavaliers put up 51 points in the second half.

“We didn’t play well in the first half and Dyzarious didn’t play well,” North head coach Jason Causby half. “We challenged the guys at halftime and they played a much stronger second half. You could see Dyzarious getting locked in and he was aggressive. He got some open 3-point looks and he made them.”

North (10-7) pounded Mount Pleasant 28-13 in the third quarter to turn things around.

Russell had seven steals and six assists to go along with his 24 points. Carpenter had 27 points and eight rebounds. JP Polks had nine points and five rebounds. Carter Williams had eight points and eight rebounds. KaMahri Feamster may have had his best game of the season with seven points and seven rebounds. Jo Jo Tarver had six assists.

“KaMahri had a great game,” Causby said. “Mari and Dy scored a lot of points, but I thought the difference for us tonight was a lot of guys doing the little things. In some of our recent losses, we haven’t done those little things.”

The wins against Thomasville and Mount Pleasant (11-8) this week moved North up from 33rd to 23rd in the 1A West RPI rankings.

Ethan Dempsey scored 19 for the Tigers, while Cooper Perkins had 18.

Mount Pleasant  19   15    13   13   — 60

North Rowan       18     10  23   28  — 79

Mount Pleasant — Dempsey 19, C. Perkins 18, Lowder 10, Lumley 6, M. Perkins 5, Smith 2.

North Rowan — Carpenter 27, Russell 24, Polk 9, Williams 8, Feamster 7,  Mosley 2, Tarver 2.

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In the girls game, North lost leading scorer Dasia Elder to an injury early in the game and fell to Mount Pleasant 51-34.

Mount Pleasant led 26-7 at the half.

The Cavaliers (4-11) lost to the Tigers (11-8) despite a big effort by Krisstyle Stockton. Stockton had 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Mount Pleasant     15   11   12   13   — 51

Niorth Rowan       3      4    12   15   — 34

NORTH scoring — Stockton 22, McArthur 4, Elder 3, Robinson 3, Oglesby-Peck 2.