By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

MOUNT ULLA —  West Rowan’s Whitley Arnott’s free throw slid off the rim to the left, but senior Kia Pharr was already in motion.

On a normal night, Pharr may have conceded the rebound to the Greyhound who had inside position, but this was Senior Night. Two Falcons had already fouled out. West needed something positive to happen and Pharr made it happen.

“I saw the ball come off, I boxed out 22 (Danasia Gray) and I went and got it,” Pharr said “Then I put it in.”

Pharr’s three-point play was the defining moment that put Statesville away on Friday. The Falcons would finish off an exciting 72-60 North Piedmont Conference victory to close the regular season.

Senior Mary Sobataka, a Division I softball signee who has contributed more than 1,000 points to her second sport, had a fantastic fourth quarter, scoring 11 of her 19 points in one frantic flurry. Before she was whistled for her fifth foul with 1:30 left, she also produced four assists and a bushel of tough rebounds.

“Statesville is so quick and they’re also physical,” Sobataka said. “You have to take care of the basketball against them. You have to be strong.”

Abigail Wilson had 25 points and eight rebounds, exactly what the Falcons expect the sturdy junior to do.

Three Falcons did more than anyone had any right to expect — Pharr, Arnott and Cindy Connolly. That trio combined for 19 points. Arnott had 12 fierce rebounds with Greyhounds soaring all around her.

West’s Senior Night starters were Sobataka, Pharr and three girls who don’t usually play much —  Brooke Hoffner, Takiya Robbins and Tempest Robbins.

Statesville came out hot and got the first couple of baskets. Wilson, Gabby Blabon and Taylor Poole headed to the scorer’s table after a couple of minutes, but the Falcons just couldn’t get started. They were down 15-2 before they knew what hit them.

“I still wasn’t scared, not really,” Sobataka said. “As far as we’ve come as a team in the last few weeks, I knew we’d be able to come back.”

West (19-5, 6-4) did. West got the last two buckets of the first quarter. When Blabon splashed a 3-pointer from the left corner, Wilson scored inside, and Poole made a rainbow 3-pointer on a kick-out pass from Arnott, the Falcons had a 12-0 run of their own and were right back in it.

“Great start for us and we were rolling, but then we hit a wall,” Statesville coach Gregor Stewart said. “Missed free throws and missed layups hurt us. And then we couldn’t keep them off the boards.”

By halftime, West was in front, 28-24, but Sobataka, Blabon and Arnott were in foul trouble. Statesville was attacking the rim on every possession. West got some swats, but also heard frequent whistles.

West had a crucial, 7-0 burst to close the third quarter. Connolly scored, Wilson made a 3-pointer and Wilson found Pharr for the layup that gave the Falcons a 45-34 lead.

West was playing really hard, but not consistently well. Statesville (17-6, 6-4) creates a frantic pace and produces major havoc with its quickness.

“It was hard to get in a flow because we turned it over 27 times,” West coach Ashley Poole said. “But we were rebounding strong and we made some great passes.”

Statesville made some runs in the fourth quarter, but each time the Falcons pushed the Greyhounds back with a big bucket. With the lead down to six with three minutes left, Connolly grabbed an offensive board to keep a possession alive and Sobataka nailed a dagger 3-pointer.

After Blabon and Sobataka fouled out, post players Wilson and Arnott had to beat Statesville’s pressure with their ball-handling skills and often did.

With West trying to hold a 66-59 lead late, Arnott grabbed a defensive board and was fouled. She made her first free throw to push the Falcons’ lead to eight. She missed the second, but that’s when Pharr came through with her “and-one.”

“West Rowan is just a hard team for us to match up with,” Stewart said. “We have to try to speed them up as much as we can because we don’t have anyone with the size to defend Wilson, and then they’ve got the other big girl (Arnott) who rebounds, clogs up the lane and does the dirty work. When their guards start making 3s, it’s really tough.”

West and Statesville tied for third in the NPC. Statesville and West split, but Statesville will be seeded third for the NPC tournament by virtue of a win over first-place Carson. The Greyhounds were the only team to beat Carson in the regular season.

Gray scored 20 high-flying points to lead the visitors. Aasia McNeill punched in 16.

For the Falcons, considering that 13-point deficit in the first quarter and the quality of the opponent, Senior Night may have been the best win all season.

“We’re one step closer to where we want to be,” Pharr said with a smile.

•••

NOTES: Statesville is the host team for the NPC tournament semifinals and championship games. … The league’s No. 3 seeds (Statesville’s girls and Carson’s boys) are hosting the 3-6 and 4-5 first-round games in the tournament on Monday, while the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds get byes. … Poole had four assists.

STATESVILLE (60) — Gray 20, McNeill 16, Sharpe 12, Bowman 4, Fields 3, Hoffman 3, Keaton 2.

WEST ROWAN (72) — Wilson 25, Sobataka 19, Arnott 7, Connolly 7, Blabon 6, Pharr 5, Poole 3, Te. Robbins, Ta. Robbins, Hoffner.

Statesville        15    9    10   26  — 60

West Rowan    6    22   17    27   — 72