Staff report

KERNERSVILLE — A devastating first quarter led to an easy win for Carson’s girls basketball team on Saturday morning in the Headliners Challenge.

It was 28-2 after eight minutes in a game that tipped off at 10 a.m at Glenn High School. The Cougars  rolled to a 58-26 victory against a very young Carmel Christian squad.

With Carson up 42-10 at halftime, a running clock was used in the second half.

“This was new for us, as we’ve never played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving,” Carson head coach Brooke Stouder said. “It probably helped us that we played multiple games in jamborees the last two Saturdays. We were used to playing early on Saturday, and this time we could expend all our energy in one game.”

Carson (2-0) shot the ball well, with Victoria Post shooting 5-for-6 from the floor, McKenzie Gadson going 5-for-7, and Maci Cooper shooting 5-for-8.

“We had some efficient offense,” Stouder said.

Cooper scored 12 points, while Gadson and Post had 10 each.

Post, a junior who was on the Carson jayvees last year, has played well in the Cougars’ first two games.

“She’s another guard —  we’re basically all guards,” Stouder said. “She plays very hard and she was finishing plays.”

Colbie Perry scored seven for the Cougars.

Nancy Gamewell had seven rebounds, while Gadson and Lani Isley had six each.

Freshman guard Jacquelyn DeJesse scored 20 for Carmel (0-3), a school in Matthews.

For the second straight game, all nine healthy Cougars played and scored.

Carson played again without Ellie Wilhelm (sprained ankle), but she’s expected to participate in practice on Monday.

Carson’s next game is at Central Cabarrus on Tuesday.

CARSON (58) — Cooper 12, Gadson 10, Post 10, Co. Perry 7, Ca. Perry 6, Conrad 5, Gamewell 4, Isley 2, Hales 2.

CARMEL (26) — DeJesse 20, Boyce 4, Williams 1, Mendieta 1, Harry, Glenn, Nichols.

Carson    28    14   10   6   — 58

Carmel    2      8     6    10  — 26

 

Carson boys win

KERNERSVILLE — It’s definitely a rebuilding season for the Carson boys, but they’ve already put one in the win column.

The Cougars beat the North Wilkes Vikings, 53-42, on Saturday afternoon in the Headliners Challenge at Glenn High. North Wilkes had won its first two outings.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we snuck one out,” Carson head coach Brian Perry said. “We made enough 3-pointers in the first half to stay in it, and then we were able to attack and get to the foul line more in the second half. It was a good test and a good win for us. North Wilkes has a scrappy team.”

EJ Clark, a 6-foot-3 junior, scored 19 to lead the Cougars. Senior Cole Hales scored a career-best 13. Both made three 3-pointers.

Carson (1-1) lost five of the top six players from last year’s record-setting 26-3 team, including county co-player of the year Jamarius Hairston. The only returner with much experience is Cole Perry, who is sidelined following ACL surgery.

But the Cougars made eight 3-pointers in the first half of Saturday’s contest to take a 29-28 lead at the break. Clark had 13 points at halftime.

“They were calling it really close, so we knew we needed to attack and get the ball to the paint more in the second half,” Coach Perry said. “We did a pretty good job of that. It was a back-and-forth game, but we made enough plays and enough free throws to pull away.”

AJ Mauldin, Mark Spry and Javon Smith scored six points each for the Cougars.

Zach Carlton scored 16 for North Wilkes. Ethan Brown added 10.

Carson’s next game is at Central Cabarrus, coached by former Catawba coach Jim Baker, on Tuesday.

Cole Perry, who averaged 10.4 points per game as a junior, is scheduled for a doctor’s visit on Dec. 10 and might be cleared to play.

CARSON (53) — Clark 19, Hales 13, Smith 6, Spry 6, Mauldin 6, Shaver 3, Zuniga, Allen, Harris.

NORTH WILKES (42) — Carlton 16, E. Brown 10, Foster 9, J. Brown 5, K. Brown 2.

Carson        14    15   13   11     — 53

N. Wilkes   13   15    10   4     — 42