From staff reports

CHINA GROVE — Carson’s girls basketball team  improved to 5-0 on Saturday with a 61-35 romp against Cox Mill.

Colbie Perry and Maci Cooper made three 3-pointers apiece in the first half as the Cougars opened up a 39-15 lead.

“It helps when you’re making some 3s, and our press was really effective early,” Carson coach Brooke Stouder said. “We got after it. We were getting deflections. When we can play the full length of the court, it’s just a lot easier for us  offensively.”

Perry, a sophomore, added another 3-pointer in the second half and scored a career-best 20 points.

Anderson signee McKenzie Gadson shot an efficient 8-for-11 and scored 18 points. Cooper scored 11.

All 10 Carson players got a lot of minutes.

“We’re very undersized, but we did a nice job of boxing out,” Stouder said.  “There are a lot of things we can get better at, but we’re working every day.”

Leading Cox Mill (2-4) was Kayla Smith with eight points.

COX MILL (35) — Smith 8, Tillery 6, Hall 6, Feil 5, Rivera 3, Sedergren 3, Wilson 2, Holmes 2.

CARSON (61) — Co. Perry 20, Gadson 18, Cooper 11, Ca. Perry 6, Wilhelm 2, Conrad 2, Hales, 2, Isley, Post, Gamewell.

Cox Mill     9    6    11   9   — 35

Carson     16   23   16   6   — 61

North girls

CHINA GROVE — North Rowan’s girls lost to Northwest Cabarrus, 58-56, in a game played at Carson on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Hannah Freeman scored 21 for the Cavaliers (1-1), while Natavia Taborn scored 13 and Mckenzie Shoaf had 11.

“It was a great game,” North coach Lamar Wilkerson said. “We were undersized, but we played with a lot of heart. Missed free throws hurt us, but the girls gave all they had and that’s all I can ask.”

Northwest is 1-3.

North boys

CHINA GROVE — North Rowan’s boys opened with a thriller, a 61-60 overtime win against Northwest Cabarrus at Carson.

Jason Causby, who logged 157 wins at Salisbury, was coaching his first game at the helm of the Cavaliers.

“A team as good as Northwest isn’t necessarily who you want to open with,” Causby said. “You’d like to have a few easier ones under your belt because you don’t know how guys will react when the first live game is as tough   this.  Northwest is big vertically and horizontally and it was highly competitive throughout. My guys really competed. I don’t think either team ever led by more than four points.”

Forward Dayjuwon Cooke was the difference-maker for the Cavaliers. He scored 25 points. He had all eight of North’s points in the overtime period after regulation ended 53-all.

“He did a great job of playing with foul trouble late in the game,” Causby said. “He knew what he needed. He knew when we really needed him to assert himself.”

Forward Brevin Goodlett had nine points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers. He did most of his damage in the first half.

Guard Derrick Page scored 14 before fouling out.

Cooke, who had 10 rebounds, and Goodlett were second team all-county players a year ago, while Page was honorable mention. Those three are expected to form a strong core for the Cavaliers, who should be very formidable in 1A.

Cooke  put North ahead, 61-60.

Zay Davis got a steal for North, but the Cavaliers missed two late free throws. Northwest had the last shot, but it was a hurried one that  was off the mark at the buzzer.

Abee led the Trojans (2-2) with 18 points. Keyshawn Phillips and Chalen Stafford-Gill scored 12 each.

Kendrell Goodes had a monster dunk for the Cavaliers.

North’s next game is at West Rowan on Wednesday.

NORTH (61) — Cooke 25, Page 14, Goodlett 9, Goodes 6, Smith 5, Moss 2, Davis, Broaddus, Wilson, Robinson, White, Stoner.

NWC (60) — Abee 18, Phillips 12, Stafford-Gill 12, Murdock 6, Gustave 5, Lynch 4, Turner 3.

North     10    14    18   11  8   — 61

NWC       13     11   15   14   7   — 60