By Charles Curcio

Stanly News & Press

NORWOOD — The North Rowan girls’ basketball team ended a three-game slide and rallied in the final seconds for a 43-41 Yadkin Valley Conference win Thursday night at South Stanly.

“We picked up the intensity on defense in the fourth quarter and we made key free throws,” said North’s first-year coach Lamar Wilkerson.

Sophomore Natavia Taborn delivered in the fourth period for the Cavaliers (2-3, 1-1 YVC), scoring 13 of her  career-high 25 points in the final quarter.

Keeli Crisco led South (3-2, 1-1) with 10 points.

North led on the first bucket of the game and did not have the lead again until the final 16 seconds. South led by as many as eight points at the end of three quarters but the Cavs opened the fourth with six straight points from Taborn.

In the final seconds, the Cavaliers’ Hannah Freeman got open in the left corner in the final 20 seconds and drove to the basket, drawing a foul. She sank both free throws, putting North up, 42-41.

South turned the ball over on a traveling call seconds later, and Taborn was fouled on the next play. She sank a free throw to give the visitors a two-point lead.

Down two, South got the ball into the front court but Kimya Lynch knocked the ball out of bounds with 2.8 seconds left. The Bulls inbounded on the right side into Skye Shankle, who put up a shot while falling down that hit the right side of the rim short as the clock expired.

“Taborn is our point guard,”  Wilkerson said. “As a point guard, she did what she was supposed to do for her team. She carried us. We played flat but she kept the team involved and led us the right way.”

NORTH ROWAN (43) — Taborn 25, Freeman 9, Robbins 4, Shoaf 3, McDaniel 2.

SOUTH STANLY (41) — Crisco 10, Shankle 7, Noble 6, Harris 5, Lee 3, LeGrande 3, Crump 2, Rummage 2, Wall 2.

North Rowan  9   11     4   19 — 43
South Stanly   9   13   10    9 — 41