By Mike London

mike.london@salisburypost.com

Eighth in a series of reports on local basketball teams …

CHINA GROVE — New Carson girls head coach Chloe Monroe is a math whiz who can crunch numbers with the best of them, but it didn’t take her long to count the seniors who came out for the basketball team.

“Zero,” Monroe said. “But that means we won’t lose anyone.”

Monroe’s sense of humor is in midseason form. Unless miracles take place in the Carson gym, she’s going to need it.

Carson stood on top of the girls basketball world not too long ago. Undefeated and unstoppable in the COVID-delayed 2021 season, they were honored with praise and parades. They were a dream team that always made the extra pass, always played team defense and made every shot they had to make.

With the remnants of the championship team, Carson squeezed out one more terrific season, more championships and more playoff victories, but when those girls were gone they had to start over.

After a 3-21 season in 2021-22, head coach Brooke Stouder, who built a powerhouse program from scratch and coached 263 wins, stepped down into full retirement. She had already retired from her role as a Carson counselor, but she loved coaching and had continued to guide the basketball Cougars.

Monroe, a long-time assistant and a former Cougar, replaced Stouder.

Monroe takes over at a challenging time, as Carson had two straight classes without a girls basketball player.

Soccer player Alona Locklear made a hoops comeback as a senior to help out, but she was it as far as the Class of 2023. Now the Class of 2024 is empty when it comes to female hoopers.

“What we’ve got is a group of mostly freshmen and juniors,” Monroe said.

Having seven freshmen is encouraging. If the Cougars can get seven more out for basketball next season, they can get back on track.

Having a jayvee team is a key to a rebuilding process, but Carson won’t have jayvees this season. If a few more girls had come out, the Cougars would have tried to have two teams, but they opted to go with a 15-person varsity squad. Some of the freshmen aren’t expected to get much court time, but at least they’ll still be in the program getting practice reps.

It’s going to be even tougher for Carson to compete in the South Piedmont Conference than it sounds like.

The one sure thing for the Cougars was guard Allie Martin, the leading scorer and primary ball-handler. She averaged 12.4 points as a sophomore and closed the season with a 32-point outburst against South Rowan. But Martin is out for the season. She plays three sports and suffered a devastating knee injury (ACL, MCL, meniscus) in a club soccer match. She’s facing a minimum of nine months of rehab after surgery.

“We hate it for Allie and we’re going to miss having her on the court,” Monroe said. “But we have to stay positive. This means an opportunity for other girls to step up and show what they can do. We’ve got some pretty athletic girls.”

Carson struggled to score last season, averaging 33.5 points per game. Martin supplied more than a third of those points.

The Cougars don’t have anyone on the roster who can shoot the ball like Monroe used to shoot it, but they do have six players with varsity experience.

Junior Laila Furr averaged 5.1 points and is the leading returning scorer. She had a 15-point game, She has a nice shot, and the Cougars will count on her to shoot more and make more.

Junior Brooklyn McBride averaged 3.9 points while operating mostly as an undersized forward. She’ll transition to more of a ball-handling role with Martin missing from the lineup.

Sophomore Julia Burleson has speed and had a big game early last season against North Stanly, scoring 15 points.

Junior Rebekah McCubbins is a defensive-minded guard who had a 10-point game in a win against Concord.

Junior Emma Carpenter is expected to provide the post presence for the Cougars. At 5-foot-9, she’s the tallest Cougar. She averaged 2.3 points per game.

Sophomore Morgan Shannon got some minutes last season and will provide support in the post.

Junior Jayla Upright, who hasn’t played since middle school, is making a basketball comeback. She can shoot, so she’s got a chance to help.

The large freshman class provides hope for the future. That group includes Rylee Hedrick, Emily Guiton, Caylee Sheets, Caylee Snow, Leanna Baldwin, Stasia Guerrero and Yazmean Taylor.

Hedrick could be important right away as a ball-handler. She made an impact as a freshman setter for Carson’s volleyball team.

Guiton and Baldwin are sisters of well-known Carson football players. Not surprisingly, they are good athletes. Guiton will help with the ball-handling, while Baldwin can rebound.

The Caylees add depth and scrappiness to the guard corps. Guerrero is another guard, while Taylor is a post.

There’s one more important returner — long-time assistant Lu Holshouser. She’ll be a calming presence for Monroe and all the Cougars.

“We know we don’t have a lot of scoring,” Monroe said. “We’re going to experience some bumps, but we’ll keep working and growing. And with no seniors, we’ll have the same group of girls next season.”

 

CARSON GIRLS

Coach: Chloe Monroe (1st season)

2022-23: 3-21 overall, 3-11 SPC (7th)

Playoffs: Did not make playoffs

Top returners: Laila Furr, Brooklyn McBride

Key additions: Big freshman class

League: 3A SPC (Robinson, East Rowan, South Rowan, West Rowan, Lake Norman Charter, NW Cabarrus, Central Cabarrus, Concord)