Staff report

LANDIS — West Rowan’s boys basketball team beat South Rowan for the 22nd time in a row on Monday, although this one was closer than most.

South lost its 37th straight overall game dating back to last season, but put up a fight and made it a decent South Piedmont Conference game. West’s lead was 10 with 26 seconds left, although the Falcons stretched it out to 70-54 for the final score.

West’s superior length, strength and depth were too much for South to overcome.

Will Givens Jr. scored his 1,000th point for the Falcons. The senior guard needed only two to reach the milestone and scored the game’s first bucket.  Brant Graham knocked a ball loose on the South end of the floor. Kayvone Norman recovered it, and passed ahead to Elijah Holmes. Holmes drove to the rim and had a chance for a routine, left-handed layup, but he chose to become part of history and scooped a pass over to Givens on the right side of the hoop. Givens made the layup for 1,000 with 7:40 left in the first quarter, and the game was briefly stopped, so teammates and coaches could congratulate him on the feat.

Givens is well thought of. Even South head coach Daniel Blevins walked on to the court to shake his hand.

West (8-7, 5-4) began the game as if it would win by 50. It was 11-0 before Dalton Young got South on the board after nearly five minutes of action. West led 16-8 after a quarter.

A bucket off an offensive board by 6-foot-5 Josiah Young, who had one of his most active games, gave the Falcons a 35-20 halftime lead.

Dalton Young, a crafty senior guard, had 13 of South’s 20 at halftime.

South’s Young had a quiet third quarter, but Aaron Jones and Zion Jackson kept the Raiders (0-15, 0-8) in the game with inspired efforts. Jackson and Jones scored eight each in the quarter. The Falcons took a 48-36 lead to the fourth quarter.

West forged ahead 62-42 with 3:40 left when Givens assisted on a bucket by Graham, but South kept competing. Young made two 3-pointers for the Raiders in the fourth quarter, with James Ritchie making the passes that led to both. Young passed to Jones for another 3-ball, as South briefly cut the lead down to 10.

“That was as good as we’ve played in some time,” Blevins said. “But we missed layups at the end of the first half that really could have helped us. We’re still working on consistency.”

Givens scored 18 for the Falcons, including a modest, but satisfying, dunk that closed the game. Holmes scored 11 and had six assists. Young and Graham scored 10 each. Evan Kennedy had five assists.

Young scored 21 for South. Jones scored 16, while Jackson had a career-high 15. Those three scored 52 of South’s 54. Jadon Moore added a transition layup.

South didn’t have shooter Carter Rohletter, who has a broken little finger.

Post man Carston Carey, South’s largest player, cracked a tooth in a bruising collision with Norman, West’s physical guard. Carey was trying to take a baseline charge, but there was no whistle against either player as bodies flew. Holmes got an uncontested layup out of that wreck.

West Rowan   16     19    13     22    — 70

South Rowan  8       12    16   18    — 54

WEST — Givens 18, Holmes 11, Graham 10, J. Young 10,  Hairston 6, Norman 5, Kennedy 4, Martin 4, Tucker 2.

SOUTH — D. Young 21, Jones 16, Jackson 15, Moore 2.