Staff report

KERNERSVILLE — North Rowan’s girls basketball team closed a terrific season on Tuesday with a third-round playoff loss at Bishop McGuinness.

Bishop McGuinness (25-4) has won the last two 1A state championships and may win a third in a row, but the second-seeded Villains were in a serious fight with the seventh-seeded Cavaliers. With a decent shooting night, the Cavaliers could have won, but they made only two 3-pointers and lost 51-44. North made a dozen 3-pointers in Round 2.

Bishop McGuinness took a 15-7 lead after a quarter. The Villains were never able to pull away, but the Cavaliers, who trailed 26-17 at the half, never could catch up.

Bailee Goodlett scored 16 to lead North. She went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Brittany Ellis scored nine. Krisstyle Stockton and Bloom Goodlett scored seven each. Dasia Elder added five.

Ellis had seven rebounds. Stockton grabbed six, and Bailee Goodlett had five. Bloom Goodlett had three steals.

Kiersten Varner, a 5-foot-10 senior, scored 18 for the Villains. North held standout Adelaide Jernigan to seven points.

Coach Darra Walker guided the Cavaliers, who lost four times, to 25 wins and a 20-game winning steak, both program records. North won the Central Carolina Conference championship and the league tournament.

Catawba signee Bailee Goodlett finished her career with 2,026 points, second all-time at North. She passed Stephanie Cross on Tuesday. Sophilia Hipps remains the school’s all-time scoring leader.

McGuinness will play third-seeded Cherokee in Round 4. Cherokee routed Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday. Fourth-seeded Albemarle will play at top-seeded Mountain Heritage.

North Rowan     7     10    15    12    — 44

McGuinness       15  11     16    9      — 51

NORTH — Bailee Goodlett 16, Ellis 9, Bloom Goodlett 7, Stockton 7, Elder 5.

McGUINNESS — Varner 18, Wagoner 12, Sullivan 10, Jernigan 7, Aho 2, Moore 2.

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CONNELLY SPRINGS — Salisbury’s girls basketball season ended with a 76-57 loss at East Burke in the third round of the 2A playoffs.

East Burke avenged a loss to the Hornets in last season’s regional final.

Third-seeded East Burke took charge of the game early. The Hornets had a nice run in the second quarter, but East Burke (29-0) took a 40-27 lead to halftime.

MaKayla Noble scored 28 in her final game for the Hornets (20-8). Jamyrah Cherry had 18.

The Hornets had won the last two 2A state championships under coach Lakai Brice.

East Burke will play at second-seeded East Rutherford in Round 4.

Salisbury     11     16    12    18    — 57

East Burke   26    14    20   16    — 76

SALISBURY — Noble 28, Cherry 18, Arnold 5, Evans 4, Spruill 2.