By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

Second in a series of previews on local basketball teams …

LANDIS —South Rowan probably leads the county in multi-sport female athletes, although all of those versatile girls, most of them members of the Class of 2026, would tell you that volleyball or softball — or both — come before basketball.

Still, they do their part to help out head coach Alex Allen’s hoops squad during the winter months.

Playing mostly sophomores, South won five games last season. Now that those girls are juniors, and presumably bigger, faster, stronger and smarter, the Raiders could win quite a few more.

While the Raiders (5-19, 3-13 South Piedmont Conference) struggled in 2023-24 and were outscored 57-38 on an average night, they were better than the stat sheet looks. The problem was West Rowan. The state champion Falcons skewed South’s statistical story badly, as South had to play West four times — 72-24, 81-21, 105-23 and 82-15. Scores like that will demolish your season stats.

South wishes West’s five graduating seniors well and moves on now with a fresh start.

“We’ve got a pretty solid team,” Allen said. “We’ve got a great group of coachable girls, and they’re also very good athletes. And now we’ve got a lot more experience than we had last season.”

There’s no substitute for experience. West Rowan’s recent group was great their last two seasons, but just good for their first two.

Allen, who was a star player at Carson, is 29-82 in five seasons coaching the Raiders, but is still just as optimistic as she was when she took the job. Rowan has been a tough environment to win in since she took over. West, Salisbury and Carson have been blessed with super teams and have won state titles. North Rowan also has been a steady winner, making playoff runs.

But this could be different sort of girls basketball season. For the first time in a long time, East Rowan and South Rowan have the most experienced teams.

Allen can build around Kynlee Dextraze, a dependable senior post player. Dextraze averaged 10.3 points last season and should provide an automatic double-double as a senior. She is a softball slugger committed to Lenoir-Rhyne, but she also has a chance to score 1,000 basketball points. She comes into the season with 615.

“She’s good on offense and defense,” Allen said. “She’s been a rock for us, our best rebounder, a great leader, and she’s playing with a lot of confidence.”

Guard Hannah Atwell, like Dextraze, will be starting for the fourth year. She’s a steady guard with a nice shot. She has a ton of experience and has scored 272 points for the Raiders.

“Probably our best 3-point shooter and she can handle the ball,” Allen said. “She’s quiet, but she’ll lead by example.”

Allen’s third senior is guard McKenzie Menius, who can create havoc with her defensive hustle.

Dabrianna Pharr, “Day” to  her teammates, is an undersized but active and physical junior post player. She was second on the team in scoring last season with 5.9 points per game, and Allen is confident her numbers are going to go up quite a bit.

Junior Meghan Eagle is one of those three-sport girls. Basketball is her third sport, but she’s a helpful glue player who can play in the backcourt or in the post.

Junior Danica Krieg is the girl you would sign immediately if you were a college coach, happened to stroll into the gym, and watched the Raiders practice for five minutes.

Basketball is Krieg’s third sport, but she’s long and lean and she can run and jump. She only scored 2.6 points per game last season, but there’s a chance that she’ll put it together on the hardwood and have a big season.

Another three-sport girl in the junior class is Avery Fisher. She really likes to defend, and you can’t get too many of those people. She’ll fit in the lineup as the off guard or small forward.

Ella Morgan is a junior guard with some wheels and some talent, but there were a lot of times last season when she was going at a different speed than her teammates. She’s got good ball-handling and passing skills and just needs some time and some confidence. She can be a double-figure scorer once she settles in.

Leisha Carter got some varsity experience as a freshman last season and didn’t look overmatched, and Allen said she’s come a long way in the past year.

Paisley Overcash is a varsity newcomer in the junior class.

“She’s tall, versatile and jumps very well,” Allen said.

Marjah White, a 5-foot-4 buzz saw, is another player moving up from the jayvees. She’ll add speed and quickness to the Raiders. Her sister, Aliayah White, was part of Carson’s state championship team a few years ago.

“I think we can be the best we’ve been in a while,” Allen said. “The girls have worked hard, and we’ve got good team chemistry. Experience helps. It’s refreshing to have a team where everyone already knows where to go and what to do.”

Hollie Patterson and Sarrah Fuimaono are assisting Allen.