By David Shaw

sports@salisburypost.com

MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan’s SPC-leading girls are still walking in a winter wonderland.

The Falcons were unblemished in January and closed out the month by closing out visiting Central Cabarrus, 72-33, on Friday.

“The Christmas tournament was good for us,” coach Ashley Poole said. “People thought we were a failure there but I think we’ve learned from our mistakes. We came back this month and we’ve been hungry.”

West (17-2, 13-0) placed fourth and suffered its only two losses in last month’s Sam Moir Classic. Since then it has gone 9-0 against league opponents — including last night’s blowout. “We’re still the team to beat,” warned sophomore Egypt Alexander.

Three games in three nights never got the best of the Falcons, who converted 10 3-pointers and rolled to their easiest win of the season. On a night when senior Khaila Hall never got untracked, West was paced by energetic guard Taylor Martin, who buried seven 3-balls and scored a career-high 25 points.

“I got open a lot tonight,” Martin said after shooting 7-for-9 from beyond the arc. “After my first shot I just felt it. I wanted the ball. I think we finally realized we’ve had a target on our backs and that this wasn’t going to be easy.”

Martin didn’t score in the first quarter, but Alexander and teammate Shanice Miller helped West jump to a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes. Central (11-9, 7-7) was kept off the scoreboard until forward Justice Wallace converted an over-and-under layup with 3:48 remaining in the opening period.

“We talk a lot about setting tempo and controlling the way the game goes,” Poole said. “They did a good job tonight. They jumped out early, played good defense. By halftime we had them where we wanted them.”

They had them despite nine second-quarter turnovers. In the third Martin — who had 10 points at halftime — pumped in three more long balls, including a bomb from the left corner that gave West a 47-24 edge midway through the period.

Alexander finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, but it was Hall’s subpar performance that raised eyebrows. The senior guard contributed six points — her fourth single-digit scoring game in West’s last five outings — but complemented it with nine assists. Most memorable was the 60-foot fastball she fired to Martin on a fourth-quarter three that made it 61-32.

“You’ve got to watch out for those kind of passes,” Alexander related. “Keep your hands up or you’ll get hit in the head. Khaila helps the team even when she’s not in her groove.”

Added Martin: “That’s why Khaila is so good. She sees opportunities that no one else sees.”

It ended with a laughable fourth quarter. Central had only field goal, it’s 12th of the game, and was outscored 20-1 over the final seven minutes.

“You know three games in a row is tough,” Alexander said. “I thought it was going to be the worst week ever. But we worked together and pulled through it.”

CENTRAL CABARRUS (33) — Holit 25, Wallace 5, Breedlove 3.

WEST ROWAN (72) — Martin 25, Alexander 13, Sobataka 10, Miller 7, Hall 6, Williams 6, Pharr 3, Vaughters 2, Fesperman, Linder, Greene.

C. Cabarrus    8   10   12   3  — 33

West Rowan  13   19   20   20 — 72