By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
SPENCER ó Myles Moore’s on-the-ball perimeter pressure created a turnover via a five-second call, prompting West Rowan coach Mike Gurley to pump his fist enthusiastically.
The emotional display was an aberration. Gurley remained relatively calm during West’s 66-41 victory at North Rowan on Thursday even though he entered his team’s season opener with an incomplete roster and foul trouble sidelined star center K.J. Sherrill midway through the first quarter.
Sherrill finished with 22 points, nine boards and five blocks to lead West, which is without six players who are members of the school’s still-active football team.
“I really wish I could have the same attitude and approach to conference games that I do to non-conference games,” Gurley said. “I just wasn’t going to let anything bother me tonight because I knew anything could happen. It’s the first time under the lights, and six out of your nine guys on the floor are extremely inexperienced.
“We were going to make mistakes, and you have to let them make mistakes. That doesn’t mean you have to accept them and you don’t correct them, but we were going to make mistakes.”
Freshman guard Jordan Kimber had 14 points, Moore added 13 and Jason Grant joined Sherrill in helping the Falcons control the glass.
Sherrill, a Charlotte signee, was called for two charges in the first 41/2 minutes. He went to the bench with West (1-0) leading 7-0, and backup center Isiah Cuthbertson took his place.
Cuthbertson picked up his fourth foul with 6:41 left in the second quarter, and Sherrill re-entered the lineup. He played in short spurts for the rest of the half, which ended with North (0-3) behind 36-18.
“It was frustrating, but I had to play through it,” Sherrill said. “I came out and didn’t get no more. I had to pull up, play my game and stop trying to force shots.”
The Cavaliers trailed 22-10 shortly after Sherrill made his initial return, and they pulled within 24-16. Kimber’s 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining in the second quarter started a 12-0 run that was finally interrupted by North forward Lamonte Bell’s putback in the closing seconds of the half.
West, with Kaleb Kimber also nailing a 3-pointer, scored the first 10 points of the run in 72 seconds.
“We kind of have trouble at times scoring,” North coach Kelly Everhart said. “There in the second quarter, when they made their run, we didn’t hit any shots during that time.
“I thought once they made one or two shots we kind of dropped our heads a little bit and didn’t get after it defensively, which allowed them to continue that run.”
Bell scored eight points before fouling out in the fourth quarter, and fellow post player Javon Hargrave led North with nine points.
West’s Moore, who fell one point shy of matching his career high, pushed the Falcons ahead 6-0 with the first of his three 3-pointers.
He made another long-range jumper late in the opening quarter.
“I thought it was a very good game for Myles,” Gurley said. “He puts a lot of time into the game and loves the game a lot. I feel good that he played well.”
Freshman point guard Keshun Sherrill joined four returning varsity players in the starting lineup and scored six points. With Jordan Kimber also in the mix, the Falcons often had two freshman guards on the floor at the same time.
Most of the players who will hit the hardwood once the football playoffs end are forwards, so Gurley got a good look at the backcourt he will normally employ.
Sherrill and Kimber made favorable impressions in their debuts.
“I knew they had courage,” Gurley said, “and I thought they displayed it.”
WEST ROWAN (66) ó K.J. Sherrill 22, J. Kimber 14, Moore 13, K. Kimber 7, Ke. Sherrill 6, Grant 4, Cuthbertson, Huffman, Phillips.NORTH ROWAN (41) ó Hargrave 9, Bell 8, Gill 7, Hipps 5, Hicks 5, Sims 4, Fortson 3, Overstreet, Rudisell, Smyre, Rhames, Vogel, Feezor.
West 16 20 10 20 ó 66
North 6 12 13 10 ó 41