From staff reports

HAMPSTEAD — The wind was blowing out, and East Rowan hitters took advantage in a 15-6 win against Topsail on Saturday.

Wayne Mize had a grand slam and a two-run homer for six RBIs, and Corbin Moss also homered for the  Mustangs (3-1).

“The wind was blowing out toward right-center, and we had some gusts of about 25 miles per hour,” East coach Brian Hightower said. “The wind had to help us some, but at the same time we swung it as well the last two days as we have in a very long time.”

Charlie Klinger had three hits and scored three runs for East. Will Brown went 2-for-2 and scored three times. Moss and Hayden Setzer had two hits. Moss drove in three. Trevor Suggs doubled and knocked in two runs.

Brown started on the mound but ran into control issues in the second inning.

Winner Jake Davis relieved and allowed one run while retiring 11  hitters. Jax Fitz finished up.

East scored four times in the first. Topsail, coached by former North Rowan coach Aaron Rimer, came back to tie at 4-all after two innings, but East took the lead for good with a two-run third.

On its trip to the beach to play Laney and Topsail, East had 27 hits and scored 27 runs in two days.

Prep basketball

State championships …

RALEIGH — In a highly anticipated matchup of a pair of defending state champions, it was the defending 3A state championsCox Mill, that held on to down last year’s 2A state champs, Northside-Jacksonville,  65-63.

Cox Mill led 36-31 at halftime.

Cox Mill led virtually all the way, but a 3-pointer by Northside’s Gabe Kirkendoll with 19 seconds left tied the game at 63-all.

Wendell Moore, Jr. stepped up to the foul line with seven seconds to go and knocked down two free throws to give the Chargers a 65-63 lead.

Northside had one final push up the floor, and Levi Ramirez fired a 3-pointer, but it was ruled he  stepped on the sideline before the shot.

Cox Mill won its second straight title and will be favored to win a third.

Moore, Jr. struggled from the floor, as a stingy Monarch defense held him to just 3-for-13  shooting. He was able to get to the foul line 19 times and converted 17 times to score 24 points. He was MVP of the championship game for the second time.

Caleb Stone-Carrawell was huge for the Chargers as well, scoring 18 points on 8-for14 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers.   Rechon “Leaky” Black had nine points and six steals.

Kenny Dye scored 18 for Northside. Kirkendoll had 16.

Northside (29-1) had won 59 straight games.

  

2A boys

CHAPEL HILL — Jai Rorie couldn’t find his stroke against Salisbury last week in the regional final, but he was deadly on Saturday and led Forest Hills to a 63-59 win against Greene Central in the state championship game at the Smith Center.

Rorie made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points. Trey Belin had 10 for the Yellow Jackets.

Torrence Clark (12 points, 11 rebounds, six assists) led Greene Central.

2A girls

CHAPEL HILL —  Nyjanique Langley had 33 points and 16 rebounds as North Pitt rolled against North Wilkes, 63-42, in the 2A girls state championship game at the Smith Center.

Victoria Young scored 11 for North Wilkes and Emily Phillips had 10.

North Wilkes edged South Rowan in the second round.

4A girls

CHAPEL HILL — Elizabeth Kitley scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds and led Northwest Guilford to a 44-36 win against previously unbeaten Southeast Raleigh in Saturday’s state championship game at the Smith Center.

Kitley, a junior committed to Virginia Tech, is the daughter of Salisbury-Rowan Hall of Famer Ralph Kitley, who was part of North Rowan’s state championship team in 1986.

Cayla King, another Virginia Tech commit, scored 16 for NWG, which won its second straight title.

4A boys

CHAPEL HILL — The Independence Patriots rolled against Richmon County, 71-60, in the 4A state championship game on Saturday at the Smith Center.

ECU commit  Jayden Gardner scored 30 for Heritage.

Andra’ McKee had 20 points for the Patriots. Jamarius Burton  had 13 points and seven rebounds.

3A girls

RALEIGH — N.C. State-bound Elissa Cunnane had 23 points and 21 rebounds to lead Northern Guilford  to a 60-52 win against Jacksonville in Saturday’s state championship game in Reynolds Coliseum.

Kassie Robakiewicz scored 24 for the Nighthawks, who eliminated Carson during the 3A playoffs.

1A boys

RALEIGH — Winston-Salem Prep crushed Pamlico, 70-46, in the 1A state title game on Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum.

Daivien Williamson scored 27 for W-S Prep.

1A girls

RALEIGH — Mount Airy’s girls battered Pamlico, 69-32, in the 1A state title game on Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum.

Jo Snow led the Bears with 27 points.

Catawba baseball

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Catawba’s baseball  team won at Carson-Newman, 5-2, on Saturday and took a big road SAC series two games to one.

Pitchers Michael Elwell and Clay Young keyed the victory.

Catawba (10-14, 6-3) now is tied for second, in the league standings, one game behind Wingate.

  Elwell allowed   two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings.  Young recorded his first save of the season allowing no runs, hits, or walks, while striking out three in two innings.

Chance Bowden (Salisbury) had three hits and scored two runs to lead the offense.

Kyle Smith, Heath Mitchem (Carson) and Lee Poteat (West Rowan) had two hits each.

The Indians  return to Newman Park for a five game home stretch beginning on Monday against Indiana (Pa.) at  5 p.m.

Catawba softball

CENTRAL, S.C.— Freshman Madison Hunter (Gray Stone) pitched a five-inning shutout with five strikeouts as Catawba routed Southern Wesleyan on Saturday, 11-0.

Hunter is 6-2.

Catawba (12-11) had 12 hits with Taylor Martin (West Rowan) and Jordan Dean getting two each.

Dean homered. Leah Huggins,Sierrah McCarthy and Kaylee Cook (A.L. Brown) had two RBIs each.

The second game was rained out. Martin and Cook had extra-base hits washed out.

Pro football

DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Livingstone quarterback Drew Powell continued his excellent play in the Indoor Football League on Saturday night, leading the Iowa Barnstormers past Arizona, 38-28.

Powell passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more as Iowa improved to 2-0. Powell was 9-for-18 passing for 88 yards and has yet to throw an interception. He rushed 19 times for 72 yards.

Powell’s 8-yard scoring dash in the fourth quarter put the Barnstormers up, 35-21, all but deciding the game.

Local basketball

The Rowan Bulls lost to the Florence Wildcats, 147-127, on Saturday in Florence. The Bulls (0-2) are home for an East CoastBasketball  League game today at 5 p.m. against Winston-Salem Certified.