By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE ó Carson’s Kaylene Livengood likely became the first Cougar girl ever to be complimented by a box-and-one defense on Friday.
South Rowan resorted to a box-and-one to cool off Livengood and pulled away for a 48-27 NPC victory in a full Cougar gym on Tuesday.
Taylor May had 16 points, 12 boards, four assists and three blocks for the Raiders (9-5, 6-2), who moved into a tie for third in the league with East Rowan. Sam Goins had 10 points and six boards for South, which played without starter Kayla Morrow (shoulder). Molly Garrett added eight points and seven boards.
Livengood’s 14 points accounted for more than half of Carson’s output. She hit three wing 3s in a third-quarter spurt that forced South coach Jim Brooks to call a timeout and change defenses. Guards Krista Haywood and Nikki Graham took turns playing man-to-man on Livengood, and South shut her out the rest of the way.
Other than Livengood, it was a quiet night for the Cougars (1-12, 0-8), who haven’t tasted victory since they beat North Rowan opening night.
“When we get our minds right, we can execute some things, and Kaylene’s big shots kept us close so it was still a ballgame,” Carson coach Brooke Misenheimer said. “But their rebounding effort made the difference. We were one-and-done every time down, and South kept getting two or three shots.”
South turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter and May was scoreless, but 1-for-11 field-goal shooting by the Cougars allowed the Raiders to take a 9-4 lead.
Goins’ active second quarter sparked South to a 25-11 halftime advantage.
“With Kayla out, we thought we would probably play as Sam played tonight, and she ignited us,” Brooks said. “She was on the floor, constantly fighting for rebounds. Lots of energy.”
Livengood caught fire in the third quarter, but May kept South in front. May opened the half with a lefty power move ó jayvee boys coach Bryan Withers taught her that one ó and followed up with a nice power dribble and step-back jumper.
“Seems like it always takes me some time to settle in a little bit,” May said. “I always expect a double-team, and once we figure things out, we can set things up and play off of it.”
south rowan (48) ó May 16, Goins 10, Garrett 8, Graham 7, K. Haywood 5, Sides 2, W. Haywood, Roberts.
carson (27) ó K. Livengood 14, M. Livengood 6, Brown 2, Monroe 2, Meismer 2, Settlemyer 1, Marshall, Heggins, Sellers, Khan, Ciscel.S. Rowan 9 16 10 13 ó 48
Carson 4 7 11 5 ó 27