Staff report

STATESVILLE — Carson’s boys are still short-handed, but they dressed seven and made a game of it on Tuesday at Statesville.

Carson was only down six with under four minutes left in the North Piedmont Conference contest before running out of gas and losing 67-53 to the always athletic and scrappy Greyhounds.

Statesville led 36-24 at halftime, but Carson outplayed the Hounds in the third quarter.

Carson (1-4, 0-3) stayed in it with career games from AJ Merriman, who scored 23 points, and Garrison Collins, who had 14. Jay Howard added eight.

Statesville (2-0, 2-0) got 19 from T.J. Miller and 18 from Chris Brown.

Miller scored 10 in the second quarter. Brown had nine in the fourth quarter to finally put the Cougars away.

 

CARSON (53) — Merriman 23, Collins 14, Howard 8, Burris 3, Beasley 3, Barrera 2, Epley.

STATESVILLE  (67) — Miller 19, Brown 18, Robinson 13, Moore 8, Stevenson 6, Daniels 3.

Carson              8   16   15  14    — 53

Statesville        13  23  11  20    — 67