High school basketball: First setback for West boys
Published 11:43 pm Friday, February 5, 2021
Staff report
OLIN — West Rowan’s boys basketball team suffered its first loss on Friday.
Not much went right on the road, as the Falcons fell 81-67 to a big and hot-shooting North Iredell squad in North Piedmont Conference action.
West hadn’t allowed more than 66 points in a game this season.
North Iredell (8-1, 7-1) moved into a tie for first place with West (9-1, 7-1). West beat North Iredell 67-59 in Mount Ulla.
Jackson Hawkins, a junior swingman, made four 3-pointers and scored 28 to spark North Iredell. Guard John Jackson Jr. scored 18. Beckham Tharpe, a 6-foot-8 soph, had 15 for North Iredell, while burly, 6-foot-4 Jayden Turner added 13.
Freshman Juke Harris made two 3-pointers in the final minutes and finished with 16 to lead West. Jalen Moss and Zeek Biggers scored 15 each. Braden Graham had 11.
North Iredell limited AJ Mauldin to two 3-pointers and held Macari Allison scoreless until he got a couple of inside buckets in the fourth quarter.
North Iredell put up 24 points in the second quarter to take a 40-27 halftime lead.
West got within six points heading to the fourth quarter, but Hawkins scored 10 in the fourth quarter, as North Iredell finished strong.
W. ROWAN (67) — Harris 16, Biggers 15, Moss 15, Graham 11, Mauldin 6, Allison 4, Loeblein, Wood.
N. IREDELL (81) — Hawkins 28, Jackson 18, Tharpe 15, Turner 13, Saunders 5, Coltrane 2, Grimball.
W. Rowan 14 13 17 23 — 67
N. Iredell 16 24 13 28 — 81
9-1, 7-1
8-1, 7-1