Carson’s Colin Ball. West’s Will Givens. Brian Wilhite photo.

 

Carson’s CP Perry. West’s Elijah Holmes (2) and Josiah Young (14).

 

Staff report

SALISBURY — West Rowan boys basketball coach Dadrian Cuthbertson smiled in the lobby in the aftermath of a fabulous first-round game in the Dale’s Sporting Goods Sam Moir Christmas Classic.

His Falcons had just dodged dozen of basketball bullets to reach Friday’s semifinals. Third-seeded West beat sixth-seeded Carson 77-72 thanks to some late heroics by Kayvone Norman and Evan Kennedy. Kennedy’s five points in the final 3.5 seconds provided the margin of victory and may become part of tournament lore forever.

Kennedy, who came in averaging 7 points, careered for the defending tourney champs with 26 points. Will Givens had 14, while Norman and Elijah Holmes scored 11 each. Brant Graham made three big 3-pointers.

Freshmen CP Perry (23) and Jacob Mills (19) did most of the scoring for Carson, combining for 42 points. Jonah Drye had 13.

“The one thing we talked about with Graham was to take away the 3,” Carson head coach Brian Perry said. “We lost him a few times, and every possession was critical in a game like this.”

The game was played at 10:30 a.m on Thursday in Catawba College’s Goodman Arena. It was expected to be the best game of the day despite the seeds. West had beaten Carson 63-61 in a recent South Piedmont Conference game. They are very different teams as far as style, but they are very even.

Their second meeting of the season lived up to the hype — and then exceeded it.

“They should’ve moved this one to prime time,” Cuthbertson joked. “We knew it was coming.”

Givens came out shooting flames from his right hand and scored nine early, but Carson didn’t blink.

Neither team could get control. Every key bucket was answered. Both teams mixed mistakes with superb plays. Neither team ever established more than a two-possession lead for the entire game.

West (6-2) held a 16-15 lead after a quarter. Drye got hot for the Cougars (3-5) in the second quarter. Carson pushed ahead 37-33 at halftime.

West stopped Drye in the third quarter, and it was 56-all as the teams headed to the final eight minutes.

They came down the stretch. Kennedy scored in the lane for a two-point West lead, Perry made two clutch free throws to tie. Kennedy made two free throws. Mills got loose for a backdoor layup for 72-all.

West called timeout with 9 seconds left to set up its final possession.

The Falcons put the ball in the hands of Norman, and the rugged running back who tore an ACL the week before the 2023 football season started, used his strength to power into the lane. He made the perfect bounce pass to Kennedy to the left of the hoop, and Kennedy made a layup as he was fouled. There were 3.5 seconds left. After a timeout, Kennedy added the free throw for 75-72.

After another timeout, Carson tried to throw the inbounds pass to mid-court, but Kennedy picked it off and made a layup at the buzzer for the final score.

West plays in the early boys semifinal on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against second-seeded Salisbury. Carson plays in 10:30 a.m. consolation action against East Rowan.

Carson    15    2 2    19    16  — 72

West       16      17      23  21   — 77

CARSON — Perry 23, Mills 19, Drye 13, Ball 6, McGruder 6, Neve 5.

WEST — Kennedy 26, Givens 14, Norman 11, Holmes 11, Graham 9, Tucker 4, Young 2.

•••

SALISBURY — What began as a romp turned into another Moir cliffhanger at the end.

Fourth-seeded A.L. Brown won 50-48 in the final game of the day on Thursday against fifth-seeded North Rowan.

Larenz Stevenson made the decisive bucket for the Wonders (5-2).

The Wonders jumped all over the Cavaliers early and led 20-5 after the first quarter.

“We had fresh legs at the start, hadn’t played for what seemed like a month,” A.L. Brown coach Jonathan Efird said. “But after the good start, we struggled mentally and physically.”

The Wonders’ lead was still 30-17 at the half, although North (4-4) had settled in and was showing signs of life.

North had a run at the end of the third quarter to get back to a 40-30 deficit.

Jo Jo Tarver hit a 3-pointer as North cut the lead to single digits. The deficit had been reduced to 48-43 after a dunk by Jayden Polk.

North tied the game at 48-all on a shot by Jaemias Morrow, but Stevenson delivered his game-deciding bucket in the final seconds.

“Just glad we found a way to win it,” Efird said. “Exciting for the fans, but nerve-wracking for our staff.”

Nazir Reaves led the Wonders with 18 points. Kadan Williams scored 12.

Morrow and Polk led the Cavaliers with 11 points each. Dyzarious Carpenter had eight, and Tarver scored six.

The Wonders will play Central Davidson in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday. North Rowan plays in the 1:30 p.m. consolation game on Friday against South Rowan.

North Rowan     5     12     13    18   — 48

A.L. Brown        20    10     10  10   —  50

•••

SALISBURY — Wake Forest recruit Juke Harris led second-seeded Salisbury to a 73-26 romp against seventh-seeded East Rowan in a first-round mismatch.

The 6-foot-6 Harris’ wingspan helped the Hornets dominate defensively and on the glass. He scored 21 of his 22 points in the first half.

Harris’ 11-point first quarter was filled with slams and propelled the Hornets to a 24-10 lead. He closed the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 51-16 cushion.

The Hornets (9-3) achieved the 40-point lead for a running clock in the third quarter and were able to rest everyone.

“The game plan was to box-and-one Harris and make the others beat us,” East coach Andrew Porter said. “But Salisbury was very fundamental and didn’t force anything.”

Bryce Dalton made two 3-pointers and scored 10. Mike Geter and Braylon Taylor scored nine each, and Torian Brown had a late flurry for eight.

Drake Jones scored 16 to lead the Mustangs, but the Hornets held Jonathan Wembolua, who has had a lot of double-doubles,  to a single point.

Salisbury advanced to a 4:30p.m. semifinal against West Rowan on Friday. East (1-8) will play Carson in a 10:30 a.m. consolation game.

East               10   6     5    5    — 26

Salisbury     24   27   13   9    — 73

EAST — Jones 16, Gibson 4, Everhart 2, Wembolua 1, Butler 1, Lino 1, McKenzie 1.

SALISBURY — Harris 22, Dalton 10, Taylor 9, Geter 9, T. Brown 8, Walker 4, Matthews 4, Webb 2, House 2, Brincefield 2, D. Brown 1.

•••

SALISBURY — Eighth-seeded South Rowan stayed with top-seeded Central Davidson for a half.

It was 31-24 at the break, but the Spartans (12-0) blew it open against the Raiders (0-8) in the third quarter and won 73-41.

Aaron Jones made five 3-pointers to lead South.

“We’re getting better,” South coach Daniel Blevins said. “We’re playing a good 15 minutes here and a good half there. We’ve just got to put it together for 23, Aaron has shot the ball really well the last two games, and that helps.”

Luke Staten paced the Spartans with 17 points. Devin Sigmon scored 12, and Will Beck had nine.

Central Davidson plays A.L. Brown in Friday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal. South plays in the 1:30 p.m. consolation game against North Rowan.