Staff report

Girls semifinals …

SALISBURY — West Rowan and Salisbury posted dominant semifinal basketball victories on Friday in the Dale’s Sporting Goods Sam Moir Christmas Classic.

The second-seeded Falcons crushed third-seeded Central Davidson 71-24 with defensive intensity.

Fifth-seeded Salisbury made nine 3-pointers and breezed to a 73-40 win against top-seeded and previously unbeaten A.L. Brown.

West Rowan and Salisbury, both defending state champs, will tangle for the Moir championship at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Goodman Arena.

A.L. Brown and Central Davidson will vie for third place at 3 p.m.

•••

Central Davidson impressed everyone on Thursday, shooting 50 percent with a precision half-court offense and scoring 65 points to pound East Rowan, but West would not allow Central Davidson to run an offense. West stole the ball repeatedly in the backcourt, and while the Falcons missed quite a few layups, they made enough to blow out the Spartans.

West (8-1) held Central Davidson (9-4) without a field goal in the first quarter and was able to build a 19-3 lead.

It was 42-13 and basically over by halftime.

Lauren Arnold scored 13 points. Tiara Thompson got her 12 points before halftime. Mya Edwards and De’Mya Phifer scored 10 each.

Abby Thomas and Meredith Garrison scored seven each to lead Central Davidson.

CENTRAL   3     10     9     2    — 24

WEST           19    23   18   11    — 71

CENTRAL — Thomas 7, M. Garrison 7, A. Garrison 4, Elliott 2, Trantham 2, Myers 2.

WEST — Arnold 13, Thompson 12, Edwards 10, Phifer 10, Tenor 7, Clarke 6, Hoffner 4, Martin 4, Wilson 3,  Clawson 2.

•••

Salisbury was energized by early 3-pointers by Shamya Arnold and MaKayla Noble and knocked out the Wonders quickly.

The Hornets (7-3) jumped out 12-0 and led 21-5 after a quarter.

Noble was very hot and made three straight 3-pointers in the second quarter,

The Wonders (7-1) started to settle in some after that initial shell-shock, but the Hornets, who have won their last seven games, led 40-20 at halftime and kept adding to their lead in the third quarter.

Noble scored 27 points, despite sitting down pretty early. Cherry scored 14, while Arnold had 11.

Cherry had a double-double.

Sadie Faulkner scored 19 for the Wonders. Ayanni Flood scored six.

A.L. Brown       5       15       10       10 – 40

Salisbury          21     19        18       18  — 73

A.L. BROWN — Faulkner 19, Flood 6, Robinson 5, Grier 5, Klutz 4, Stevens 1.

SALISBURY — Noble 27, Cherry 14, Arnold 11, Evans 8, Zapata 3, Peeler 3, Myers 2, Spruill 2,