High school boys basketball: West wins on road, but losses for East, South, Wonders, North Hills
Published 1:20 am Monday, January 22, 2024
From staff reports
HUNTERSVILLE — The Falcons did it the hard way, but they managed to end a five-game losing streak on Friday.
West scored the last 11 points of the game to nip Lake Norman Charter 52-51 for a South Piedmont Conference victory.
Will Givens Jr. made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points to lead the Falcons. The senior sharpshooter, still uncommitted, has 998 points for his career.
West (7-7, 4-4) also got double figures from Elijah Holmes (15) and Kayvone Norman (10).
The Knights fell to 7-9 overall and 3-6 in the SPC.
West is back in action on Monday at South Rowan to make up a game postponed by weather.
West 12 13 10 17 — 52
LNC 11 15 16 9 — 51
WEST — Givens 19, Holmes 15, Norman 10, Kennedy 3, Hairston 3, Young 2.
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CONCORD — Central Cabarrus got a three-point play seven seconds into the game, jumped on East Rowan’s boys basketball team 13-0 and romped 111-37 in lopsided South Piedmont Conference action on Friday.
Drake Jones made a 3-pointer to put the Mustangs (2-13, 1-7) on the board three minutes into the game. Central led 28-11 after a quarter, and it was 55-17 at halftime.
The Vikings (17-0, 9-0) got the 40-point lead for a running clock in the first minute of the second half. With 19 steals, they still rolled up massive points and put eight players in double figures.
It could have been 10 in double figures, but the Daniel twins, who created most of the early carnage with their quick hands, sat down early with eight points each.
Joshua Dalton had 19 points to lead the Vikings, the defending 3A state champs who have won 49 games in a row and have a 44-game winning streak at home.
• The good news was provided by an East jayvee team that staged one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport.
East trailed 43-22 with 4:09 left to play, but East 3-pointers and Central turnovers led to a wild finish. East caught up with 1:12 left, and the Mustangs won 50-47.
East Rowan 11 6 12 8 — 37
Central 28 27 25 31 — 111
EAST — Jones 6, Wembolua 6, Lino 6, Bradley 6, Chesney 5, Gibson 4, McKenzie 2, Krider 2.
CENTRAL — Dalton 19, Kent 12, Edmisten 11, Russell 11, Baker 11, Smith 11, Burse-Jones 10, Ezeigbo 10, Chase Daniel 8, Carson Daniel 8.
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CONCORD — South Rowan’s boys basketball team stayed with Northwest Cabarrus longer than expected, but the Trojans pulled away for an 85-49 South Piedmont Conference victory on Friday.
South had some leads early in the game thanks to a pair of Carson Rohletter 3-pointers.
Northwest led 18-10 after a quarter, but the Trojans were only up 24-19 after Dalton Young made a 3-pointer for the Raiders three minutes into the second quarter.
Northwest (10-6, 5-4) led 42-29 at halftime, and a 13-0 run to open the second half finished off South.
South (0-14, 0-8) trailed by as many as 36 points in the fourth quarter, but kept the margin under 40 and avoided the running clock.
Young scored 19 with a combination of 3s and floaters. He and Rohletter made four 3-pointers apiece. Rohletter scored 12, and Zion Jackson got 11 with some tough drives.
Northwest was balanced and played a lot of players a lot of minutes. Jordan Gonder, Justin Gonder and Anderson Lee scored 12 each.
South 10 19 10 10 — 49
NWC 18 24 24 19 — 85
SOUTH — Young 19, Rohletter 12, Jackson 11, Moore 4, Jones 3.
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KANNAPOLIS — A.L. Brown lost to Mooresville 76-64 in a Greater Metro Conference game on Friday.
The Wonders (8-8, 1-4) got 27 points from Nazir Reaves and 12 from Derick Brazil, but the Blue Devils (12-5, 4-1) were too strong.
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SALISBURY — Victory Christian’s boys basketball beat North Hills 99-59 on Thursday despite a 31-point outing by the Eagles’ high-scoring Champ Hayden.
Hayden made three 3-pointers and was 12-for-15 at the foul line.
Jerrod Drye had nine points and five assists for the Eagles (12-10). Malachi Strong scored nine, while Rylan Talbott added eight.
The Victory Christian Kings are 16-6.