Staff report

THOMASVILLE — A career game by Jamyrah Cherry lifted Salisbury to a 57-47 win against East Davidson on Thursday in a Central Carolina Conference Tournament semifinal.

Cherry blistered the nets for 30 points to bail out the second-seeded Hornets on a night when shots weren’t falling for MaKayla Noble, who averages almost 20 points per game. Cherry made three 3-pointers and also had three three-point plays.

“If Jamyrah doesn’t play great, we don’t win this one,” Salisbury head coach Lakai Brice said.

It was hard to see a tough game coming because the Hornets haven’t lost to East Davidson in a long time. The Hornets killed them 71-28 in the first meeting this season and also handled the Golden Eagles 45-28 in a closer rematch.

But this one, played in the neutral Thomasville gym, was different. Third-seeded East Davidson (14-13) played with patience, limited turnovers and was deadly at the foul line. That can be a formula for an upset, and with the exception of Cherry, the Hornets didn’t make many shots against East Davidson’s 1-2-2 zone defense.

The first quarter won’t make the Hornets’ highlight tape. Cherry made two 3-pointers, but the Hornets dug a 17-8 hole by missing layups and by allowing layups.

Noble scored on an offensive rebound to open the second quarter. That bucket started the comeback. Torese Evans made a 3-pointer. Then Cherry had one of her three-point plays to put the Hornets ahead 18-17.

Cherry had a coast-to-coast drive for another three-point play that provided a 23-21 lead at halftime.

Cherry opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, and Noble got a steal and layup for a 28-21 lead and momentum, but East Davidson stayed in the game. The Hornets (18-6) took a 40-32 lead to the fourth quarter.

It was still a six-point game with a minute left, but Cherry sealed the victory with a jumper from the key and a defensive rebound in traffic that led to two free throws. That rebound was her ninth of the game, and she also blocked two shots.

Noble didn’t get any whistles when she attacked in the first half, so she settled for 3-point attempts. She was more active in the second half. She finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks. She fired several great passes, but didn’t get many assists. Some weren’t caught cleanly. On others, the shot was missed.

Next for Salisbury is a fourth meeting with North Rowan in Friday’s 6 p.m. championship game at Thomasville.

Salisbury won in the Christmas Tournament against a short-handed North team, but the top-seeded Cavaliers beat the Hornets twice during the CCC regular season.

The Hornets are 11th in the 2A West RPI rankings, and will be seeded higher than that as the top 2A team in the 1A/2A Central Carolina Conference. East Davidson is 27th in the 2A West RPI and is likely to make the state playoffs.

East Davidson     17    4    11   15    — 47

Salisbury               8     15   17   17    — 57

SALISBURY — Cherry 30, Noble 11, Spruill 6, Arnold 5, Evans 5.