Falcons win another championship.

Milestone for Coach Ashley Poole.

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

CONCORD — Makaylah Tenor rainbowed another 3-pointer and smiled.

She shot it from close enough to the West Rowan bench that she managed to slap a happy low-five with head coach Ashley Poole before she sprinted back to play defense.

Tenor normally is the sixth option for the high-powered West girls basketball team, but in Thursday’s South Piedmont Conference Tournament championship game against Robinson, she became the main attraction. Tenor hit five 3-pointers, made fearless driving layups and scored 25 points to lead a 73-39 romp.

A senior, Tenor had scored 25 in a varsity game before, but it had been a while ago. She plays on a team with three 1,000-point scorers (plus a sophomore who will get to 1,000), so it’s no surprise that her previous high this season had been 12 points.

“She’s been putting in extra time in the gym and it proved to be worth it tonight,” Poole said.

Poole also was a big part of the story in the Concord gym.

The victory was her 200th as West’s coach. This is her 11th season.

With five senior standouts, West is 56-1 during the last two seasons, has boosted Poole’s career record considerably and has piled up championships, including the 2023 3A state title. West has run the table in the SPC the last two seasons, 14-0 and 16-0, and has added the tournament championships.

Robinson moved up from 2A to 3A this school year and raised the number of SPC teams from eight to nine.

Mars Hill recruit Lauren Arnold surpassed 1,500 career points late in the game. West emptied its bench at the end, but Arnold played with four reserves. She swished a 3-pointer for 1,500 and added a layup just before time expired for 1,502.

Arnold scored 15 and was ferocious on the boards with 12 rebounds.

Emma Clarke also rebounded well.

Clarke, De’Mya Phifer and Mya Edwards had modest scoring nights, but it didn’t matter much, not with Tenor red-hot.

Tiara Thompson, the sophomore who is well on her way to 1,000 points, had another terrific game with 14 points and eight assists.

Third-seeded Robinson, led by 6-foot-2 sophomore Camri Hobbs who scored 23 points, stayed with the Falcons in the early going.

West didn’t shoot well in the first quarter.

When Hobbs made a 3-pointer early in the second quarter, the Falcons’ lead was only 17-14.

But West got separation during the next few minutes. Arnold scored off the offensive board for 19-14, then Thompson made a 3-pointer. Thompson did a good job of keeping the ball moving against Robinson’s zone, and Arnold and Tenor stroked 3s to push the lead to 28-16. When Tenor made a steal and layup, it was 30-16, and the Falcons were able to take a 14-point lead to halftime.

Robinson (18-7) got within 11 early in the third quarter, but when Tenor and Thompson made back-to-back 3-pointers, the lead swelled to 17 and the Falcons were headed to their 23rd straight victory.

West made 11 3-pointers and held Robinson to 11 field goals, with only one 3-pointer.

“Just super proud of our team,” Poole said. “This team has the ability to be coachable and to go out and execute a game plan. That’s what sets this team apart.”

West Rowan is second in the 3A West RPI rankings behind AC Reynolds and will start another playoff run next week.

Robinson, which lost 6-foot-4 Ella Hobbs, Camri’s older sister, to a knee injury in East Lincoln’s Christmas tournament, is 10th in the 3A West RPI rankings and should get a first-round home game.

Robinson    9     14    9    7    — 39

West            16   21    13  22  — 73

ROBINSON — Hobbs 23, Batts 11, Davis 2, Young 2, Smith 2.

WEST — Tenor 25, Arnold 15, Thompson 14, Edwards 8, Phifer 7, Clarke 4.