Staff report

SPENCER — It was fun for North Rowan’s girls basketball team to play someone different on Tuesday in the first round of the 1A state playoffs.

The 26th-seeded Andrews Wildcats (10-15) may have heard about Bailee Goodlett and they may have watched film, but it’s hard to grasp how quick she is until she’s coming at you in person.

Goodlett, a Catawba recruit, had a mind-boggling 11 steals to lead seventh-seeded North to a 78-41 romp. She scored 30 points and had six assists.

Dasia Elder stayed hot with 18 points. She made five of North’s eight 3-pointers.

Bloom Goodlett had one of her better scoring games with 10.

Allanah McArthur had seven rebounds. Zakiya Oglesby scored seven points.

Brittany Ellis had a quiet night with six points, but it wasn’t a night when the Cavaliers needed her to score.

Bailee Goodlett scored 12 in the first quarter and Elder made three early 3-pointers as North jumped out to a 28-8 lead.

Bailee Goodlett had four more buckets in the second quarter, and North held a comfortable 41-20 lead at the half.

North knocked out the visitors, who had made a very long trip from the mountains, with a 24-point third quarter.

North (24-3) had 21 steals and won its 19th game in a row.

The Cavaliers will take on 10th-seeded Polk County at home on Friday. Bailee Goodlett will have a chance to score her 2,000th point in what is almost certain to be her final home game. She has 1,988.

Second-seeded Bishop McGuiness, two-time defending state champ, is the No. 2 seed and looms as the third-round opponent for the Cavaliers if they can get past Polk, a 72-59 winner against Swain County in the first round.

McGuinness won 71-17 against Gray Stone in the first round and plays 15th-seeded Hayesville next.

Andrews             8    12      10     11   — 41

North Rowan    28   13      24    13   — 78

NORTH — Bailee Goodlett 30, Elder 18, Bloom Goodlett 10, Oglesby 7, Ellis 6, Stockton 3, McArthur 3, Cowan 1.