From staff reports

MOUNT PLEASANT — Carson’s boys basketball team opened the season on Tuesday with a lot less hair and much greater expectations.

Barbers in the China Grove area have been busy, and Jonah Drye and CP Perry sported neatly trimmed heads. They got it going in the second half, as Carson took a 61-50 win at Mount Pleasant.

It was an ugly first half for the Cougars, as Mount Pleasant controlled a leisurely pace. Carson led 18-17 at halftime.

Perry kept Carson afloat in the third quarter. That’s when he scored 14 of his 25 points.

Carson was down 43-40 near the six-minute mark, but the Cougars came out of a timeout with some energy.

Jonah Drye made a 3-pointer to tie it, and Jacob Mills made the 3-pointer from deep in the left corner that put Carson ahead to stay.

Drye, Mills and Perry added more 3s down the stretch, as Carson pulled away for a deceiving 11-point win. It was a lot tougher than that.

Drye made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points. Mills had 12.

Drew Neve had a tough night finishing in the paint, but he had a pile of rebounds.

Cooper Perkins scored 23 for the Tigers.

Carson                       9    9    20    23   — 61

Mount Pleasant      5    12    19    14     — 50

CARSON scoring — Perry 25, Drye 16, Mills 12, Neve 6, Phillips 2.

•••

OLIN — South Rowan’s boys were overwhelmed 30-5 in the second quarter and lost 84-44 at North Iredell in Tuesday’s season opener.

South started strong, got two 3-pointers from Corbin Goodman and one from Carter Rohletter early and was even at 17-all after a quarter.

But North Iredell, which got 22 points from 6-foot-4 junior Oliver Stamey, ended the suspense with that dominant second quarter.

Jason Moore scored 13 for the Raiders. Rohletter had 12. Tristian Littlejohn scored eight.

 

South Rowan     17    5    11   11   — 44

North Iredell    17     30   18   19    84

SOUTH scoring — Moore 13, Rohletter 12, Littlejohn 8, Goodman 6, Burris 3, Overcash 2.