Friday’s roundup: High school basketball results, All-conference volleyball, college basketball, college softball signing

By Richard Walker

Ashbrook High’s visiting girls basketball team edged Kings Mountain 69-62 on Friday night in a battle of previously unbeaten teams at Don Parker Gymnasium.

Ashbrook’s Kennette Bess scored 32 points as the Green Wave improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big South 3A Conference. Aaliyah El added 15 points for Ashbrook, which hosts Cramer on Tuesday in its next game.

Saniya Wilson (32 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Khalia King (23 points, 2 assists) led Kings Mountain (2-1, 2-1), which hosts Burns on Thursday in its next game.

More high school girls basketball
North Gaston 35, Cramer 30: Leeza Rhyne (10 points) and Bailey Perry (eight points) led North Gaston (1-3, 1-3), which visits Crest on Tuesday in its next game. Reece Wolfe (16 points, 5 steals) and Dasia Harris (6 points, 4 assists) led Cramer (0-2, 0-2), which visits Ashbrook on Tuesday.

East Lincoln 48, Bandys 41

Shelby 72, Burns 17

Crest 43, Huss 34

Hickory 64, Forestview 21

High school boys basketball

East Lincoln 50, Bandys 42: Evan Montanari (16 points), Drew Bean (13 points) and Logan Craig (12 points) led the Mustangs (3-0), who visit Maiden on Tuesday in their next game.

North Gaston 69, Cramer 49: Jacob Joyner (13 points) and Justin Rocquemore (12 points) led Cramer (0-3, 0-3), which plays at Ashbrook on Tuesday in its next game.
North Gaston won the JV game 24-23 in overtime. Isaiah Foster led Cramer (1-2, 1-2).

Kings Mountain 52, Ashbrook 43: Marcus Odums (20 points, 10 rebounds) led Kings Mountain (4-0, 4-0), which hosts Burns on Thursday in its next game.

Shelby 89, Burns 50: Tyler Arrington had 22 points, Jimmy Whisnant 14 and Drew Hollifield 13 for Shelby (4-0, 4-0), which hosts Crest in its next game on Wednesday. Jeffery Phillips’ 11 points led Burns.

Crest 78, Huss 59: Crest (4-0, 4-0) stayed unbeaten and plays again at home on Tuesday against North Gaston.

Lincoln Charter 81, Northwest Guilford 52: Sam Cogan (31 points, 11 rebounds), Troy Fulton (17 points), Marcus Farley (13 points) and Elijah Burnett (11 points, 7 assists) for Lincoln Charter (3-0) in the non-conference victory.

Hickory 81, Forestview 59: Daris Byers (13 points), Christian Williams (11 points, 15 rebounds) and Jaycob Neely (10 points) led Forestview (1-3), which visits Huss on Tuesday in its next game.

Lincolnton 82, West Lincoln 61

Bessemer City 70, Cherryville, 62 (OT)

East Gaston 69, Chase 48

 

College men’s basketball
Belmont Abbey 77, Barton 58: A strong second half lifted the Crusaders to a win in their Conference Carolinas opener at the Wheeler Center. Sean Halloran had 21 points and Mario Lacy, Jr., had 14 points and 13 rebounds to lead Belmont Abbey (3-1, 1-0), which hosts Barton again on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

UAB 61, Charlotte 37: Brice Williams scored 13 points for Charlotte (5-6, 1-2), which hosts UAB again on Saturday at 4 p.m. UAB (10-1, 3-0) started the game strong with a 24-1 lead with seven minutes left in the first half and a 37-11 halftime lead.

College women’s basketball
Barton 83, Belmont Abbey 72: The Lady Crusaders (4-2, 0-1) dropped their Conference Carolinas opener against visiting Barton (2-0, 2-0), which built a 48-30 halftime lead and held off a Belmont Abbey rally. Brittany Autry’s 22 points led the Lady Crusaders, who host Barton again on Saturday at 2 p.m.

High Point 70, Gardner-Webb 59: The Bulldogs (4-8, 4-3) couldn’t hold on to a 36-35 halftime lead at High Point. Ki’Ari Cain and Lauren Bevis had 15 points apiece to lead Gardner-Webb, which plays High Point again on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Charlotte 78, UAB 74: Junior point guard Jada McMillian’s career-high 31 points led the 49ers to a fourth straight victory to improve to 4-4 overall and 3-0 in Conference USA. Charlotte plays UAB again on Saturday at 3 p.m.

College softball
Julia Grant, a 2021 Bessemer City High graduate, has signed a letter of intent to play softball at Cleveland Community College.

High school volleyball
All-Southern Piedmont 1A: Unbeaten Highland Tech took top honors in the Southern Piedmont 1A Conference after winning its first league title this season. The Rams’ Ashlynn Stephens was named player of the year and Daniel Poole was named coach of the year.
Stephens, Lexi West and Ozi Sery were Highland Tech’s all-conference selections. They were joined on the all-league team by Lincoln Charter’s Kamden Dalton and Maddi Carter, Christ the King’s Abby Hartnett and Kaitlyn Hull, Piedmont Community Charter’s Peyton Hamlin and Ava Stratman, Cherryville’s Rileigh Kiser and Addie Eaker, Thomas Jefferson’s Kathleen Brown and Bessemer City’s Alec Stinnett.

State playoffs: Unbeaten Mountain Island Charter (16-0) hosts Alleghany in the third round of the state playoffs on Saturday at 7 p.m. The winner moves into the Western N.C. 1A championship against the winner of Saturday’s Murphy at Bishop McGuinness third round matchup.

College athletics
Belmont Abbey College was named the national runner-up for the prestigious 2021 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence.
As part of the prestigious honor, Belmont Abbey Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Advisor and women’s volleyball head coach Toni Elyea was featured by NCAA Division II during its official business session as part of the NCAA Convention on Zoom on Friday.
The finalist from Conference Carolinas, Belmont Abbey received second-place honors for its Mr. Crusader Pageant where Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members planned, organized and produced the annual event. The pageant is Belmont Abbey’s largest fundraiser and community engagement event. The student-athletes in the pageant participate in a multitude of events and the audience votes for their favorite student-athlete by donating money to Make-A-Wish. Avery Wilson, a Make-A-Wish recipient who participates each year as a judge, was celebrated for beating cancer.