Newton-Conover home on Thursday to battle West Wilkes
HobbsDailyReport.com
Addie Wray scored 21 points and hit the game-winning shot with 1.3 seconds to play on Tuesday night, leading Bunker Hill High’s girls past Canton Pisgah 51-49 in the opening round of the state 2A basketball playoffs.
Wray’s shot lifted the 13th-seeded Bears to 20-8 overall – their first 20-win season since 2008-09 – and set up a second round game on Thursday night at Northwestern Foothills 2A rival East Burke at 7 p.m.
East Burke won the league title and has not lost to a league rival in the Northwestern Foothills 2A’s two seasons. The Cavs beat the Bears 54-44 at Bunker Hill on Dec. 14, 59-47 in Icard on Jan. 25 and 61-56 in the conference tournament final at East Burke on Feb. 22.
Thursday’s winner faces No. 12 North Wilkes (19-7) or No. 5 Newton-Conover (24-4) in a third-round game on Saturday at the highest seed.
Against 20th-seeded Canton Pisgah, the Bears led 28-26 at the half.
Crystany White scored 14 points and Maddie Stotts added 12 for Bunker Hill, which came off a 9-17 record last year to earned its second straight postseason bid.
Carter Gibson led Canton Pisgah (13-13) with 22 points and MaeAnn Norris added 13.
The first-round victory was the first for the Bears since 2008-09 when they played for a sectional championship.
Bunker Hill had been eliminated in the first round in three other first-round trips – against Lexington, Wilkes Central and last year by Smoky Mountain.
This year’s team is the 14th at Bunker Hill to reach 20 wins over the last 41 seasons.
No. 4 East Burke 65,
No. 29 Ashe County 51
The Cavs ran their win streak to 12 games with a first-round home victory sparked by senior Ariana Hawkins with 21 points and junior Josie Hise with 12.
East Burke (22-5) will play Northwestern Foothills 2A rival Bunker Hill (20-8) for the fourth time this season on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a second round game.
The Cavs have not lost to a Northwestern Foothills 2A team since the conference formed two years ago, going 12-0 to win regular season titles and winning both league tournaments.
East Burke is 76-11 since the league formed and has won at least 20 games in eight of the last nine seasons.
A win by the Cavs would pit them against No. 12 North Wilkes (19-7) or No. 5 Newton-Conover (24-4) in Saturday’s third round.
No. 5 Newton-Conover 71, No. 28 North Wilkes 36
Chyna Cornwell had another double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, as the Red Devils rolled to a home victory.
Fifth-seeded Newton-Conover (24-4) ran its win streak to 23 games and is at home again on Thursday night (6 p.m.) against No. 12 seed West Wilkes (19-7).
Jahlea Peters added 15 points, Grace Loftin scored 14, Aaliah Walton had 11 and Tamiya Artis added 10 for Newton-Conover, which jumped to a 25-4 lead after one quarter and a 50-12 lead by halftime.
The Red Devils’ 24 wins is their most since back-to-back 25-4 records in 2010-11 and 2011-12. They are in the postseason for the seventh time in nine seasons under head coach Sylvia White (three tenures).
Newton-Conover did not get out of the first round in the previous two seasons, losing to East Davidson and Black Mountain Owen.
A win on Thursday night would send the Red Devils into a third round game against No. 13 Bunker Hill or No. 4 East Burke.
No. 18 Madison 68, No. 15 Bandys 55
Hannah Chandler led three players in double figures for visiting Madison as it ousted Bandys, denying the Trojans their 106th postseason victory.
Chandler had 17 points, Alex Nix scored 15 and Jenna Barilovits scored 11 for Madison (17-10), which advances to play No. 2 Salisbury (23-4) on the road Thursday in the second round.
Macy Rummage and Asisa McLean each scored 14 points for Bandys (16-9), which led 30-26 at the half but was behind 52-44 heading into the fourth quarter after being outscored 26-14 in the third quarter.
The loss left the Trojans at 105-39 in state playoff games since 1970-71, and they’ll go into next season with only 97 losses in Bost-Matheson Gym over the last 49 seasons.
Madison is the 28th school to win at least once in Bost-Matheson, where Newton-Conover has the most wins (17).
No. 12 West Wilkes 59, No. 21 Patton 57
The Blackhawks wiped out a six-point lead by Patton with 2 ½ minutes to go, winning at home to advance to a second round game on Thursday night at No. 5 Newton-Conover (24-4).
Jamilyn Wilcox led West Wilkes (19-7) with 15 points that included two go-ahead free throws. Keslie Huffman added 12 points and Carson Ledford had 11 for the Blackhawks.
Danisha Hemphill paced Patton, which finished 18-9, with 22 points and Reece Fisher added 14.
The Panthers led 55-49 with 2:37 to go but West Wilkes forced two turnovers and converted to pull within two points.
Patton led 57-53 when Huffman scored on back-to-back layups for a 57-all tie.
The Panthers were in the state playoffs for the second straight season – they are 33-21 in that stretch – and for the sixth time in school history.
No. 2 Salisbury 71, No. 31 Fred T. Foard 27
The Hornets went on an early 12-0 run to break open a first round game against the visiting Tigers and led 40-15 at halftime.
Bryanna Troutman paced Salisbury (23-4) with 18 points and nine rebounds and Rachel McCullough added 11 points.
Freshman Alexis Woglemuth sparked Foard (12-15) with 15 points.
Foard scored fewer than 30 points for the fourth time this season and the other three times were in the first nine games of the year.
The Tigers were in the postseason for the first time in six years and won more games this season than any Foard team since 2012-13 (18-9).
Foard is 16-36 in two seasons under head coach Brandy Dawkins after going 10-84 in the four seasons before she was hired.
3A
No. 10 Hickory 60, No. 23 Ashbrook 42
The Red Tornadoes, down 8-0 early, rallied to beat the visiting Green Wave in a first-round game.
Iness Knox, Mikayla Hill and Shelby Darden each scored 11 points for Hickory (18-7), which won for the eighth time in nine games.
The Red Tornadoes play at No. 7 Asheville (22-5) – an 81-40 winner on Tuesday over No. 26 Monroe – on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m.
Ashbrook finished 16-9.
Hickory, in the postseason for the 28th straight season, would play No. 15 Enka (22-5) or No. 2 Freedom (27-1) on Saturday in a third round game if it wins at Asheville.
Red Tornadoes head coach Barbara Helms, in her 16th year at HHS, is closing in on 400 wins there (395-63). She has 433 career wins.
No. 2 Freedom 74, No. 31 A.C. Reynolds 26
The Patriots (27-1) ran their win streak to 19 games with a home first-round victory highlighted by taking a 48-10 lead by halftime.
Freedom had four players in double figures – Aysha Sort with 17, Adair Garrison with 15, Blaikley Crooks with 13 and Stevee McGee with 12 – as it collected career win No. 332 for head coach Amber Reddick.
The Patriots are at home Thursday night at 6 p.m., facing No. 15 Enka (22-5). A win in that game would move Freedom to a third round home game on Friday against No. 10 Hickory (18-7) or No. 7 Asheville (22-6).
Freedom cleared 70 points for the second time this season and beat A.C. Reynolds for the second time this season (Freedom 60, A.C. Reynolds 21 on Dec. 26 in the Freedom Invitational).
The Patriots are 111-8 in their last 119 games and are chasing their third West Regional bid in four seasons. They won a state 3A title four years ago, the school’s fifth, by going 32-0.
No. 20 Watauga 38, No. 13 Mount Tabor 36
The Pioneers survived a 3-pointer and then a technical foul that give host Mount Tabor a chance to tie or win a first round game.
Watauga (17-9) led 30-22 at one point but the Spartans (18-9 rallied for a tie at 33.
The Watauga Democrat reported the Pioneers took a 38-33 lead on two free throws by Brelyn Sturgill, one by Chelsi Hodges and two by Cailey Haas, who scored 12 points.
A 3-pointer by Mount Tabor’s Alexis Brooks got the Spartans within two points with 7.9 seconds to play.
The Democrat’s report said Watauga head coach Laura Berry was called for a technical foul when her shoe landed on the court after Brooks’ shot.
Danielle White missed the technical free throws before Mount Tabor had the ball off an inbounds play and missed a shot to end the game.
If Watauga wins on Thursday in a second round game at No. 4 Cuthbertson (25-3), its third round game on Saturday would be against No. 12 North Gaston (22-5) or No. 5 Kings Mountain (22-4).
- Game information for this roundup was provided by: Randy Joines, head coach at Bunker Hill; Sylvia White, head coach at Newton-Conover; Benny Lytton, SID, and head coach Nicki Sigmon, both from Bandys and Amber Reddick, head coach at Freedom.
