At Broughton High

Eight-team boys

Thursday:

Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft 69, Jordan 48

Jordan -- P. Blue 3, W. Bunton 2, C. Foushee 2, K. Holmes 2, C. Major 2, S. Malone 6, T. Thorpe 3, J. Watts 25.

Taft -- T. Carter 5, L. Drew 12, J. Hawkins 9, D. Hayes 2, E. Phelps 11, B. Smith 21, M. Williams 9.

Kinston 60, Ravenscroft 47

Kinston -- D. Best 2, R. Bullock 14, D. Hines 2, D. Ingram 23, M. Jones 2, T. Miller 11, A. Sutton 6.

Ravenscroft -- R. Kelly 28, D. Parker 7, G. Skwara 2, C. Stevenson 3, H. Story 2, M. Wilson 5.

Word of God 70, Southern Durham 58

Word of God -- C. Leslie 29, J. Wall 11, M. Chavis 10, R. Denning 7, R. Edwards 2, L. Beckwith 2.

Southern Durham -- J. Hayes 10, W. Rollack 8, E. Springfield-Cobb 8, K. Wiggins 8, M. Wells 7, D. Williams 4, G. Hunter 4, J. Clayton 4, R. Laws 2, D. Jordan 2, D. Anderson 1.

DeMatha 72, Knightdale 60

DeMatha -- J. Shelby 19, M. Rouse 12, Q. Cook 12, N. Hibbert 11, V. Oladipo 6, J. Grant 4, P. Green 2, M. Hopkins 2, R. Thompson 2, C. Frank 2.

Knightdale -- D. Manns 21, G. Jackson 9, M. Coppage 9, D. Chineke 7, A. Moffit 6, C. Mealy 6, C. Floyd 2.

Friday: Semifinals

Word of God 55, Taft 52

DeMatha 65, Kinston 63

Consolations

Saturday: Finals

Four-team boys

Thursday:

Northern Durham 70, Green Hope 61

Northern Durham -- G. Boone, J. Diggs, J. Fairley 12, B. Frosh 3, K. Holley 3, H. McClintuck 32, J. Thomas 18.

Green Hope -- S. Archer 7, A. Duke 6, S. Edwards 4, R. Ford 15, J. Pelham 27, K. Thompson 2.

Panther Creek 54, Broughton 48

Panther -- M.Hood 6, B. Oliver 4, M. Oliver 10, J. Rankin 5, E. Ross 27, A. Toney 2.

Broughton -- C. Browning 7, L. Davis 12, O. Hayden 6, E. McKnight 2, J. Owens 3, D. Randolph 14, C. Taylor 4.

Friday: Third-place game, 2:20 p.m.

Saturday: Final, 5:40 p.m.

Four-team girls

Friday:

Garner 54, Athens Drive 50

Garner - Dugal 4, Johnson 2, McNeil 22, Covington 2, Mark 5, Moody 7, Shephard 12. Athens Drive - Collins 2, Williams 2, Smith 13, Willingham 14, Ingram 12, Gatling 7

Kanita Shephard's block of Alys Ingram, coupled with two big free throws from Kesheria McNeil — all in the final 10 seconds of the game — led the Lady Trojans to the victory. McNeil scored a game-high 22 points, while Shepard added 12 and 11 rebounds for the undefeated Trojans (10-0).

Wakefield 68, McDowell County 38

Saturday:

Wakefield 58, Garner 44

2007 GlaxoSmithKline All-Tournament girls' team, MVP and MOP

Most Valuable Player: Kaila'Shea Menendez, senior guard, Raleigh Wakefield

Most Outstanding Player: Kesheria McNeil, junior guard, Garner

All-tournament team:

Kathleen Slay, sophomore center, Raleigh Wakefield

Amelia Partin, senior guard, Raleigh Wakefield

Kanita Shephard, senior forward, Garner

Chareya Smith, senior forward, Raleigh Athens Drive

Kurie McDowell, senior guard, McDowell

Wakefield opened the second half on a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach.

Wakefield (13-0) was led by Amelia Partin's 16 points, 12 of which came in the first half. Kristen Hanzer had 11 points for the Wolverines, while tournament MVP Kaila'Shea Menendez scored 10. Garner played without key sub Raven Gibbs, whose father, former NC State wrestler Tab Thacker, passed away Friday.

WHS - 10 - 21 - 13 - 14 — 58

GHS - 9 - 12 - 11 - 12 --- 44

Wakefield: Shephard 9, McNeil 13, Mark 2, Johnson 7, Moody 3, Dugal 4, Covington 6.

Garner: Slay 9, Evans 6, Hanzer 11, Partin 16, Menendez 10, Wollett 2, Smith 2, Harris 2.

At Cary Academy

Boys

Thursday:

Ragsdale 67, Cary 50

Cary -- D. Braziel 10, L. Chase 2, C. Jurgensen 4, B. Lehman 3, T. Payne 7, P. Stephenson 3, K. Windley 21.

Ragsdale -- J. Canty 19, L. Canty 13, W. Jones 11, C. Lynch 4, N. Mearite 3, T. Roberts 8, J. White 9.

Wilson Greenfield 66, Cardinal Gibbons 48

Cardinal Gibbons -- C. Lavender 4, D. Fisher 15, C. James 6, A. Smith 8, A. Nunoz 11, A. Shafer 4.

Wilson Greenfield -- B. Richardson 21, B. McNair 15, P. Barnes 2, J. Hinton 7, D. Cahill 5, J. Bandanell 2, D. Williams 8, A. Draughnan 6.

Durham Academy 48, Rabun Gap 42

Cary Academy 48, Fuquay-Varina 46

Fuquay-Varina -- D. Black 15, Z. Boraski 5, D. Byrd 7, L. Dickens 8, N. Rodriguez 7, J. Will 4.

Cary Academy -- J. Carson 2, N. Debnam 10, S. Gordon 12, J. Joyner 8, J. Lohr, B. Roberts 2, C. Walton 13.

Friday: Semifinals, consolations

Saturday: Finals

Girls

Thursday:

Southern Durham 60, Charlotte Latin 22

Charlotte Harding vs. ???Western Harnett, 2:45 p.m.;

Cary Academy vs. Fuquay-Varina, 4:30 p.m.;

Cary Christian vs. Rabun Gap, Ga., 6:15 p.m..

???Western Harnett 60, ???Fuquay-Varina 35

WHA -- R. Bursey 25, D. Coleman 14, M. Pace 5, J. Rankins 5, S. Hubbard 4, S. Robison 4, A. Edwards 3.

FUQ -- R. Koten 10, B. Crotch 12, B. Estes 8, R. Oates 3, B. Hubbard 2.???

Friday: Semifinals, consolations

Saturday: Finals

At Clayton High

Boys

Thursday:

Garner vs. Athens Drive, 11:30 a.m.;

Athens Drive won

Bunn 60, Leesville Road 42

Bunn -- D. Alston 8, J. Batkoski 8, X. Bowden 2, T. Davis 2, C. Miles 2, L. Stanley 11, C. Thorne 18, S. Wilder.

Leesville Road -- M. Baden 2, B. Daniels 8, H. George 8, P. Giggey 11, M. Jones 3, R. Leeks 6, B. Millice, B. Woodard 3.

Enloe 60, Apex 53

Apex -- C. Belicic 10, B. Carr 8, J. Cunningham 2, W. Murphy 13, A. Perry 10, K. Waters 4, D. White 6.

Enloe -- J. Blakney 2, J. Burkey 4, E. Chapman 7, J. Garrett 11, T. Gilfillan 11, C. Pulley 7, D. Rich 10, M. Tabb 6, A. Webb 2.

Clayton 61, Carrboro 44

Clayton -- C. Harrison 4, Jones 2, B. McPhatter 7, C. Mixon 14, J. Moses 10, M. Parker 7, A. Ray 2, H. Smith 6, D. Tabron 2, T. Williams 3.

Carrboro -- D. Brooks 19, D. Bryant 4, B. Dimac 6, C. Jones 8, A. Knapp 4, O. Miller-Fickel, B. Morgan 2.

Friday: Semifinals, consolations

Enloe 60, Athens Drive 39

Clayton 53, Bunn 33

Saturday: Final

Garner 60, Leesville Road 40

Leesville -- M. Baden 3, B. Daniels 7, H. George 24, M. Jones 6.

Garner -- J. Brooks 17, S. Drane 6, C. Hunter 2, J. Purvis 2, C. Redd 3, A. Smith 8, D. Upchurch 10, T. Williams 12.

Girls

Thursday:

Enloe 58, Green Hope 41

GHO -- K. Finan 4, C. Forbes 8, S. Fudzie 4, A. Paul 8, C. Ranson 8, C. Tsun 3, C. Watson, J. Williams 3, R. Zoubari 2.

ENL -- T. Davis 7, E. Frac 5, S. Hennis 2, S. Hodges 19, N. Leach 8, A. Moore 6, M. Rogers 11.

Leesville Road vs. Bunn, 1 p.m.;

Leesville Road 54, Bunn 32

Apex 64, Southern Vance 38

APX -- B. Collins 9, K. Durham 17, S. Elchook 2, N. Funari 2, M. Greene 4, K. Harris 19, C. Leto 6, C. Mitchell 2, C. Shirley 3.

SVA -- T. Jones 9, T. Taylor 8, F. Terry 7, A. Waddell 8, T. Warren 2, M. Whitley 2, T. Williams 2.

Clayton 50, Carrboro 16

CAR -- K. Gilmore 2, E. Holman 3, O. Lester 2, R. Micheaux 5, A. Ropp 4.

CLY -- K. Anderson 2, P. Armwood 5, M. Humphries 6, A. Johnson 6, M. Lackey 7, S. Moore 4, J. Parker 2, Richardson 4, M. Young 14.

Friday: Semifinals, consolations

Enloe 53, Clayton 41

Apex 60, Leesville Road 47

Saturday: Final

At Shelby Crest

Thursday: Millbrook vs. Lawndale Burns, 3:30 p.m.;

Shelby vs. North Gaston, 5 p.m.;

Kings Mountain vs. Durham Mount Zion, 6 p.m.;

Crest vs. R.B. Stall, 8 p.m.

Friday: Semifinals, consolations

Saturday: Final

Holiday in the Pines Tournament

At Southern Pines Pinecrest

Thursday:

Wakefield 72, Fayetteville Trinity 63

Wakefield -- D. Redmond 6, A. Stabler 12, M. Perry 4, D. McDonald 3, T. Johnson 26, K. Armstrong 3, D. Mullin 7, M. Nash 9, S. Okoye 2.

Fayetteville Trinity -- A. Tapillion 10, A. Harris 12, C. Ward 12, J. Vale 3, J. Sanchez 10, B. Fairchild 13, D. McMillan 2, S. Johnson 2, T. Kilcreese 2, J. McMillan 8.

Holly Springs vs. Berkeley, 3:30 p.m.;

Warsaw Kenan vs. Richmond County, 6 p.m.;

Pinecrest 67, Overhills 63

Overhills -- M. Harrison 14, T. Massey 5, T. Fields 6, R. Williams 18, S. Council 16, M. Mainor 4, C. McCoy 2.

Pinecrest -- J. Breeden 1, J. Scales 19, T. Allbrooks 5, C. Rhone 5, P. Moultrie 8, E. Cole 6, J. Wooten 18, D. McRae 5.

Friday: Semifinals and consolations

Saturday: Finals

At Lenoir Community College

Day 1 Action

1st Game:

Stevens Prep 76, Carolina Prep 55

Stevens Prep - Robert Clarke -12, Raheem Lofton- 10, Deonata Anderson -15, Leon Duff-17, Chris Lennon -19.

Carolina Prep - Demetrius Mathews -20, Travis Montague - 21

Goldsboro HS 62, St. James HS (SC): 59

Goldsboro - Keovanta McDuffie - 22pts, Tim Hobbs - 15 pts.

St. James HS (SC) - Mikey Hall - 18pts, Devan Williams - 14pts.

Durham Hillside 53, West Craven 52

West Craven - Eric Highsmith -19 pts, Jimmy Gross -15 pts.

Durham Hillside - Turner Williams - 13pts, Littrell Royster -10pts

4th Game

Southern Wayne 57, New Bern 47

Southern Wayne - John Hart-17pts, Dwight Smith-10pts.

New Bern - Nathan Healy- 18 pts, Ty Pack - 8 pts.

Day 2 Action- Friday

4:00 pm West Craven 53, St James (SC) 47

St James - Devan Williams -17, Brandon Atkinson-4, Mikey Hall-16, Bradley Davis-3, Brandon Tyson-6, Tim Corbin-2, Skylar Brown-5.

West Craven - Jimmy Gross-16, Bobby Cox-4, Eric Highsmith-14, Jaquan Crowell-2,

Brett Mooring-6, Forest Warren-5.

5:30 pm New Bern 59, Carolina Prep 58

New Bern - Nathan Healy- 16 pts, Dustin Mason-4pts, Ty Pack - 8 pts, Kendrick Henderson-19pts, Andrew Stortz-11pts, Ron Sawyer-1.

Carolina Prep - Demetrius Mathews-13pts, Justin Cozart-3pts, Travis Montague -27pts, Will Cotton-4pts, Doremus Mcculers-11pts.

7:00 pm Stevens Prep 71, Southern Wayne 61 - Semi-Finals

Southern Wayne - John Hart- 18, Woody Woodard-3, Dwight Smith-8, Kendrick Thompson-10, Justin Artis-2, Desmond Raiford-16, James Jones-2, Brandon Anderson-2.

Stevens Prep - Raheem Lofton- 14, Deonata Anderson -19, Leon Duff-10, Chris Lennon-14, Jeremy Breece-14.

8:30 pm Goldsboro 59, Durham Hillside 49 - Semi-Finals

Goldsboro - Keovanta Mcduffie – 8, Demetrio Irby -13, Tim Hobbs – 16, Donald Lewis-2, Tavon Murchison-13, Eric Sinclair-2, Iveon Sprangle-2, Charles Atkinson-3.

Durham Hillside - Turner Williams -6, Antwan Nicholson-5, Littrell Royster -7, Rashad Salter-2, Holmar Henderson-18, Jonathan Thomspon-3, Jarret Ballard-8.

Final Day - Saturday

4 pm Carolina Prep vs West Craven

5:30 pm New Bern vs St James (SC)

7 pm Durham Hillside vs Southern Wayne

8 pm Goldsboro vs Stevens Prep

At New Hanover

Boys

Thursday:

Fayetteville Seventy-First at New Hanover, 2 p.m.;

Baltimore (Md.) St. Joseph vs. Wilmington Hoggard, 3:30 p.m;

New York Douglas vs. Wilmington Ashley, 5 p.m.;

Kettering (Ohio) Alter vs. Wilmington Laney, 6:30 p.m.

Friday: Semifinals, consolations

Saturday: Final

CHAMPIONSHIP

Boys

Rocky Mount 69, Northern Nash 64

Girls

Rocky Mount 49, Northern Nash 47

CONSOLATION

Boys

Nash Central 43, Southern Nash 36

Girls

Southern Nash 51, Nash Central 41

All-Tournament Team

BOYS

Tim Brathwaite, Southern Nash

Trey Sumler, Nash Central

Octavius Lyons, Northern Nash

Toncellis Davis, Northern Nash

Tashawn Mabry, Rocky Mount

Montrell Battle, Rocky Mount - MVP

GIRLS

Jasmine Sessoms, Nash Central

Alyse Hall, Southern Nash

Nikki Battle, Northern Nash

Danielle Edmondson, Northern Nash

Deaudra Brown, Rocky Mount

Dyonna Battle, Rocky Mount - MVP

Friday

8th annual Lady Hilltopper Holiday Classic (R-S Central High)

R-S Central 56, Indian Land (SC) 41 7th place

Shelby 53, Crest 42 5th place

Boiling Springs (SC) 56, Gaston Day 34 3rd place

Lexington (SC) 48, Gafffney (SC) 47 Championship game

(Lexington is the first team from SC to win the tourney. * Game-winning shot made by Molly VanWyk off of Santanna Byrd assist with 0.8 seconds left to play.)

Cavalier Classic (East Rutherford High) Final results:

Championship Game

R-S Central 68

E.Rutherford 64

Consolation Game

Chase 75

Cherokee 71

Sam Moir Christmas Tourney

These are the pairings for the Christmas tournament held at Catawba's Goodman Gym.

Games start December 27 (opening round)

Noon- No. 5 Davie County (43) vs. No. 4 South Rowan (53), girls

Davie County - Dixon 9, Evans 8, Turner 7, Tucker 7, Fowler 5, Allen 4, Smoot 2, Brown 1, Naylor, Reynolds. South Rowan - Van Wieren 18, Wilson 11, Wise 10, Graham 6, Haywood 4, May 2, Houston 2, Garrett.

1:30- No. 5 Salisbury (64) vs. No. 4 Carson (36), boys

Salisbury - Abel 15, Allison 15, Ali 12, Phillips 4, Handy 4, Rankin 3, Knox 3, Morris 3, Williams 2, Lingard 2, Weant 1, Brown, Hemphill. Carson - Moose 12, Basinger 7, Doby 7, Ferguson 6, Matthews 2, Holloway 2, Craft, Freeze, Adams, Houston, Sewell, Clanton.

3:00- No. 6 North Rowan (43) vs. No. 3 West Rowan (70), girls

North Rowan - Wilks 15, Cuthbertson 13, Roberts 4, Ellis 2, Torrence 2, Alexander 2, Heggins 2, Gregory 2, Smyre 1, Turner, Berry, Casey, Watkins, Mot-Elkin. West Rowan - Avery 16, Sawyer 15, Taylor 6, Foster 6, Cox 5, Dutton 5, Izze 4, Moose 4, Simmons 3, Sherrill 3, Cross 2, Calloway 1, Gillespie, Cuthbertson.

4:30- No. 3 Davie County (51) vs. No. 6 North Rowan (49), boys

North Rowan - Gaymon 18, Weddington 16, Hipps 8, Cherry 2, Walker 2, Sims 2, Smith 1, Bell, Blakeney, Mitchell, Gill, Hargrave. Davie County - Absher 15, Hall 12, Mayfield 11, Lowery 8, Williams 3, Vanhoy 2, Marion, Harris, Holcomb.

6:00- No. 2 East Rowan (87) vs. No. 7 Carson (23), girls

Carson - Brown 10, Settlemyer 4, Hough 4, Whitley 3, Sellers 2, Curtindale, Marshall, Livengood. East Rowan - Collins 17, K.Stout 12, Carroll 11, Rankin 8, Poole 7, Miller 6, Cress 6, Vanderford 6, S.Stout 5, Sabo 4, Holshouser 3, Hill 2.

7:30- No. 2 West Rowan (51) vs. No. 7 South Rowan (65), boys

South Rowan - Morrison 25, B. Grant 16, Swartz 10, D. Davis 8, Wilson 4, Caldwell 2, Hagerty, J. Davis. West Rowan - K. Sherrill 13, Kimbrough 8, Smith 7, Parks 6, Moore 5, Gore 4, B. Sherrill 4, J. Grant 2, Browning 2, Noble, Ellis.

Friday, December 28th

Semi-finals

Salisbury (87), East Rowan (83), boys

Salisbury - Abel 23, Allison 22, Rankin 15, Ali 14, Morris 6, Gibbs 5, Phillips 2, Weant, Williams, Handy.

East Rowan - Vanderford 28, Eagle 19, McKenzie 11, Wilhelm 11, Plummer 9, File 4, Allen 1, Moore, Ponds, Slater, Karl.

East's boys missed injured Trey Holmes, who broke a bone in his right hand in a "non-basketball-related" incident. McKenzie expects the southpaw to return in two weeks. "We found out how much we missed Trey's rebounding, his defense, and his athleticsm," Coach McKenzie said.

Davie County (73), South Rowan (61), boys

South Rowan - Shaver 17, D. Davis 10, Morrison 10, Grant 8, Caldwell 8, Wilson 6, J. Davis 2, Swartz, Hagerty.

Davie - Lowery 21, Absher 17, Vanhoy 12, Hall 8, Mayfield 8, Williams 4, Marion 3, Harris, Walls, Holcomb.

Salisbury (73), South Rowan (25), girls

South Rowan - May 9, Graham 7, Van Wieren 4, Wilson 3, Garrett 2, Wise, Helms, Gray, Houston, Haywood, Roberts.

Salisbury - B.Phifer 19, Shipp 14, Hicks 13, Wylie 9, As.Holmes 8, Ay.Holmes 5, N. Phifer 3, Rice 2, Clinding.

East Rowan (50), West Rowan (46), girls

West Rowan - Izze 12, Sawyer 10, Taylor 9, Avery 5, Simmons 5, Cox 3, Foster 2, Dutton, Sherrill.

East Rowan - Collins 11, Miller 10, Poole 8, Carroll 7, Hill 6, Cress 4, Rankin 4, Vanderford.

Consolation Scores

North Rowan 46, Carson 42, girls

West Rowan 51, North Rowan 46, boys

Saturday finals and consolation results:

Moir Christmas Classic Final: Salisbury boys 59, Davie 52

By Mike London

Salisbury Post

Salisbury's boys basketball team kept a promise and won a title.

Salisbury held off Davie County 59-52 in the championship game of the Sam Moir Christmas Classic and fulfilled a vow to ex-Hornet Doug Campbell.

Salisbury played well in the 2006 Moir tournament, but it lost the double-overtime title game to East Rowan despite the 3-pointer of the century by Campbell, now a freshman at the University of Rio Grande.

"I remember as soon as I'd finished talking in the locker room, Doug said, 'You guys go out and win it next year,' " Salisbury coach Jason Causby explained. "We all felt so bad that night, but we came back this time and did it two-fold. We beat East and we won the tournament. (Hornet senior) Terrell Allison talked to Doug Friday night. He was excited for us."

Moir MVP Brandon Abel, a 6-foot-5 junior, created excitement three straight nights. He had 24 points and 12 rebounds Saturday and amassed 62 points and 37 rebounds during the fifth-seeded Hornets' tournament run.

Abel sat out with an ankle injury when Salisbury lost at Davie 67-58 in a Thanksgiving tourney consolation game. Third-seeded Davie (8-5) knew about Abel, but knowing about him and stopping him were two different things.

"Brandon's big, he's quick, he's versatile," Allison said. "Nobody can guard him."

Senior guard Ibn Ali, who made the all-tournament team, had unlimited energy on a night when most players looked exhausted. The Shrine Bowler scored 17 points and helped pressure Davie guards Eric Lowery and Drew Absher into a combined 5-for-27 shooting night.

"Davie's guards are outstanding," Ali said. "We had to get up on them, but we still had to watch for backdoor cuts."

Ali's return from football obligations gave the Hornets a boost. He brought toughness, intensity and leadership to a squad that was still seeking direction just a week ago.

"Salisbury was a completely different team from the one we played earlier," Davie coach Mike Absher said. "They've obviously made some very good changes."

Absher's scouting report on Ali was he wouldn't hurt the War Eagles from outside, but he buried two 3s that helped Salisbury (6-6) build an 18-13 lead in the second quarter.

"I don't know if I've made a 3-pointer — or even a jump shot — all season," Ali said. "But I was going to play my game tonight."

The Hornets suffered through four scoreless minutes, but Abel finished the first half strong and pushed Salisbury ahead 27-16 with a buzzer-beater in the paint.

Salisbury led 40-32 after three quarters, but Davie reserve James Mayfield wouldn't let the War Eagles die. The bullish running back is only 5-foot-11, but he started pounding the offensive glass. He put his tired teammates on his shoulders and led a rally that earned him all-tourney status. Salisbury's lead was sliced to a single point midway through the fourth quarter.

"There were two teams out there that were just slap wore out," Causby said. "Davie had character. Emotionally, we had just enough left to weather their last push."

Davie had Absher, the coach's son and its best foul shooter, at the line when it trailed 44-43 with 2:58 left, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one.

"We've got Drew on the line, but it happens," Mike Absher said. "I'll still be glad to keep him as a son."

Seventeen seconds after Absher's miss, Abel drilled a pivotal shot. His soft jumper put the Hornets up 46-43.

"It was a relief," Abel said. "But I wasn't thinking. I was just playing."

Ali's free throw with 2:17 left made it a four-point game, and Davie never got closer than four the rest of the way. Ali, Allison, Jesse Gibbs and Romar Morris made free throws as the Hornets held on.

"The number that jumps out at me is we shot 28 percent," Mike Absher said. "We missed great looks, some of them layups, but we still had a good chance. If you'd told me we'd hold them to 59, I thought we could score enough to win."

But Salisbury's weary defense challenged every shot. There was a promise to keep.

Salisbury won its first Moir crown in a decade and one school swept the boys and girls titles for the first time since West Rowan in 1992.

"People didn't believe we were capable of this," Allison said. "But we wanted to win it for Doug, for Joe (Allen), for all last year's seniors."

Salisbury (59) — Abel 24, Ali 17, Allison 9, Gibbs 5, Morris 4, Rankin, Weant.

Davie County (52) — Vanhoy 13, Mayfield 10, Absher 8, Harris 7, Hall 6, Lowery 5, Williams 3, Marion, Holcomb.

Moir Christmas Classic Final: Salisbury girls 76, East Rowan 27

By David Shaw

Salisbury Post

The Salisbury girls basketball team belongs to history now.

Not only did the Hornets capture their fifth consecutive Sam Moir Christmas Classic title Saturday night at Goodman Gym, but they did it in record-setting fashion.

Salisbury walloped second-seeded East Rowan 76-27 in the final, the widest margin of victory in a championship game — boys or girls — in the 36-year history of the event.

"You can never expect to beat anybody," two-time tournament MVP Shi-Heria Shipp said. "But we thought it would be a better game than this. If you look at the scoreboard, what can you be excited about?"

It was a contest that quickly turned into a "Seinfeld" episode — a show about nothing. Salisbury (11-0) scored 13 unanswered points during a five-minute stretch in the first quarter, built a 16-3 lead and never looked back.

"We came out and played as hard as we could," said De'Rya Wylie, who scored a game-high 19 points and joined three teammates on the all-tournament team. "That's all we can try to be."

It was far more than East (9-3) could handle. On its bench there was a whole lot of shakin' going on — head shaking. The Mustangs couldn't hit water with an anchor in the first half, when they missed 23 straight shots — including several open layups — after Katelynne Poole made an opening- minute set shot on their first attempt.

"All I can say is you'll never see us shoot like that again," East coach Karen Garmon said. "It can't get any worse. I don't know if it was jitters or their pressure defense or what. But for whatever reason, the ball wouldn't go in the hole."

Poole, who shot 5-for-12 from the floor and topped East with 12 points, called the loss "heartbreaking," and added: "We're supposed to be the best-shooting team in the county, but we couldn't hit anything. We were out of sync the whole game."

East's night hit a low-water mark when Shipp's 4-footer put the Hornets ahead 30-3 with 2:45 remaining in the first half.

"We were trying to shake it off," said Ashley Collins, the lone Mustang on the all-tournament team. "We went out on the court and tried to pump each other up. But their defense, their pressure — it was tough to bring the ball upcourt. We started turning it over, they capitalized, and that led to our shooting being off."

After shooting 3-for-28 in the first half, East finished at 27 percent (12-for-45). The Mustangs were outrebounded 49-32 and committed 29 turnovers.

In every aspect, this night belonged to Salisbury — and first-year coach Dee Miller had the perfect explanation.

"They listened," she said. "We told them what to do, and they executed. When the girls do what we ask them to do, things go well."

They went extremely well. The Hornets placed four scorers in double figures, played steel-curtain defense and remained humble through it all.

"We're a hard-working team," guard Kwameshia Hicks said after draining four of Salisbury's eight 3-pointers. "We go after what we want. And tonight we trea ed this like any regular game and got the win."

Except that this win gave them their own line in the Moir record book.

"I'm just lucky to have such a good group," Miller said. "As long as they keep doing what they've been taught, good things are gonna happen. As long as they're listening, we're good to go."

East Rowan (27) — Poole 12, Collins 5, Miller 4, Rankin 4, Holshouser 2, Cress, Vanderford, Carroll, S.Stout, Sabo.

Salisbury (76) — Wylie 19, Hicks 15, Shipp 14, B.Phifer 10, K.Phifer 9, Rice 5, As.Holmes 2, Clinding 2, Ay.Holmes..

Consolations:

West Rowan girls 61, South Rowan 56

East Rowan boys 71, South Rowan 66

Davie girls 36, North Rowan 23

West Rowan boys 64, Carson 47

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Other Tournaments

Thursday's High School Games

BOYS BASKETBALL

South Brunswick High School

Trask 74, Topsail 56

Topsail - Peter Gratale 16, Jeff Kath 13, Eric Floyd 7, Thomas Jones 7, D.J. Fuller 5, James Ashley 4, Dion Nixon 3, T.J. Nixon 1.

Trask - Jaquan Johnson 16, Kimani Hill 11, Montez Farrior 10, Edward Lewis 9, Kendell London 6, Louis Sikes 6, Josh Wiggins 4, Emory Dorm 3, Ernest Hansley 2, Rahtrez Farrior 3, Paxton Lee 2, Jarret Costin 2.

North Brunswick 85, Wilmington Christian 73

Wilmington Christian - Nate Tew 18, Sean Geer 19, Kevin Darden 19, Jon Parrish 6, Marcus Woodburn 2, Jon Dettin 9. Totals: FGs (26) FT (10-13); TP (73).

North Brunswick - Shawn Batts 2, Monte Willis 5, Shawn Sanders 32, Demontez Lennon 5, Akeem Merrick 5, Joshua Balloon 13, Reginald Cobia 20, Deandre Robbins 1, Corey Hammonds 2.

South Brunswick 77, Waccamaw Academy 40

South Brunswick - Zack Powell 14, Ryan Waldrep 11.

Western Alamance - Chris Richardson 17.

Pender 67, West Brunswick 60

Pender - Rayford Hankins 15, Cory Branch 14, Mike Sutton 13.

West Brunswick - Marcus Jackson 21, Pat Kamfolt 15.

Friday's games:

Topsail vs West Brunswick, 2 p.m.

Wilmington Christian Academy vs Waccamaw Academy, 3:45 p.m.

Heidi Trask vs Pender, 5:30 p.m.

North Brunswick vs South Brunswick, 7:15 p.m.

Bulldog Holiday Classic, Wallace Rose-Hill

East Bladen 66, Wallace-Rose Hill 59

East Bladen - Emanuel Beatty 15, Brandon Griffin 14, Tevin Drummond 13, Jamar Monroe 8, Jahrae Cromane 7, Brandon Robinson 4, Gary Jones 2, Dajour Smith 3.

Wallace-Rose Hill - Justin Pickett 15, Tayson Devon 11, Devonte Harring 11, Brandon Carr 8, Travis Lanier 7, Britton Davis 4, Malcom Jarman 3.

Wallace Rose-Hill (3-6) today vs. Whiteville 5:30 p.m. in the consolation game.

Christmas Tournament

At East Columbus

East Columbus wins Christmas Tournament.

East Columbus 61, West Columbus 52

West Columbus - K. Bullock 10, Q. Ward 12, C. Smith 10, A. Hayes 9, T. George 2, T. Hope 2, N. Ellis 3, T. Zereen 6.

East Columbus - Michael Campbell 19, Anthony Fields 11, Justin Graham 10, C.J. Ganus 8, Bradley Moore 4, Charles Bowen 4, B.J. Bracey 2, Tryee Brooks 1.

East Columbus (4-6) at South Columbus, Jan. 2, 4 p.m.

South Columbus 70, Johnsonville (SC) 58

Johnsonville - Matt Gaster 13, Dylan Freeman 9, Robert Thompson 3, Eric Norris 2, Larry Brown 12, E.J. Davis 3, Justin Lewis 16.

South Columbus - D.J. Stephens 3, Bryant Edwards 27, Tyril Burgess 2, Mark Allen Wright 2, Joshua Bryant 4, Justin Duncan 8, Derrick Clay 13, Frederick Bryant 11.

Swansboro 52, Wilmington Christian 28

Swansboro - Joy Oswalt 2, Ashley Berting 9, Kasey Kellum 11, Desha Pickett 26, Kelonda Thomas 2, Cait Goodman 2.

Wilmington Christian - Raven Jordan 10, Jordan Speils-Beatty 4, Crystal Whisenant 2, Whitney Murrill 2, Jessica Phillips 10.

Pender 46, North Brunswick 40

North Brunswick - Williams 4, Matthews 13, Fisher 15, Harrison 3, Mitchell 2, McCoy 1, Graham 2.

Pender - Natasha Holmes 14, Muriel Seabrooks 17, Janetta Robinson 6, Sequoya Bland 2, Jaquetta Gresham 6.

For the record: Pender (7-1) plays today 3 p.m. against West Brunswick.

Other Tournament results:

West Brunswick 48, Topsail 39

South Brunswick 67, Trask 47

East Columbus 57, West Columbus 25

West Columbus - Olivia Strickland 6, Jordan Inman 4, Shanice Jones 8, Ronica Thompson 3, Samantha Blackwell 2, Elaine Benjamin 2.

East Columbus - Jasmine Young 7, T.T. Bennett 11, Bri Jacobs 5, Ashley Bracey 4, Tabitha Moore 6, Megan Lennon 4, Cierra Edwards 7, Deondra Jenkins 9, Chakayla McLean 4.

East Columbus finished third in the tournament.

Loris (S.C.) 45, South Columbus 25

Loris - Sheri Wright 10, Kelsey Skinner 6, Ebony Wright 27, Kenya Robinson 2.

South Columbus - Amanda Dowe 10, Tanisha Newman 6, Latisha Riggins 3, Camille Lewis 6.

Bulldog Holiday Shootout at Wallace-Rose Hill

East Bladen 48, Whiteville 24

East Bladen - Powell 4, McKoy 8, Locklear 1, Jazmine Kemp 11, Horne 2, Tatiana Mason 10, McKeever 4, Davis 1, Melvin 7.

Whiteville - Gore 4, Westberg 4, Kemp 4, Jordan 1, Evans 2, Wilson 2, Dayton 7.

East Bladen (9-0) will play Clinton at 7 p.m. today in the tournament championship.

2007 SunCom

Girls' Basketball Holiday Tournament

#1 South View 68 - #8 Cape Fear 18

#4 E.E. Smith 50 - #5 Terry Sanford 25

#2 Westover 94 - #7 Pine Forest 28

#3 Jack Britt 43 - #6 Gray's Creek 19

Thursday - December 27 at Jack Britt High School

#8 Cape Fear 37 - #5 Terry Sanford 30 (Consolation Bracket)

#7 Pine Forest 45 - #6 Gray's Creek 25 (Consolation Bracket)

#1 South View vs #4 E.E. Smith (5:00 pm) (Championship Bracket)

#2 Westover 53 - #3 Jack Britt 33 (Championship Bracket)

Friday - December 28 at South View High School

#6 Gray's Creek 35 - #5 Terry Sanford 31 (7th Place)

#7 Pine Forest 58 - #8 Cape Fear 45 (5th Place)

Saturday - December 29 at the Crown Arena

#3 Jack Britt vs #4 E.E. Smith (3rd Place) (2:00 pm)

#1 South View vs #2 Westover (Championship) (6:00 pm)

2007 SunCom

Boys' Basketball Holiday Tournament

Wednesday - December 26 at South View High School

#1 Terry Sanford 84 - #8 Gray's Creek 45

#5 South View 68 - #4 Cape Fear 40

#7 Pine Forest 58 - #2 Jack Britt 52

#6 Westover 72 - #3 E.E. Smith 57

Thursday - December 27 at South View High School

#4 Cape Fear 68 - #8 Gray's Creek 58 (Consolation Bracket)

#2 Jack Britt 54 - #3 E.E. Smith 40 (Consolation Bracket)

#1 Terry Sanford 50 - #5 South View 41(Championship Bracket)

#7 Pine Forest 68 - #6 Westover 58 (Championship Bracket)

Friday - December 28 at South View High School

#3 E.E. Smith 89 - #8 Gray's Creek 73 (7th Place)

#2 Jack Britt 65 - #4 Cape Fear 40 (5th Place)

Saturday - December 29 at the Crown Arena

#5 South View vs #6 Westover (3rd Place) (4:00 pm)

#1 Terry Sanford vs #7 Pine Forest (Championship) (8:00 pm)