N-C, Hickory girls to meet in championship rematch

Defending champion Newton-Conover High earned a trip to the Catawba Valley Classic title game again on Wednesday night, beating Alexander Central 44-33 in the semifinals.

The Red Devils (9-2), the tournament’s third seed, will go for another title on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Catawba Valley Community College. They’ll face top-seed Hickory (11-1).

Second-seeded Alexander Central (8-3) plays for third place, facing No. 4 South Caldwell (6-4) at 4 p.m. on Thursday at CVCC.

In a sluggish game at times, Newton-Conover trailed only twice in the game’s opening minutes before taking control early.

A tough one-on-one defense by the Red Devils against the Cougars’ half-court offense led to several easy buckets.

After falling behind 11-6, Alexander Central’s Marie Ritchie hit a hook shot to bring the Cougars to within three with three minutes, 28 seconds to play.

But from there, the Red Devils forced six turnovers in nine possessions.  Lanecia Williams, who led Newton-Conover with 10 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter, completed a fast break for a layup and Cayla Miller did the same to push the lead to 17-8 after eight minutes.

Williams also chipped in five rebounds and three steals to get Newton-Conover started.

“Lanecia is capable of being a special player,” said Red Devils head coach Ike Williams of Williams, a sophomore who scored 16 points in a first-round win over Fred T. Foard. “She’s starting to realize that now.

“ I had a conference with her before the game yesterday and she stepped up big and she was even bigger tonight.  I’m looking forward to coaching her for two more years.”

Newton-Conover maintained its lead and was up 25-17 at halftime.

The Red Devils turned up the defensive pressure again in the third quarter, forcing 11 more turnovers – 10 via steals.

Williams opened the quarter with two steals that led to layups, then banked in a shot from short range for a 33-19 lead with 4:46 left in the quarter.

Newton-Conover eventually led by 16 points and was ahead 37-22 heading into the final quarter.

The Red Devils missed their first seven free throws in the final quarter to give Alexander Central a glimmer of hope.

Despite being held to three points, Newton-Conover’s Kadesha Gibbs was a thorn in the side of the Cougars.  She finished with 12 rebounds and seven steals.

Marah Cockrell and Madi Suddreth had seven points each to lead the Cougars.

Alexander Central was held to 8-of-35 from the field, including 1-of-13 on 3-pointers.

HICKORY 71, SOUTH CALDWELL 39

The Red Tornadoes (11-1) earned a rematch with Newton-Conover in the Thursday title game.

It will be the third game between Hickory and the Red Devils this year. They’ve each won on their home floor.

Hickory trailed early, but took the lead for good with 1:14 to play in the first quarter and led 14-11 by the end of the quarter.

The Red Tornadoes then used a 13-2 run late in the first half to dispatch South Caldwell (6-4). 

After Anna Lee Bollinger (14 points) scooped in a shot to put the Spartans behind 22-16, Hickory put its offense into high gear by scoring 11 straight points.

The highlight came with two minutes left in the half when Jamie Bowers converted a backcourt steal into a layup. That was followed by a steal by Eric Troutman, leading to a rebound bucket by Andrea Miller to make it 33-16.

Hickory eventually built a 35-point lead late in the final quarter.

Aja Hoyle led the Red Tornadoes with 15 points and Danashia Witherspoon added 10.

FRED T. FOARD 57, ST. STEPHENS 35

The sixth-seeded Tigers rebounded from a sloppy first half that included eight turnovers and a six-point deficit at the break to defeat the seventh-seeded Indians and advance to the fifth-place game.

Foard (6-6) will face No. 5 Maiden (5-4) at 1 p.m. on Thursday at CVCC.

The Tigers used a 19-0 run stretching over the third quarter and parts of the fourth for a 46-28 lead.

 “I thought the girls really responded to what they were told,” said Fred T. Foard head coach Brad Magnum. “We picked up the defensive intensity and ran a better half-court offense than we did early in the game and Tuesday night.

“I was pleased with the adjustments that were made after the challenges they were faced with.”

Brooke Robinson provided the spark for the Tigers during that stretch run with nine of her game-high 14 points.

St. Stephens (3-10) controlled the first two quarters, taking advantage of the Tigers’ eight first-half turnovers.

Morgan Bibey connected two 3-pointers and added another basket for eight first half points, helping the Indians lead 23-17 at the half.

The same turnover bug that benefited the Indians in the first half bit them in the third quarter. They had seven turnovers in the quarter after having two in the first half.

MAIDEN 56, BUNKER HILL 43

Maiden’s fifth-seeded girls used an outburst in the second quarter to pull away from the eighth-seeded Bears and reach the fifth-place game.

Maiden (5-4) faces No. 6 Fred T. Foard (6-6) on Thursday at 1 p.m. at CVCC.

After a back-and-forth first quarter saw the Blue Devils lead 21-16, Christina Helms took charge in the second quarter for Maiden. She scored eight points in the quarter as the Blue Devils outscored Bunker Hill (0-11) 15-5 for a 26-21 halftime led.

The Bears hung tough in the third quarter, but Taylor Coulter connected on two 3-pointers -- her third and fourth of the game -- to keep the Blue Devils ahead 47-34 heading into the final quarter.

Bunker Hill tried to rally in the fourth behind a two 3-pointers and two free throws from Courtney Adsit, but Maiden’s Sabrien Gaither scored five of her game-high 19 points down the stretch to give the Blue Devils a win.

Coulter finished with 14 points for Maiden, while Helms added 11 points.

Wilbelis Rojas led Bunker Hill with 12 points, Brooke Blevins had 11 and Adsit added 10.

Record Sports Writer Allen Haynes contributed to this article.