Local Sports Digest

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on October 22, 2007 1:48 PM

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From staff reports

BLADENBORO -- Rosewood defeated East Bladen 26-24, 25-14, 27-25 in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A playoffs on Saturday.

Taylor Johnson had 14 kills for the Eagles. Ashely Williams added 11 kills and an ace. Paige Babb handed out eight assists.

Rosewood will host East Carteret on Tuesday in the second round of the 1-A playoffs.

Hawks move on

LaGRANGE -- Kayla Sutton pounded out a team-high seven kills as unbeaten North Lenoir eliminated Franklinton 25-12, 25-12, 25-11 from the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2-A playoffs on Saturday evening at Wooten Gymnasium.

Sutton added four blocks and finished 14 of 14 from the service line. Connor Jordan supplied five kills and Timon Jones emerged the defensive leader with eight digs.

The Hawks scored 20 points with Anna Kennedy on serve.

North Lenoir (22-0 overall) entertains perennial power Hillsborough Orange at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Conquerors' season ends

Katlyn Floars posted a double-double -- 12 kills, 10 digs -- in Faith Christian's season-ending 25-19, 25-23, 25-16 loss against Cornerstone Christian in the N.C. Christian Schools Association Coastal 2-A final.

Floars also supplied six service aces.

Brooke Anderson contributed a double-double, 13 kills and 13 blocks, to go along with five digs. Heather Crumpler recorded eight kills. Alysa Hill chipped in five kills and four digs.

Renee Provencal handed out 32 assists and notched seven digs. Brittany Dail led the defense with 12 digs.

Faith Christian concluded the year 10-6 overall.

Rebels eliminated

SALEMBURG -- North Duplin's Heather Hudson collected a team-high seven kills and seven digs, but Lakewood triumphed 25-15, 25-18, 25-18 in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A volleyball playoffs Saturday evening.

Katlyn Eloshway added two kills and two digs. Katie Swanzey contributed one kill and two digs. Felicia Lynch dished out five assists to go along with one service and four digs.

Angelica Favela passed out two assists.

"We had a good season," said Rebels coach Heather Best. "Losing Sam in the tournament game earlier this week definitely threw a kink in our chain. We had to make adjustments to fill her spot, but I feel we did the best we could. At times, we had three and four freshmen on the court playing a talented and strong Lakewood team.

"We were able to hold our own."

The Rebels ended the year 6-10 overall.

Soccer

Warriors march on

Eastern Wayne advanced to tonight's semifinals of the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference tournament with a 4-1 win over Southern Wayne Saturday night at Little Big Horn.

Werner Wooten, Robbie Keys and Sang Kim each scored for the Warriors. John Choi, Mikey Bero and Jace Muehlenthaler had assists for Eastern Wayne. Benny Segura scored Southern Wayne's lone goal.

The Warriors face Wilson Hunt tonight at 7 at Eastern Wayne.

Kinston downed Wilson Beddingfield 2-0 on Saturday night, and squares off with Charles B. Aycock at 5 in tonight's first semifinal.

Tennis

Area players advance

WILSON -- Players from Eastern Wayne and Charles B. Aycock extended their respective individual seasons to the final week after posting top-four finishes in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A eastern regionals.

Warrior junior Lindsey Frederick ended up third overall during the two-day tournament. Frederick earned straight-set decisions against South Central's Jolisia Smith and Wilson Fike's Meredith Pruden.

Fike's Mallory Short stopped Frederick in the semifinals, but Frederick rebounded to defeat county rival Tara Hirsch (So. Wayne) in straight sets. Hirsch ended the tournament 2-2 after opening-day wins over Elizabeth Campbell and Fike's Connor Allegood.

The Warriors' Mollie Musgrave survived the first round, but fell one win short of qualifying for next week's state finals in Burlington.

In doubles, Charles B. Aycock's tandems of Kristen Bennett-Kristen Prosser and Courtney Barnes-Emilee Quinn each claimed two wins on Friday. However, both duos lost their respective semifinal-round matches Saturday morning.

Bennett-Prosser defeated Barnes-Quinn for third place.

Eastern Wayne's twosome of Lauren Bynum-Casie Musgrave dropped two games in a first-round conquest of Bertie's Courtney Dunlow-Jody Mizzelle. Bynum-Musgrave stumbled against Barnes-Quinn in the quarterfinals.

Patel takes singles crown

SNOW HILL -- Greene Central's Puja Patel emerged the 2007 N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 2-A Mideastern regional singles champion Saturday afternoon at the Snow Hill Tennis Complex.

Patel, an exchange student, remained unbeaten in 20 outings with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Cardinal Gibbons' Nancy Reilly -- the reigning regional title-holder. It was Reilly's first loss in 21 matches.

"Puja played like a true champion in the last two sets of the singles finals," said GC head coach Donald Clark. "I was very proud of Puja's determination and crisp ground strokes in the final two sets after Reilly's excellent first set."

The Rams' tandem of Elizabeth McLawhorn-Lauren Carraway, who are first cousins, defeated Tarboro's top-seeded duo of Jasmine Burroughs-Alison Thompson 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. McLawhorn-Carraway rose to 17-2 overall, while Burroughs-Thompson endured just their second loss in 21 contests.

"Lauren and Elizabeth really jelled this weekend and played the kind of tennis I have been dreaming about them playing all year long," said Clark. "Both girls did an excellent job at the net and on the backline. They executed throughout the weekend and played so well on the big pressure points."

Greene Central's Abby Sugg-Ashley Grant also qualified for next week's state championships after a fourth-place regional finish. Opening-round play begins at 10 a.m. Friday at the Cary Tennis Center.

Gators stay alive

SEVEN SPRINGS -- Spring Creek's doubles team of Mary Elizabeth West-Isabel Messelken fell 6-4, 6-1 to defending state champions Liana Roux-Amy Bahr of N.C. School of Science and Math during Saturday's N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A individual eastern regional finals.

Earlier in the day, West-Messelken defeated Rosewood's Missy Bailey-Erica Nichols 6-1, 6-3.

On Friday at Herman Park, Spring Creek's Jamie Johnson knocked off Mary Safrit of East Carteret in singles competition 6-0, 7-6, 7-4.

Saturday, Johnson, the second seed, lost to Jessie Patterson of Topsail 6-3, 4-6, 3-6. Johnson then rebounded to top Kate Matthews of Williamston 6-4, 6-0 to finish third.

Johnson, West-Messelken all qualified for the state tournament, which begins on Friday at the Cary Tennis Center.

Spring Creek continues NCHSAA 1-A dual-team play at home Tuesday afternoon against NCSSM.

Warren takes crown

CARY -- Emily Warren, a sophomore at Spring Creek, claimed the girls' 15-16 singles title during the Kildaire Farms MacGregor Downs Junior Open contested this weekend.

Warren defeated Raleigh's Chelsea Fuller 6-1, 6-0 in the championship for her sixth USTA crown. Warren is currently ranked No. 21 among all North Carolina sophomores, according to the College Tennis Recruiting Network.

Warren is ranked No. 2 overall in North Carolina.

Cross country

Wayne Christian rules

SMITHFIELD -- Logan Dawson and Josh Magnus each received runner-of-the-year accolades after posting individual wins in the season-ending Carolina Christian 1-A Conference meet.

Dawson ran the 3.1-mile trek in 26 minutes, 1 second as the Eagles claimed the top seven spots. Joining Dawson on the All-Carolina Christian team were teammates Jennifer Price, Christina Foster, Charity Wright, Kayla Kennedy, Katie Alston and Tiffany Price.

On the boys' side, Magnus turned in a spectacular time of 17:49. Teammates Justin Brathwaite and Noah Kearney finished third and fifth, respectively. Jay Kornegay ended up seventh, while Conner Jones placed ninth.

Magnus, Brathwaite, Kearney and Kornegay earned All-CCC recognition.

The Eagles return to action Friday in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state meet at McAlpine Park in Charlotte.

Girls

Wayne Christian placers

1. Logan Dawson 26:01

2. Jennifer Price 27:30

3. Christina Foster 28:42

4. Charity Wright 29:15

5. Kayla Kennedy 29:16

6. Katie Alston 31:58

7. Tiffany Price 31:58

Boys

Wayne Christian placers

1. Josh Magnus 17:49

3. Justin Brathwaite 20:06

5. Noah Kearney 21:41

7. Jay Kornegay 22:19

9. Conner Jones 24:10

10. Mark Sawyer 24:52

11. Will Massey 25:02

12. Matthew Laramee 27:46

14. Nick Sullivan 28:49