Through the Uprights

Kerrion Moore (photo by John Clark/The Gazette)

Check back here near game time for updates at the END OF EACH QUARTER.

For MORE FREQUENT updates, follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/gazettephil (Hint: You don’t have to sign up for an account.)

Pregame reading:
Injured Huss starter could return

Hunter Huss braced for athletic state championship opponent

Huss coach has a chance to go out on top

Huss opted against a pep rally this week. The Huskies are all business.

Huss: “We’ve got to win”

News14.com’s streaming video

WGNC’s streaming audio

Projected starters:

Hunter Huss
5 Dre McDowell, G, 5-10, Jr. — Started in place of injured Jontavian Hall in regional final, scoring six
11 Kerrion Moore, G, 5-10, Fr. —14.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.4 spg
20 Jihad Wright, G/F, 6-4, Sr. — 12.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.5 spg
25 T.J. Wilson, F, 6-4, Sr. — 11.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.4 spg, 2.3 apg
50 Jarvis Anderson, F/G, 6-7, Sr. — 9.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg

South Central
22 Donta Harper, F, 6-6, Sr. — 16.8 points per game. All-regional team. Signed with Gardner-Webb. Three-year starter. MVP of Colony Tire Holiday Tournament.
3 Anthony Hilliard, G, 5-10, Sr. — 14.4 points, 4.2 assists per game. Eastern Regional MVP (19 points, 7-for-10 shooting in regional championship)
32 Cameron Garrison, F, 6-2, Sr. — 10.6 rebounds per game.
33 Fred Corey, C, 6-6, Sr. — 7 rebounds per game
11 Anthony Hall, G, 5-9, Jr.

7:33 p.m. update — Pregame clock shows 2:30 until player introductions and national anthem.

7:45 p.m. update — We’ve completed the national anthem and player introductions. Tipoff soon.

FIRST-QUARTER UPDATE
Hunter Huss leads 11-10 in a game where neither team has been able to get in an offensive flow. T.J. Wilson has seven points for Huss, including a two-handed dunk in traffic. Kerrion Moore has a jumper and Jihad Wright had a dunk — also in traffic — for the Huskies.

Anthony Hillard and Donta Harper — South Central’s top players — have five points each.

HALFTIME UPDATE
South Central has pulled ahead 31-30 after a 7-1 run to close the half.

T.J. Wilson has eight points to lead Huss. Jihad Wright has seven, Kerrion Moore, six, Jordy Anderson four, Jarvis Anderson three and Jalen Kennedy two.

South Central’s Donta Harper leads all scorers with 14 points, including a 3, four two-pointers and 3-for-3 free-throw shooting. Anthony Hilliard has nine points, Anthony Hall four, Cameron Garrison two and Fred Corey two for the Falcons.

South Central playing an active zone defense that has limited the Huskies, who aren’t a very good shooting team. I hope to have shooting percentages and other pertinent stats when they bring me a box score.

(Never got that box score by the way.)

THIRD-QUARTER UPDATE
South Central leads 54-52 as Harper and Hilliard continue to carry the Falcons. Harper has 20 points and Hilliard added 10 more that quarter (including 2 treys) for 19 points.

Kerrion Moore took over in the third for Huss, scoring 12 points, including a 3. He’s up to 18.

The pace really picked up in the third and it’s been a pretty entertaining game.

FINAL UPDATE
Wow. What a wild finish. Hunter Huss won 63-62 after trailing by four with just over two minutes remaining.

Kerrion Moore hit a 3 with 2:05 remaining to draw Hunter Huss within one at 62-61. After a pair of South Central turnovers, Moore hit the front end of a one-and-one to tie it. After he missed the second free throw, Jihad Wright snagged the offensive rebound and Huss ran some clock. Wright was fouled with 3.4 seconds remaining and hit the front end of the one-and-one. South Central rebounded the missed second shot with 3.4 seconds remaining and had one last chance but, after a timeout, stepped out of bounds with 1.3 seconds remaining. Jarvis Anderson inbounded to Kerrion Moore, who after the buzzer somersaulted down the floor.

Moore finished with 24 points.

Check out the recap in a little while at gastongazette.com.

Jihad Wright's dunk provided a spark in Hunter Huss' regional semifinal win against West Rowan on Thursday. (Photo by John Clark/The Gazette)

Check here for updates at the end of each quarter.
For more frequent updates, visit www.twitter.com/gazettephil (Hint: you don’t have to sign up for an account.)

Pregame reading:
Hunter Huss faces familiar foe; Hall out

Hickory Daily Record: Hickory boys clip Spiders

Live audio from the Hickory folks: http://www.whky.com/streaming.asp

FIRST QUARTER UPDATE
Hunter Huss leads 20-15 and has looked like the better team most of the time. Jihad Wright has nine points to lead the Huskies. Jarvis Anderson has five and Kerrion Moore four. Huskies 1-for-4 from free throw line, though.

Denzel Dillingham has four points to lead Hickory.

HALFTIME UPDATE
Hunter Huss has taken full control and leads 36-22.

The Huskies are playing their game. They forced six turnovers that period and got out in transition for some easy layups.

Jihad Wright has 13 points to lead all scorers. He’s made all six of his attempts, and two of them are dunks. Kerrion Moore has six points, Jarvis Anderson five, Dre McDowell four, T.J. Wilson three, Jordy Anderson three and Jalen Kennedy two for Huss.

For Hickory, Denzel Dillingham has seven points and Tyler Poole four. Those two combined for 48 points in Thursday’s semifinals.

Three Hickory starters have two fouls each: Shuford, Byrd and Dillingham.

Two Huss players (one starter) have two fouls: Jarvis Anderson (starter) and Princeton Floyd.

Rebounds are even at 21. Turnovers: Hickory 10, Huss 6.

THIRD QUARTER UPDATE
Hunter Huss holds on to a 55-44 lead through three quarters. Hickory cut it to five at one point before Hunter Huss calmed down and started playing its game again.

Wright had seven more points that quarter for 18 total. Wilson and Jarvis Anderson up to 10 points each.

Dillingham willed Hickory back into the game, scoring eight points that quarter.

FINAL UPDATE
Hunter Huss cruised in the fourth quarter to win 77-62, advancing to its third state title game. The Huskies will face Winterville South Central 7:30 p.m. next Saturday at N.C. State’s Reynolds Coliseum.

Tournament MVP Jihad Wright had 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Kerrion Moore had 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. T.J. Wilson added 13 points, 13 rebounds and two assists. Jarvis Anderson had 12 points and three assists.

The early recap is loaded on gastongazette.com. Check back for updates with quotes.

Hunter Huss senior T.J. Wilson

Check here for updates at the end of each quarter. For more frequent updates, visit www.twitter.com/gazettephil (Hint: you don’t have to sign up for an account.)

Pregame reading:
Hunter Huss’ leading scorer playing beyond his years

Video: Hunter Huss motivated by 2010 regional

Regional notebook: Huskies on a mission, West Rowan loaded with football players from state championship team

Regional schedule and results

Salisbury Post preview: Huss likened to Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers

Live audio from the Salisbury crew:
http://www.1490wstp.com/

FIRST QUARTER UPDATE
Hunter Huss leads 20-14 at the end of the first. The Huskies have never trailed and led by as many as seven.

Huskies’ T.J. Wilson leads all scorers with eight points. Huss senior Jontavian Hall left the gym late in the first with a right leg, ankle or foot injury but returned to the bench moments later.

Keshun Sherrill leads West Rowan with six points.

HALFTIME UPDATE
Hunter Huss leads 33-25 and has been in control most of the game. T.J. Wilson has 10 points and Jarvis Anderson nine to lead the Huskies. Dre McDowell has six.

Jontavian Hall still hasn’t returned to the game after injuring himself late in the first quarter.

Keshun Sherrill leads West Rowan with 10 points. B.J. Sherrill, the state championship quarterback, has five points.

There was one moment when Huss held the ball and everybody stood motionless. West Rowan was content with the stall game for about 30 seconds then went into a man defense.

Jihad Wright and T.J. Wilson both have two fouls for Huss. Maurice Warren is the only West Rowan starter in foul trouble. He has two.

THIRD QUARTER UPDATE
Hunter Huss has stretched its lead to 53-38 at the end of the third. Jihad Wright scored 10 points in that quarter and has 11 for the game for Huss. T.J. Wilson added four to his total for 14.

Bray rested his starters quite a bit in the last few minutes and the game got sloppy but didn’t relinquish control. Moore, Wright and Wilson all had three fouls. Reserve guard Dre McDowell has four fouls and apparently is helping to pick up the slack for Hall, who still hasn’t returned. McDowell has done a nice job, scoring eight points.

Keshun Sherrill has 13 points for West Rowan.

FINAL UPDATE
Hunter Huss held on 73-63 after a sloppy final eight minutes. West Rowan went into foul mode but the Huskies made their free throws.

Jihad Wright wound up with 18 points and T.J. Wilson finished with 14 to lead Hunter Huss.

Keshun Sherrill had 26 points for West Rowan.

Hunter Huss tied a school record for wins at 27 and advances to Saturday’s regional championship at UNC Greensboro’s Special Events Center. The Huskies (27-2) will face Concord or Hickory.

Check the recap later tonight on gastongazette.com.

Terry Whisnant leads Cherryville into Tuesday's 1A Western Regional semifinal.

For more frequent updates, follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/gazettephil. (Hint: You don’t have to sign up for an account to see the updates. Just click the link.)

Tip off is at 8:30, following the Murphy (21-5) vs. North Rowan (24-5) game. The winners of these two games will face each other at noon on Saturday.

Pregame reading:
With star power on both sides, Cherryville coach says role players will be vital

Cherryville senior guard Terry Whisnant is climbing the state scoring list. See where he ranks.

Cherryville draws a familiar foe

Full regional pairings

North Rowan is about to close out the first 1A Western Regional semifinal, leading Murphy 75-52 late in the fourth.

Final: North Rowan 76, Murphy 55. North Rowan (25-5) will face the winner between Cherryville and Winston-Salem Prep Saturday at noon at UNC Greensboro.

This last game ended at 8:18 p.m. and they put 20 minutes on the clock. Allow a few extra minutes for player introductions.

Player introductions going on now. Game to tip off at about 8:40 p.m.

First quarter update
Cherryville and Winston-Salem Prep tied at 19. Michael Caswell hit three 3s early for Cherryville, which could open a swarming defense. Whisnant has eight points for the Ironmen. Six points for each of Winston-Salem Prep’s big two, Greg McClinton and Jerran Foster.

Halftime update
Winston-Salem Prep 40, Cherryville 35

Whisnant has 15 points to lead Cherryville but has had to work hard for those points against a stifling defense. Bess has eight points but is only 2-for-5 from the line. Caswell has nine on those first-quarter 3s.

For Winston-Salem Prep, point guard Foster is having a great game with 15 points and a bunch of assists. McClinton has eight points and D.J. Bishop six.

Cherryville is getting out-rebounded 22-14.

Nobody is in real foul trouble. The closest thing to foul trouble is Prep’s McClinton with two fouls.

Pretty entertaining up-and-down game so far. In the early going, I got the feeling it might be one of those 106-102 games like at Lincolnton, but Prep’s defense is pretty tough.

Third quarter update
Winston-Salem Prep 55, Cherryville 46
Whisnant attempted only one shot over the first 5 1/2 minutes of this quarter as the traps are really getting to him. He finished with one point that quarter for 16 total. If Cherryville gets back in this game, Whisnant will have to start asserting himself a lot more.

Bess and Tuft had two baskets each to lead Cherryville in the third.

This W-S Prep point guard Foster is really good. Great ballhandling plus some another six points this quarter (21 for the game).

Final update
Final: Winston-Salem Prep 89, Cherryville 67
Jerran Foster was sensational at point guard for Winston-Salem Prep. Terry Whisnant, on the other hand, had the worst game I’ve seen out of him this season. The result was a lopsided win for Winston-Salem Prep, which should have little problem with North Rowan in Saturday’s regional final.

Whisnant still led Cherryville in scoring, finishing with 26 points. Bess had 17.

McClinton and Bishop had 14 points each for Winston-Salem Prep.

Check the recap later tonight at gastongazette.com.

Thank goodness there weren’t many basketball games scheduled for this past Tuesday because this week’s snowstorm has provided enough of a scheduling headache as it is.

As of Friday night, many teams still hadn’t established make-up dates for games called off Friday and for games that will need to be moved from next week’s schedule because of exams.

Look at the confusion:
*One team thought they were going to play this Wednesday’s game earlier in the afternoon because of exams the next day. But the opponent scheduled a separate make-up game for that same day.
*One athletic director gave me a make-up date, but the opponent’s AD said he didn’t agree to that date.

Bottom line: We’re running out of ideal days to squeeze in these games, so not everybody is going to be happy with their revised schedules.

Here’s what we know so far:
GAMES MISSED FRIDAY, JAN. 14:
Crest at Kings Mountain — Moved to Wednesday, Jan. 19, 4:15 p.m.
North Gaston at South Point — Moved to Monday, Jan. 24

GAMES ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, JAN. 18
Bessemer City at West Lincoln — Moved to Saturday, Jan. 22

GAMES ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, JAN. 19
Hunter Huss at Ashbrook — Moved to Wednesday, Jan. 26

SATURDAY, JAN. 15 BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Kings Mountain at East Rutherford
Bob Jones at Cramerton Christian
Northside Christian at Gaston Day
West Lincoln at East Lincoln, 2 p.m.
Lincolnton at Challenger, 2 p.m.

For those wondering, Hunter Huss DID NOT break any state rules by playing four games last week in the Arby’s Classic in Bristol, Tenn.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association normally allows basketball teams to play no more than three games per week. But to provide scheduling flexibility, the state a few years ago passed a provision that allows teams to play four games during two weeks of the regular season.

Teams are still limited to 23 games during the regular season.

Many teams hold off on four-game weeks until late in the season, when they might have to squeeze in games missed due to inclement weather.

The rule is listed on the NCHSAA website and Rick Strunk confirmed on Monday that Hunter Huss is in the clear.

Lincolnton (14-0) plays host to Winston-Salem Carver (12-2) tonight in the 2A West final.

Check back at 7:30 as I bring you the drive-by-drive action.

The winner advances to the state championship next Saturday at 3 p.m. at Wake Forest. Here’s the full state championship schedule:

Kenan Stadium, UNC-Chapel Hill
1AA – 7:30 p.m. Friday
1A – Noon Saturday

BB&T Stadium, Wake Forest University
4A – 11:00 a.m. Saturday
2A – 3:00 p.m. Saturday
2AA – 7:00 p.m. Saturday

Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State University
4AA – 11:00 a.m. Saturday
3A – 3:00 p.m. Saturday
3AA – 7:00 p.m. Saturday

Lincolnton is 4-1 in regional finals, including 4-0 at home.

Previous appearances:
1993
Maiden* W 42-18
1994
Thomasville* W 45-32
2001
at Cummings L 14-17
2005
Brevard* W 29-26
2007
East Lincoln* W 21-13
*Home

FIRST QUARTER
Lincolnton will receive the opening kickoff. Cunningham’s return goes six yards to the 20.

Lincolnton gambling early. Fourth and 1 at its 35 and Littlejohn carries defenders with him for an 11-yard gain.

Winner plays East Bladen or defending 2A state champ Tarboro. Tarboro already leads that one 6-0 in the first 1:06.

Lincolnton failed to pick up another first down and punted it away. Carver quickly worked down field thanks in large part to a 44-yard run by Channon Crawford. Three plays later, he hauled in an 18-yard TD pass from Madison Mills.

Carver 7, Lincolnton 0, 5:49 first quarter.

One first down for Lincolnton but another punt. The Wolves’ offense having a hard time getting in gear.

The Wolves defense, though, forced a three and out.

Lincolnton has reached midfield and we’ve reached the end of the first quarter.

End first quarter: Carver 7, Lincolnton 0

SECOND QUARTER
Lincolnton had to punt but downed the ball at the Carver 3. That’s where the Yellow Jackets at the 10:20 mark of the second.

Quick three and out. Carver about to punt from deep in its own end zone after a Carver timeout.

A short punt (and no catch) starts this Lincolnton drive at the Carver 39, 9:12 second quarter.

Wilson made a nice scramble to buy time for Brad Wilson to get wide open for a 29-yard scoring pass play. Lincolnton ties it up with Kevin Miller’s PAT.

Lincolnton 7, Carver 7, 7:07 second quarter.

Lincolnton looked to be making a strong defensive stand, bring down Mills for an 8-yard loss on second down. But Mills connected with his big-play receiver, Rice, for a 71-yard TD pass and Carver jumps back ahead.

Carver 14, Lincolnton 7, 5:43 second quarter.

Lincolnton driving again. Down to the 3-yard line, second and goal, 1:54 until halftime.

Carver nice defensive stand here. Wolves face fourth and goal from the 1 1/2-yard line, 32 seconds until halftime.

Lincolnton stuck it in on fourth down with a run up the middle by Brandon Wilson. (Lincolnton actually scored on the previous play on a sweep by Cunningham but a deadball offside penalty against Carver nullified it.) The pass on the conversion was no good, though and Carver stays in the lead.

Carver 14, Lincolnton 13, 0:25 second quarter.

Carver settled for a knee after that and we’ve reached halftime.

Half: Carver 14, Lincolnton 13

Halftime stats:
Carver: 63 rushing, 91 passing, 154 total yards offense
Lincolnton: 72 rushing, 77 passing, 149 total yards offense

Carver individuals:
Channon Crawford 5 carries, 60 yards + 1 catch for 18 yards and a TD.
Denzel Rice, 1 catch, 71 yards, 1 TD
Madison Mills 3-5-0, 91 yards

Lincolnton individuals:
Brandon Wilson 17 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD; 4-6-0, 77 yards passing, 1 TD
Dee Littlejohn 8 carries, 29 yards
Brad Wilson 2 catches, 39 yards, 1 TD

THIRD QUARTER
Back-to-back 11-yard gains to start the first drive of the second half for Carver but Lincolnton clamped down at midfield. After the punt, Lincolnton takes over at its own 23, 9:22 third.

On third and 10 from the Lincolnton 23, Wilson was picked off by Brandon Holmes, who returned it 16 yards for a TD. Carver getting a lot of defensive pressure up front.

Carver 21, Lincolnton 13, 8:25 third.

Two penalties of a total of 20 yards forced Carver to kick off from its own 20. Cunningham returned it 38 yards to the Carrver 28 but Carver intercepted Wilson for the second straight drive. This time it was Rice. Carver regains possession deep in its own territory, leading 21-13, 7:22 third.

Carver picked up one first down before punting away. Cunningham’s 6-yard return gives Lincolnton possession at its own 43 with 4:09 in the third.

Lincolnton is driving but faces fourth and 1 from the Carver 23 as the third quarter clock expires.

End third: Carver 21, Lincolnton 13

FOURTH QUARTER
Cunningham picked up 9 on fourth and 1. First down Lincolnton at the Carver 14.

Lincolnton punched it in with a 3-yard TD run by Brandon Wilson. Wolves trail 21-19, extra point to come after a timeout.

Cunningham took a sweep right and found the end zone for two points, but a holding call nullified the play. Lincolnton settled for the extra point.

Carver 21, Lincolnton 20, 10:45 fourth.

Carver driving deep in Lincolnton territory.

Carver responds to Lincolnton’s scoring drive with an 11-play, 58-yard scoring drive. B.J. Lowery ran it in from 13 yards out but a personal foul backed up the extra point and Lincolnton blocked it.

Carver 27, Lincolnton 20, 7:30 fourth.

27-yard pass from Wilson to Cunningham puts Lincolnton in Carver territory. Carver leads 27-20, 6:36 fourth quarter.

Four first downs on four straight plays for Lincolnton. On the Carver 7 with just over 6 minutes to play.

Lincolnton scores on a 3-yard by Littlejohn. Extra point pending.

Kevin Miller’s extra point is good.

Lincolnton 27, Carver 27, 5:31 fourth.

Carver has quickly reached the Lincolnton 30 with four minutes to play.

Carver convertred a fourth and six and later scored on a 7-yard run by Crawford. Extra point was good and Lincolnton has 2:54 to answer.

Carver 34, Lincolnton 27, 2:54 fourth.

Lincolnton fumbled on first down on a pitch from Wilson to Littlejohn. That might do it.

And if the fumble didn’t put it away, this did: a 27-yard TD run by Crawford on the next play.

Carver 41, Lincolnton 27, 2:34 fourth.

Tarboro won the other 2A regional final, 33-7 over East Bladen. Carver will advance to face Tarboro.

Carver picked off Wilson for the third time. That’s four Lincolnton turnovers compared to none for Carver.

Final: Carver 41, Lincolnton 27

Thanks for following the blog. Check out the recap later tonight at gastongazette.com and varsitync.com.

Lincolnton (13-0) continues its run in the 2A state playoffs with a home game tonight against Polk County (12-1). Tonight’s winner will face Winston-Salem Carver or Burlington Cummings next week for the 2A regional championship.

Check back at 7:30 p.m. as I bring you the drive-by-drive action.

FIRST QUARTER
Lincolnton will receive the opening kickoff.

Interesting stat passed along by the WLON radio crew: Polk County hasn’t surrendered 30 or more points since 2007. Somehow I doubt they can hold Lincolnton below that threshold.

Nope.

Three plays and a Lincolnton touchdown. Wilson 11 yards on first play, Cunningham 62 on second play, then Littlejohn up the middle for a 1-yard TD.

Lincolnton 7, Polk County 0, 10:57 first quarter.

Lincolnton coach Scott Cloninger said Polk runs “about 48 different formations” and we’ve seen about five on their first drive. 10 plays so far and they’ve reached the Lincolnton 21.

An impressive 14-play, 80-yard drive for Polk County ties the score at 7. Cody Orick took it in from 3 yards out. He had 31 yards on five carries on that drive. QB Overholt 3 carries, 15 yards, plus 2-for-4 passing for 25 yards.

Lincolnton 7, Polk County 7, 4:07 first.

Lincolnton has quickly reached the Polk County 5 in just seven plays. Brandon Wilson fumbled on the last play but recovered it. Polk County thought they had the loose ball and PC coach Bruce Ollis called timeout to protest the call. Did no good. Lincolnton retains possession, 1:18 in the first.

Third and goal from the Polk 4 and Lincolnton calls timeout. Play clock was reaching 0 and Cloninger called timeout from sideline.

Wilson dropped back to pass but quickly tucked and ran for a 4-yard TD. 9 plays, 71 yards on that drive.

Lincolnton 14, Polk County 7, 0:37 first quarter.

So far, two Lincolnton drives, two TDs, 145 yards. Let’s see what Polk does on its second drive.

Overholt ran for 21 yards on Polk’s first play and that takes us to the end of the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER
The game’s first turnover went Lincolnton’s way. Orick fumbled after an 8-yard gain to the Lincolnton 21 and the Wolves recovered, 9:48 second quarter.

Wilson ripped off a 70-yard gain on the first play of the next drive. Lincolnton ball at the Polk 9.

Holding two plays later wiped out a Cunningham TD and Wilson went down for a 4-yard loss on the next play. Kevin Miller attempted a 35-yard field goal but slipped as he was heading toward the ball. The kick was well short. Polk will set up at its own 20, 7:16 second quarter.

First three and out of the game but Lincolnton nearly forced another turnover on third down when Perkins tipped a pass to teammate Brad Wilson, who couldn’t pull it down. A short (24-yard) punt give Lincolnton possession in Polk County territory at the 43, 6:42 second quarter.

Wilson was hit hard as he threw on third and 13 but he connected with Brad Wilson for a 46-yard TD. Lincolnton now taking firm control of this game.

Lincolnton 21, Polk County 7, 5:45 second.

Second-straight three and out for Polk County. The much-hyped Overholt is 2-for-7 for 25 yards and has rushed for 43 yards on six carries. Lincolnton gets the ball back with 4:13 on the first-half clock.

Wilson: 11 carries, 138 yards. Wolves nearing midfield with two minutes to play.

Polk County has made its first real stop of the game (the only other “stop” was a missed field goal). Lincolnton faces fourth and 7 from its own 39 with 19 seconds until halftime. The Wolves wound the play clock all the way down, then called timeout.

Polk County fumbled the punt and Lincolnton recovered at the Polk 8. With only six seconds on the clock, the Wolves attempted a 25-yard field goal but a bad snap ruined the scoring chance.

Half: Lincolnton 21, Polk County 7

HALFTIME STATS
Polk County: 96 yards rushing, 25 yards passing, 121 total yards offense
Lincolnton: 211 yards rushing, 65 yards passing, 276 total yards offense
Turnovers: Polk County two fumbles, Lincolnton none

Individual Leaders:
Polk: Overholt 7 carries, 42 yards; 2-for-8 passing, 25 yards
Orick 7 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD

Lincolnton: Wilson 11 carries, 138 yards, 2 TDs; 4-for-5 passing, 65 yards
Cunningham 3 carries, 68 yards

THIRD QUARTER
Nice drive initially for Polk County to start the second half but Lincolnton came up with a big stop on third and 10. Polk County faces fourth and nine after a timeout.

Khalid Pool sacked Overholt on fourth down for a 13-yard loss. Lincolnton takes over at its own 44 at the 6:22 mark of the third. Another score here would put the game away.

Polk County held Lincolnton to six yards on that possession. The Wolves went for it on fourth and five from the Lincolnton 49 and picked up just one yard by Littlejohn. PC takes over at the 50, 4:48 third quarter.

A shootout has turned into a defensive struggle. Minus 2 yards for Polk on that drive. The punt starts Lincolnton at its own 18, 3:12 third.

The Wolves drove to the Polk 25 but the drive ended with an interception.

End third: Lincolnton 21, Polk County 7

FOURTH QUARTER
Polk’s do-it-all player Overton is limping badly. His left ankle is wrapped heavily and he’s not running any keepers.

If Lincolnton holds on, it will face Carver or Cummings next week in Lincolnton. Last we hard, Carver was leading 33-14 early in the third.

Lincolnton will have to dig in to hold on. A hobbling Overhold just led Polk County on a scoring drive after a Lincolnton fumble. Overholt hooked up with Ryan Thomas for a 10-yard TD pass.

Lincolnton 21, Polk County 14, 6:57 fourth.

Wilson carrying Lincolnton on a productive drive. The Wolves have crossed midfield despite a 15-yard sideline infraction. Wilson has 229 yards on 19 carries.

Quiet night for Littlejohn — until a 30-yard TD run. He can thank Wilson for being wide open. Wilson has commanded the defense’s attention and opened up the fullback.

Lincolnton 28, Polk County 14, 3:10 fourth.

Tyler Ridings returned the kickoff 85 yards to the Lincolnton 10 and Lincolnton was called for a facemask penalty, moving the ball to the 5. After another Lincolnton penalty on first down, Overholt dropped back to pass but Jonathan Sherrill picked him off in the end zone. Touchback and this game is all but over with 2:55 remaining.

Wilson made sure Polk County would not make this any more interesting, ripping off a 61-yard run on the first play of the next drive to put this one away.

Final: Lincolnton 28, Polk County 14

Lincolnton plays host to Mountain Heritage in the second round of the 2A state playoffs tonight at 7:30.

Tonight’s game is a rematch of Mountain Heritage’s 27-21 win last year in the third round of the playoffs.

Check back at 7:30 as I bring you the drive-by-drive action.

FIRST QUARTER
Lincolnton will receive the opening kickoff.

After a short kick (apparently MH does this on every kickoff), Lincolnton starts at its own 41.

Lincolnton reached as far as the MH 40 before backing up on a penalty and punting.

Two first downs for Mountain Heritage, then a deep shot downfield that was caught out of bounds. After the punt, Lincolnton takes over at its own 13, 5:37 first quarter.

Three and out for Lincolnton after a 5-yard penalty on first down.

Mountain Heritage has reached Lincolnton territory and we’ve reached the end of the first quarter.

End of first quarter: Lincolnton 0, Mountain Heritage 0

SECOND QUARTER
After converting on fourth and 3 earlier in the drive, MH stalls and punts it away on fourth and 11. Great punt pinned Lincolnton on the six.

Lincolnton put together an 11-play, 94-yard drive that took 4 minutes, 7 seconds. Dee Littlejohn ripped off runs of 17 and 25 early in the drive and capped it with a 2-yard TD run.

Lincolnton 7, Mountain Heritage 0, 6:34 second quarter.

Quick three and out for MH. Short punt (19 yards) gives Linc possession at the MH 38, 5:23 until halftime.

Lincolnton took advantage of the short field and quickly added its second TD after a 5-play, 38-yard drive. QB Brandon Wilson finished it off with a 1-yard keeper up the middle.

Lincolnton 14, Mountain Heritage 0, 4:01 second quarter.

*************
Sorry for the technical issues, everybody. I got booted off the internet.
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After going up 14-0, Lincolnton forced another three and out and got on the board again very quickly, going 45 yards in three plays. Wilson found the end zone on a 19-yard run for a 21-0 lead with 1:42 until halftime.

Jalen Littlejohn picked off Mountain Heritage just before the half.

Halftime: Lincolnton 21, Mountain Heritage 0

THIRD QUARTER
Mountain Heritage is on the board for the first time. Drew Letterman caught a pass at from Tyson Tomberlin around the 40 and pulled away from the one defender near him to complete a 63-yard TD play.

Lincolnton 21, Mountain Heritage 7, 8:56 third.

Mountain Heritage was pretty fired up after the TD but Lincolnton drove right down the field to make it another 21-point advantage. Wilson had a 46-yard run on the drive and Littlejohn finished it off with an 8-yard TD run, 6:35 third.

Quick strick for MH and Letterman does it again. This time, a 90-yard pass play.

Lincolnton 28, Mountain Heritage 14, 6:16 third.

Another quick score. Three plays, 53 yards for Lincolnton. Wilson 26-yard TD run. Wilson now has 15 carries, 152 yards, 3 TDs.

Lincolnton 35, Mountain Heritage 14, 5:23 third.

Lincolnton made its first stop of the second half and quickly marched down the field for another score. This one is getting ugly. Wilson hooked up with Brad Wilson for a 14-yard TD pass.

Lincolnton 42, Mountain Heritage 14, 2:23 third.

Wilson scores again – this time on defense. 45-yard interception return. We’re still in the third (1:05 on the clock), and Lincolnton leads 49-14.

FOURTH QUARTER
I believe Lincolnton has its second teamers in. MH scores on a six-play drive. Austin Rice takes it in from 10 yards out.

Lincolnton 49, Mountain Heritage 20, 10:18 fourth.

Sorry for keeping everybody hanging. I got the blue screen of death in the fourth quarter and didn’t get back before interview time.

Lincolnton won 49-20. Here’s the story:
http://www.varsitync.com/articles/lincolnton-4041-loss-mountain.html

It’s playoff time, but it’s as if we’re still in the conference portion of the schedule because Ashbrook visits Crest and Forestview travels to South Point. I’ll be at the latter, a rematch of South Point’s 42-15 regular-season victory.

Check back at 7:30 as I bring you the drive-by-drive action.

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FIRST QUARTER
South Point won the toss and deferred to the second half. Forestview will receive the opening kickoff.

South Point side is packed except for the right-most section. Forestview crowd is sparse.

Negative yardage on Forestview’s first two plays (Calvin Johnson fumbled snap on first play).

Short punt on fourth and 15 from the 21. Looked like a South Point played reached out and touched the bouncing ball and Forestview chased after the loose ball, but the officials called illegal touching on Forestview. South Point starts at its first drive at the Forestview 43, 9:44 first quarter.

South Point went for it on fourth and 2 from the Forestview 10 and came up a yard short. Forestview takes over at its own 9 with 4:25 left in the first quarter. Still scoreless.

Forestview is moving the chains with a variety of running plays. First down at the F 33.

End of first quarter and Forestview has reached the SP 40.

SECOND QUARTER
Forestview went for it on fourth and three from the SP 35 but Ramon Costner stopped Tyerecas Jeter on a toss sweep, dropping him for a 2-yard loss. SP begins its second possession at its own 38, 10:14 second quarter.

South Point reached midfield before Forestview’s defense came alive, forcing a negative gain, a 0-yard run and an incomplete pass. Dominique Adams’s 7-yard punt return gives Forestview the ball at its own 29, 6:24 til halftime.

By the way, South Point FB Troy Leeper, out the past two games with a nerve issue, made his first appearance of the night on the last drive.

Gutsy call – Forestview went for it on fourth and inches from its own 38 with about four minutes until halftime. Calvin Johnson ran a QB keeper and easily got the required yardage.

Nothing doing for Forestview after that. After a punt, SP takes over at its own 38 with 1:40 until halftime.

South Point quickly reached the F 44 on pass from Horne to McKinney, but Horne was hurt on the next play and carried off the field. Looked like an ankle injury. Mitchell Painter will be the QB.

South Point assistant coach Phil Tate was apparently knocked down on the last play. After a brief delay, several people helped him up. Looks like he’s fine.

South Point punted, Forestview stayed away from the punt and with 13.2 seconds left, Forestview takes a knee on first down.

Halftime: South Point 0, Forestview 0

Halftime stats:
Total yards of offense – South Point 65, Forestview 57
First downs: 4 for each team
Leaders:
Tyler Bray, SP, 8 carries, 20 yards
Octavious Wallace, Forestview, 11 carries, 51 yards

THIRD QUARTER
Horne is back in the game for South Point and Troy Leeper just carried for the first time since Oct. 15.

Leeper ripped off runs of 7 and 18 yards to start the drive but South Point stalled after that. A punt gives Forestview possession at the Jags 26.

Forestview coach Chris Medlin again gambled on fourth down. This time, on fourth and a long 1 from the Forestview 46, the Jags drew South Point offside. First down Jags in SP territory, 5:30 third quarter.

Another fourth down play and Johnson barely converts on fourth and inches. First down Forestview at SP 39, 4 minutes in third.

Forestview went to the air twice on the last three plays but both were incomplete. A punt puts South Point at the 10 with 2:40 left in the third quarter.

Troy Leeper carrying the load for SP on this drive. Six carries for 35 yards and that takes us to the end of the third quarter.

End third: South Point 0, Forestview 0

FOURTH QUARTER
Leeper on this drive: 12 carries, 72 yards. SP on the Forestview 13.

SP scoreboard jumping the gun. Scoreboard just read South Point 7, Forestview 0. It’s still scoreless.

The Leeper show continued and he eventually scored on fourth and 1 from the 4. Dayton Rogers’ extra point is good. South Point 7, Forestview 0, 7:23 fourth.

Decent gain for Wallace on first down for Forestview but a holding penalty backs it up. Third and 18 from the 10 now.

Fourth and 14, Forestview punts from its own 14. SP takes over after the fair catch at the Forestview 42, 4:58 remaining.

They just announced that Ashbrook is beating Crest 19-14 in the third and the SP crowd went wild.

32-yard TD by Leeper wiped out by holding call. SP has first and 3 at the For 25 with about four minutes remaining.

Leeper has 25 carries for 144 yards and he’s heading to the sideline to take a breather. SP at the Forestview 12 with 1:57 remaining. Red Raiders still lead 7-0.

Leeper punched it from 3 yards out, effectively putting this one away. South Point 14, Forestview 0, with 26.9 seconds remaining. This game is eerily similar to South Point’s first-round game last year, when it edged Ashbrook in overtime.

Forestview reached the SP 23, but this one is over.

Final: South Point 14, Forestview 0

Thanks for following the blog. Check out the recap later tonight on gastongazette.com and varsitync.com.