Staff report
MOUNT ULLA — Aubrey Martin and Tiara Thompson made five 3-pointers apiece as West Rowan’s girls basketball team crushed Crest 76-26 on Thursday in the second round of the 5A state playoffs.
Second-seeded West led the overmatched Chargers 28-5 after a quarter. It was 51-16 at the half.
Seeded 18th, Crest (7-10) had won a tight game at 15 seed Parkwood in the first round. West Rowan (25-2) had a first-round bye.
Martin made four 3-pointers in the first quarter to get the Falcons off to a fast start. Thompson hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter.
Thompson finished with 26 points. Martin had 19, while Sydney Smith had one of her best games of the season with 17.
Zoi Richardson led Crest with eight points.
Saturday’s third-round home game for the Falcons is going to be a lot more challenging.
North Lincoln, one of the favorites to win the state title, forfeited 17 games late in the season but still made the playoffs as a 23 seed.
North Lincoln looks more like a 1 seed than a 23 seed and crushed 10th-seeded Enka 73-27 in the first round and demolished seventh-seeded Hunter Huss 94-64 on Thursday.
Crest 5 11 4 6 — 26
West 28 23 16 9 — 76
CREST — Richardson 8, Webb 7, Downey 5, Logan 3, Nellums 3.
WEST — Thompson 26, Martin 19, Smith 17, Allen 4, Hoffner 4, Pharr 4, Everhart 2.
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Northwest Cabarrus, the 3 seed in the 5A West bracket, advanced on Thursday with a 66-31 romp against 14 seed Smoky Mountain.
Mackenzie Ortscheid had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans (24-4). Skylar Burton also scored 15, and Makenzie Gonder scored 13.
Next for Northwest is Franklin. Seeded 11th, Franklin beat 6 seed Hickory 45-38 on Thursday.
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The South Point team that knocked Carson out of the playoffs in the first round was pummeled 71-31 on Thursday by top-seeded Oak Grove.
