East Surry’s varsity girls and boys basketball teams are putting it all together in 2022.
After closing 2021 with a pair of losses, the teams have combined for a record of 9-1. The girls have won 4-of-5 games, and the boys are riding their longest win streak since the 2019-20 season at five-straight.
Recent home wins over West Stokes and West Wilkes moved the girls to 8-5 overall, while the boys improved to 10-3.
Varsity Girls
The Lady Cardinals have recorded four double-digit wins since the calendar turned to 2022 after starting the season 4-4.
East Surry started the year with two nonconference wins; the Cards defeated Mount Airy 48-36 then topped South Stokes 55-15. The game against Mount Airy was the team’s first in 14 days.
Then the Cardinals went on the road to Forbush and fell 66-55. The Falcons, currently ranked No. 10 in the 2A West in the MaxPreps, pulled ahead of East in the fourth quarter to take home the victory.
Looking to avoid back-to-back losses for just the second time since 2018, the Cardinals returned home to take on West Stokes. When East and West played in King in December, the Lady Wildcats held East Surry to a season-low 30 points. The script was flipped in Pilot Mountain as the Cards won easily, 56-35.
East Surry held West Stokes scoreless through the entire second quarter of that game and led 32-7 at halftime. West regrouped in the second half to outscore East 28-24, but the huge first-half from the Cardinals made the lead insurmountable.
Cadence Lawson and Bella Hutchens combined for 25 points in the win over West Stokes. Hutchens came close to a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds, while also leading the team with three assists. Kylie Bruner led the Cards with three steals.
Two days later, East Surry hosted Foothills 2A Conference opponent West Wilkes. Another strong first half propelled the Cardinals to a 28-16 halftime advantage. West Wilkes outscored East Surry in the third quarter, but the Cards crushed the Blackhawks 20-11 in the fourth quarter.
Lawson led the way 16 points, followed by Hutchens and Rosie Craven with 10 apiece. Hutchens again came close to a double-double with eight rebounds. Bruner, Addison Goins and Merry Parker Boaz each had two assists, and Boaz and Craven each had two steals.
Nearly halfway through its conference schedule the Lady Cards are fifth in the FH2A Conference. North Wilkes is 3-0, North Surry and Forbush are 3-1, Wilkes Central is 3-2, East Surry is 2-3, West Wilkes is 1-4 and Surry Central is 0-4.
Varsity Boys
East Surry’s 5-game winning streak matches the team’s win total from the shortened 2020-21 season.
The start of basketball season was pushed back due to the Cardinal football team reaching the 2A Regional Championship. As a result, East Surry only had two nonconference games before diving into its first conference campaign in the 2A division.
It was here that East was defeated for the first time. In a game that went down to the wire, the Cardinals were defeated 56-53 by the FH2A’s top-ranked team, North Surry. The Greyhounds are ranked No. 7 in the 2A West.
East Surry’s two other losses came in the High Country Holiday Classic Tournament. The Cards fell 77-68 to the tournament’s eventual winner, 4A Watauga, and then closed the year with a 79-75 loss to Forbush. The loss to Forbush was not counted as a conference game since it happened during a tournament.
The Cardinals got back on track in 2022 by defeating the 2020-21 1A West Regional Runner-up Mount Airy 57-54. Then East Surry played its first home game in three weeks, defeating South Stokes 65-62.
East Surry had redemption on its mind playing at Forbush on Dec. 11. Forbush, who came into the game against East averaging north of 81 points per game, was held to its fewest points since the 2019-20 season. The Cards downed the Falcons 55-40.
Back in Pilot Mountain, East Surry hosted both West Stokes and West Wilkes within a three-day period.
The Cardinals and Wildcats went to overtime tied at 49 after the Cardinals made 10-of-10 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter. East outscored West Stokes 12-8 in OT for the 61-57 win. Jordan Davis led the way with 21 points, followed by Bradley Davis with 16 – 10 of which came in the fourth quarter – Luke Brown added 12, and Trey Armstrong and Folger Boaz each had six.
Against West Wilkes, the Cardinals’ best performances game in the first and fourth quarters. Brown, who led East with 24 points in the game, had 12 points in just the opening quarter alone.
East Surry put up 25 points in a high-scoring fourth quarter to stave off a Blackhawk comeback. Five different Cardinals went to the line in the quarter, combining to shoot 13-of-16 (81%) from the charity stripe. In addition to Brown’s 24, Jordan Davis had 19, Bradley Davis had 12, Folger Boaz had five, Trey Armstrong added four, Daniel Creech scored three and Nick Lowery had one.
East Surry currently sits in second place in the FH2A Conference with a 4-1 record. The Cards trail only North Surry, who is 5-0 in the conference.
After East Surry: Forbush is 3-2, Surry Central is 2-2, West Wilkes is 2-4, Wilkes Central is 1-4 and North Wilkes is 0-4.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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