Nationally ranked Butler girls survive scare plus 2nd round scores

Butler’s nationally ranked girls won their 41st straight game in a 50-40 N.C. 4A sectional semifinal playoff home win over Northwest Guilford Wednesday.

Northwest (22-6) took a 15-14 lead after the first quarter and played a speciality defense on McDonald’s All-American Cierra Burdick all night. And with Butler’s No. 2 scorer, Jaymee Fisher-Davis, struggling (0-for-10 shooting, 1 point), the Bulldogs (29-0) struggled, too.

“We were missing shots,” coach Mark Sanders said. “We didn’t play well. They came in with a good plan, running the (special) defense, but after awhile, Cierra made it happen.”

Butler led 28-18 at halftime but held on in the fourth quarter as Northwest got to within six. Jadda Atkinson had eight points and 10 rebounds for Butler. Burdick had 26 points and Mayhana Dunovant had 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Butler will play Greensboro Dudley (25-1) at home Friday for the right to go the N.C. 4A Western regionals.

“We can’t do this against Dudley,” Sanders said. “If we have a game like we had (Wednesday) against Dudley and we’ll be in trouble, but I don’t think there’s any way possible we’ll have two games like this back to back.”

GIRLS
Note: Here are N.C. High School Athletic Association second round scores from Wednesday. Finals are at 7 p.m. Friday at higher seed.
1A West
Sectional 1:  Saxapahaw River Mill 76, N. Moore 46; Mt Airy 67, Chatham Central 33
Friday: Mt Airy (24-4) at River Mill (31-1)
Sectional 2:  Bishop McGuinness 57, S. Davidson 29; E. Wilkes 67, Albemarle 58
Friday: Bishop McGuinness (22-6) at E. Wilkes (21-5)
Sectional 3:  Cherokee 76, Mitchell 61; Highlands 54, Hayesville 38
Friday:  Cherokee (22-4) at Highlands (17-11)
 Sectional 4: . Murphy 62, Highland Tech 46; E. Surry 50, Robbinsville 48
Friday: E. Surry (12-12) at Murphy (21-5)
2A West
Sectional 1:  N. Surry 70, Lexington 45; W. Stokes (9-15) at Salisbury (22-1)
Friday: Salisbury/S. Stokes at N. Surry (23-2)
Sectional 2: Thomasville 62, Berry 51; Central Davidson 82, N. Lincoln 58
Friday: Thomasville (22-6) at Central Davidson (19-5)
Sectional 3:  Newton-Conover 59, Mountain Heritage 36; E. Burke 61, Brevard 48
Friday: E. Burke (20-8) at Newton-Conover (23-3)
Sectional 4:  Catawba Bandys (25-3) at Shelby (23-0); Wilkes Central 54, Canton Pisgah 44
Friday: Wilkes Central (25-4) vs. Bandys/Shelby
 3A West
Sectional 1: N. Iredell 59, Concord Robinson 45; Concord 62, Charlotte Catholic 33
Friday: N. Iredell (24-1) at Concord (21-6)
Sectional 2:  Harding 72, W. Rowan 65; Monroe Parkwood 61, China Grove Carson 54
Friday: Monroe Parkwood (24-2) at Harding (20-7)
Sectional 3:  Morganton Freedom (20-8) vs. Erwin (20-5); Gastonia Forestview 72, Franklin 50
Friday: Gastonia Forestview (23-4) at Freedom/Erwin
Sectional 4:  Hickory 77, Belmont South Point 29; R-S Central 72, N. Buncombe 48
Friday: R-S Central (20-6) at Hickory (25-2)
 4A West
Sectional 1:  SW Guilford 62, Greensboro Page 51; W. Forsyth 47, Winston-Salem Mount Tabor 35
Friday: W. Forsyth (17-8) at SW Guilford (26-2)
Sectional 2:  Butler 50, NW Guilford 40; Greensboro Dudley 51, W-S Reynolds 49 (OT)
Friday: Greensboro Dudley (25-1) at Butler (29-0)
Sectional 3:  Indian Trail Porter Ridge 52, McDowell 48; Hopewell 58, E. Gaston 35
Friday: Hopewell (24-3) at Indian Trail Porter Ridge (23-4)
Sectional 4:  S. Caldwell 51, Skyland Roberson 36; Mallard Creek 56, Hough 48
Friday: Mallard Creek (25-4) at South Caldwell (22-6)
NCISAA
Note: First round is today at higher seed. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be today and Friday at Carolina Day (1A), Asheville Christian (2A) and Arden Christ School (3A). Finals will be in all classes are Saturday at Asheville School.
 1A: Ridgecroft (22-3) vs. Raleigh Word of God (16-1), 10 a.m.; Greenfield (14-11) vs. Trinity Christian (14-10), 7 p.m..; Wayne Country Day (14-7) vs. Statesville Christian (12-12), 4 p.m.; Shannon Forest (14-13) vs. Oakwood School (18-3), 1 p.m..
2A:  Carolina Day (30-1) vs. Concord First Assembly (22-5), 10 a.m.; Southlake Christian (22-7) vs. Cary Christian (20-5), 4 p.m.; Carolina Friends (25-4) vs. St. Davids (22-6), 4 p.m.; Fayetteville Christian (18-9) vs. Village Christian (25-1), 7 p .m..
3A: Cary Academy (19-11) vs. Providence Day (25-4), 10 a.m.; Rabun Gap (21-5) vs. Cannon (12-11), 7; Charlotte Christian (20-4) vs. Greensboro Day (21-11), 4 p.m.; Durham Academy (20-6) vs. Forsyth Country Day (20-5), 1 p.m.
BOYS
Note: First-round games Monday, February 21. Game time normally 7 p.m. Note that if there are women’s/men’s doubleheaders at one site on same day, game times may adjust to 6:30 and 8 p.m. Semifinals will be are Wednesday and finals Friday at higher seed with 7 p.m. start times.
 1A West
Sectional 1: N. Rowan 69, River Mill 40; Monroe 57, Alleghany 42
Friday: N. Rowan (23-5) at Monroe (17-9)
 Sectional 2:  W-S Prep 71, Albemarle 66; W. Montgomery 50, Bishop McGuinness 46
Friday: W. Montgomery (15-8) at W-S Prep (22-9)
 Sectional 3:  Murphy 70, Mitchell 61; Highland Tech 68, Hiwassee Dam 55
Friday: Gastonia Highland Tech (17-8) at Murphy (20-5)
 Sectional 4:  Cherryville 85, Hayesville 64; Hendersonville 81, Swain County 49
Friday: Cherryville (24-4) at Hendersonville (19-7)
2A West
Sectional 1:  Waxhaw Cuthbertson 76, West Stokes 69 (OT); Surry Central (14-13) at Salisbury (18-6)
Friday: Cuthbertson (22-7) vs. Surry/Salisbury
 Sectional 2:  Berry 63, S. Stokes 46; Lincolnton 78, Lexington 65
Friday: Berry (25-2) at Lincolnton (21-6)
 Sectional 3:  Mountain Heritage 67, W. Caldwell 51; Starmount 56, Shelby 42
Friday: Starmount  (19-5) at Mountain Heritage (21-6)
 Sectional 4:  E. Rutherford 70, N. Henderson 52; Smoky Mountain 71, Wilkes Central 54
Friday: E. Rutherford (23-1) at Smoky Mountain (26-0).
3A West
Sectional 1: Harrisburg Hickory Ridge 68, Statesville 65 (OT); Concord 66, Harding 58
Friday: Hickory Ridge (19-9) at Concord (24-3)
Sectional 2:  NW Cabarrus 49, Waddell 46; W. Rowan 62, Kannapolis Brown 55
Friday: W. Rowan (17-10) at NW Cabarrus (19-8)
 Sectional 3:  Hibriten 53, Asheville Erwin 39; Gastonia Huss 79, Hickory St. Stephens 44
Friday:  Lenoir Hibriten (8-17) at Gastonia Huss (25-2)
 Sectional 4:  Hickory 100, N. Buncombe 64; Lawndale Burns 65, Waynesville Tuscola 59
Friday: Lawndale Burns (20-5) at Hickory (24-3)
4A West
Sectional 1: Grimsley 65, SW Guilford 52; Pfafftown Reagan 89, Davie County 72
Friday: Grimsley (13-10) at Reagan (25-1)
 Sectional 2:  Butler 90, W-S Parkland 62; Mount Tabor 80, Greensboro Page 74
Friday: Mount Tabor (24-4) at Butler (25-3)
Sectional 3:  West Mecklenburg 78, Hopewell 58; W. Charlotte 62, Alexander Central 36
Friday: W. Meck (17-9) at W. Charlotte (24-2)
Sectional 4:  Vance 62, East Meck 56; Olympic 55, North Meck 45
Friday: Vance (16-7) at Olympic (27-1)
NCISAA
Note: First round is today at higher seed. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be today and Friday at Carolina Day (1A), Asheville Christian (2A) and Arden Christ School (3A). Finals will be in all classes are Saturday at Asheville School.
1A: Raleigh Word of God (25-3) vs. Community Christian (26-3), 11:30 a.m.; Trinity (20-9) vs. Davidson Day (22-9), 8:30 p.m.; United Faith (29-6) vs. Flora Macdonald (20-6), 5:30 p.m.; Wayne Country Day (18-9) vs. Greenfield School (22-8), 2:30 p.m.
2A: Northside Christian (24-2) vs. Carolina Day (16-14), 11:30 a.m.; Asheville Christian (20-8) vs. Victory Christian (14-12), 8:30 p.m.; Concord First Assembly (26-2) vs. Fayetteville Christian (25-4), 5:30 p.m.; Caldwell Academy (21-13) vs. Westchester (26-10), 2:30 p.m..
3A: Wesleyan Christian (14-10) vs. Christ School (29-5), 11:30 a.m.; Rabun Gap (24-6) vs. Greensboro Day (26-6), 8:30 p.m.; Providence Day (18-12) vs. Raleigh Ravenscroft (23-3), 5:30 p.m.; Forsyth Country Day (17-13) vs. Charlotte Christian (25-5), 2:30 p.m.