Daily Roundup: February 5, 2022

February 5, 2022, 10:40 pm | by Tim Hower

Cover photo courtesy of Steve Hopper

***The rankings by each area basketball team come from the Coastal Preps Power Rankings***

WRESTLING

NCHSAA Girls State Championship

A second period reversal was all South Brunswick sophomore Lily Prendergast needed to become the first girls wrestling state champion in the area.

Prendergast (38-5) cruised into the 100-pound final by recording three pins Friday. She faced a tougher challenge against Freedom junior Jeulenea Khang on Saturday morning, but managed to come away with a 2-0 decision.

She was the aggressor from the opening whistle, taking the only shots in a scoreless opening period.

Prendergast choose the bottom position to begin the second period. She immediately sat out and was able to get a reversal for the only points of the match.

By using an great tight waist, Prendergast was able to ride out Khang for the final 1:45 of the period as well as the entire two minutes of the third period.

Prendergast is only the third female from South Brunswick to claim an individual state title. Myra Williams won the 3A shot put and discus in 1995 and the shot put in 1996. Vikki Williams captured the 2A high jump in 2002.

Laney’s Eliana Pollock (6-1) reached the final at 185, but was pinned in the second period by defending state champion Ella Beam of Burns.

BOYS SWIMMING

4A East Regional

at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary

Hoggard finished seventh among the 21 teams with 154 points.

The Vikings qualified all three relays for next week’s state championship, with each recording season-best times.

The 200 medley relay consisting of Cole Witmer (backstroke), Jacob Gillespie (breaststroke), Will Sterrett (butterfly) and Bradley Bush (freestyle) placed fourth with a time of 1:36.81.

Bush, Sterrett, Ryan Langtry and Matthew Caravaglio finished fifth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:29.93).

Caravaglio and Langtry were joined by Evan Stuck and Jackson Hughes on the 400 freestyle relay, which placed sixth in 3:21.86.

Three individuals also automatically moved onto states by finishing inside the top six.

Sterrett was third in the 100 butterfly (51.32) and sixth in the 100 backstroke (51.32).

Ashley sophomore Cian Post and Topsail senior Forrest Hoover were excellent in the 50 and 100 freestyles. Post was third in the 50 (21.57) and fourth in the 100 (47.22).

Hoover finished fifth both events with times of 21.70 and 47.48.

The Screaming Eagles finished 12th as a team, while the Pirates were 14th.

3A East Regional

at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary

South Brunswick sophomore Cade Needham had an excellent meet by qualifying for states in all four events.

The Cougars placed fifth in the team standings with 140 points.

Needham was the lone area swimmer to earn a victory. He touched the wall first in the 200 freestyle with a season-best time of 1:52.87. His previous best was 1:55.44.

Needham finished third in the 500 freestyle (5:04.24), which is the third fastest time in the area.

Teammate Chance Mason placed fifth in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.12.

Both swimmers were on the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Belvin Barker and Patrick Boldt joined them in the 200 distance, which finished sixth in 1:40.63.

Boldt, Mason, Needham and Thomas Overton were third in the 400 with a time of 3:44.47.

West Brunswick scored 29 points to finished 20th in the 26-team field.

GIRLS SWIMMING

4A East Regional

at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary

In her final regional competition, Hoggard senior Callie Parkes finished in the top three in all four events to help the Vikings place sixth as a team with 161 points.

Parkes was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.49. She touched the wall third in the 100 freestyle in 52.06. Both were season-best times.

The top six finishers in each event automatically qualified for next week’s state championship. The next six fastest times regardless of regional will also move on.

The Vikings placed second in the 200 medley relay (1:49.63) and 200 freestyle relay (1:38.94), which were both anchored by Parkes.

Joining her on the medley relay were Kelsey Stuck (backstroke), Hailey Weigand (breaststroke) and Tabitha Lac (butterfly).

Stuck, Sarah Pierson and Emily Cox were the other swimmers on the 200 freestyle relay.

Weigand finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:07.52.

Laney’s Jenna Grill and Madi Joy automatically qualified for states in one event. Grill was third in the 50 freestyle (23.54) and Joy finished fifth in the 100 backstroke (58.50).

3A East Regional

at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary

Freshman Aley Williams of West Brunswick had a pair of top-four individual performances in her first time at the event.

Williams won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:12.49. Earlier in the day, she placed fourth in the 200 IM in 2:29.84.

The Trojans were ninth among the 26 teams with 118 points. South Brunswick was right behind with 87 points.

Eryn Ruppart was the only other West Brunswick swimmer to automatically qualify for next week’s state championship. She finished sixth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 6:11.57.

Williams and Ruppart were joined by Brooke Holmes and Jalynn Sneed on the fifth-place 200 freestyle relay (1:55.28).

South Brunswick’s 400 freestyle relay team consisting of Hannah Overton, Emma Stone, Ellie Harrington and Megan Ulevich placed sixth with a time of 4:30.03.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

No. 2 Topsail 70, No. 7 North Brunswick 58

The Pirates jumped out to an 18-2 lead and never trailed in a road victory to sweep the season series.

Topsail (15-4, 8-3 Mideastern) had four players reach double figures, led by 17 points from Rhianna Garmendiz. Lexie Dawson finished with 13 points, six steals and four assists.

Brianna Jones added 12 points and 10 blocks, while Bre Hebron scored 11 points to go along with five assists.

The advantage grew to 28-4 early in the second quarter.

After being held scoreless over the opening 10 minutes, North Brunswick (9-12, 2-10) junior Laney Scoggins finally got on the board with a layup. She had six points at halftime before exploding for a remarkable 25 in the second half.

Scoggins found Jada Burnett for a layup with just over two minutes remaining to cut the deficit to 67-55, but the Scorpions never got it down to single digits.

The Pirates host West Brunswick on Monday at 5 p.m. The Cougars are back at home against South Brunswick at 6 p.m. Tuesday.