Bailey Staton scored 24 points and Polk County stayed within striking distance through halftime, but East Surry pulled away with a dominant third quarter to eliminate the Wolverines from the NCHSAA 3A state playoffs, 79-55, on Saturday in Pilot Mountain.
The No. 1-seeded Cardinals (23-3) used a 26-point third quarter advantage to break open what had been a competitive game. Polk County (20-7), the No. 8 seed, trailed by just six at the break.
The Wolverines showed early resilience after falling behind 14-6. Reeve Carroll stopped an 8-0 East Surry run with a 3-pointer, and Staton converted a three-point play with 29 seconds left in the first quarter to make it 18-12.
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Polk County continued to battle in the second quarter. Honesty Jackson’s 3-pointer with 5:24 remaining cut the lead to 22-19, and Staton followed with a jumper at the 5:00 mark to pull within one. Carroll’s three from the wing at the 2:27 mark kept East Surry’s advantage at 27-26. But the Cardinals closed the half on a 7-2 run to lead 34-28.
Any momentum Polk had evaporated quickly in the third. East Surry’s Maggy Sechrist opened with a three-point play, McKenzie Smith added a layup, and the Cardinals built a 21-point lead before Staton and Carroll answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 53-38. East Surry’s defense was the difference in the period, forcing several Polk turnovers that converted into points. The Cardinals led 60-41 entering the fourth and never looked back.
Staton finished with 24 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Carroll added 11 points with two triples, and Charley Dusenbury contributed 8 points off two 3-pointers. Amiyah Waters finished with seven points and Jackson added five.
Sechrist paced East Surry with 23 points. The Cardinals advance to the 3A quarterfinals and will host Mountain Heritage on Monday.
