Courtney Morris, daughter of Cleveland High football coach Marc Morris and volleyball coach Megan Morris, hit a 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds left to give Cleveland a 35-33 girls' basketball win in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.
It was Morris' only basket of the game. The victory also was the Rams' first playoff victory.
"Somebody different has stepped up all year for us," said Cleveland coach Chris Danehower. "Everybody just stepped up a little more when things got tight, and that's what makes us a good team."
In area 4A girls' games, Durham Riverside toppled Fayetteville Pine Forest 49-40 and will play top-seeded Hope Mills South View; Southern Durham defeated New Hanover 62-47 and will face Southeast Raleigh, a 68-56 winner over Enloe; and Southern Alamance beat Panther Creek 61-49 and will play Green Hope.
Cary, the No. 12 seed, upended fifth-seeded East Wake 51-47 to earn a shot against Wilmington Laney, which beat Knightdale 42-39. Durham Hillside knocked off Durham Jordan 65-43 and will play Fayetteville Seventy-First.
In 3A, Cardinal Gibbons' Morgan Reid scored 28 points in a 55-50 loss to Eastern Alamance. Burlington Williams defeated Orange 84-34.
In 2A, Bunn overwhelmed North Johnston 67-29 in 2A as Cheriah Neal scored 15 points and handed out five assists. The Wildcats will play Jacksonville Northside, a 56-39 winner over Hampstead Topsail.
Pittsboro Northwood's Shelby Wolfe scored 22 points in a 69-37 win against Carrboro.
Boys
Wilmington Hoggard rallied from a six-point deficit with two minutes left to top Southeast Raleigh 59-57 and earn a second-round game against Clayton, a 73-52 winner against Athens Drive. Wakefield beat Knightdale 69-61 and will face Garner in the second round.
Person nipped Northern Durham 57-56 and will be the host to Green Hope, a 58-53 winner over Southeast Guilford. Hoke eliminated 15th-seeded Holly Springs 72-63. Millbrook topped Greenville Rose 71-59. Millbrook will be at home against Wake Forest-Rolesville.
Middle Creek defeated Wilmington Laney 55-39 and will play at top-seeded New Hanover, an 88-64 winner over East Wake.
In 3A, Erwin Triton easily handled Fayetteville Byrd 80-62, and Eastern Alamance eliminated South Johnston 61-54 despite 15 points by Derek Brewington.
Northeast Guilford thumped Cardinal Gibbons 64-46. Gibbons trailed 46-24 after three periods.
In 2A, Wilson Beddingfield handled North Johnston 67-36.
Postponements: The Eastern Guilford girls and the Southern Guilford boys will play a doubleheader tonight at Chapel Hill High in the NCHSAA 3A playoffs. The games were scheduled for Monday night but were postponed because of a winter storm.
Also postponed until tonight were Asheboro boys at Oxford Webb and Granville Central at Pittsboro Northwood.
Bracket error: A Cape Fear Valley 3A reporting error knocked Western Harnett's boys out of a playoff berth. Fayetteville Douglas Byrd and Western Harnett finished tied in the regular season and split two regular-season games. Western Harnett beat Byrd in the league tournament, giving it two wins in three meetings between the schools. The win should have secured the playoff spot for Western Harnett.
The league, however, reported Byrd as the qualifier.
NCISAA playoffs: The N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association basketball playoffs will begin tonight.
The tournament will continue Thursday with quarterfinal games at Ravenscroft (3A), St. David's (2A) and North Raleigh Christian (1A). The semifinals are scheduled for Friday at the same locations. The finals will be Saturday at Ravenscroft.
J. Mike Blake contributed to this story.
