Mar 14, 2010
#21 Chris Wilson fights for a loose ball during Terry Sanford High School's 63-46 loss to Lake Norman High School in the NCHSAA 4-A Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 13. (photo by Will Okun)
The Class 4-A North Carolina High School Athletic Association men's championship came down to defense and foul shooting. In the end, it was Lake Norman that played the better defense and hit the foul shots when it counted.
Lake Norman made 11 of its last 15 free throws in the fourth quarter - including six straight - to defeat Fayetteville Sanford 63-46 and capture its first state title Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum.
"Lake Norman is a solid, fundamentally sound basketball team," said coach Bill Boyette, whose Fayetteville Sanford team lost its second straight title game and its first game of the season after winning 31 straight. "We missed the front ends of some critical 1-and-1's and they hit their free throws. They were very deserving to win this game tonight."
Lake Norman (26-3) trailed 41-40 heading into the final quarter before outscoring the Bulldogs 23-5 the rest of the way and holding them to their season low in points. Reggie Price scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the final period and Chris Patterson, Kevin Canevari and Price hit key free throws while Fayetteville Sanford went scoreless for the first 4:35 and fell behind 50-41.
Lake Norman center Paul Larsen dominated inside, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds, to capture game Most Valuable Player honors. He got Fayetteville Sanford's Jordan Vann into early foul trouble, and Vann eventually fouled out.
"We struggled on defense in the first half," Larsen said. "They beat us on the boards. In the second half, we started rebounding and took over the game."
Fayetteville Sanford led 13-10 after one quarter, but Lake Norman came back in the second to take its first lead, 21-18, on a 3-pointer by Joseph Weston with 4:42 remaining.
The Bulldogs responded with a 13-5 run, led by Chris Wilson (13 points) and Kelvin Okons, to lead 31-26 at the half.
"We were lazy in the first half and weren't ta lking to each other," Lake Norman coach Brandon Jolly said. "In the second half, we cut down on the gaps and stayed aggressive and it paid off. Once we got the lead, we relaxed the pressure and stopped their penetration."
Lake Norman, playing in its first state championship, continued western North Carolina's dominance in Class 4-A. The western champs have won 19 of the last 25 titles and the last three in a row.
"This is something special," Jolly said. "The clock couldn't tick fast enough. The guys worked so hard and they deserve it. We've won 51 games the last two years. This is a great day for Lake Norman basketball."
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