North Rowan boys coach Kelly Everhart is back on his feet after a miserable stay on the sofa with illness and so, apparently is his team.
Alarmingly listless in Thursday’s semifinals, the Cavaliers got fired up again and held off West Rowan 71-66 on Friday night to win the school’s first Sam Moir Christmas Tournament title since 1996.
The top-seeded Cavaliers (9-0) played well throughout and had to, because the third-seeded Falcons, despite playing for the third time in as many days, came up with their best effort of their three losing battles with the Cavs.
“We beat an outstanding team,” said Everhart, who had quite a bit more color in his cheeks than he had one day earlier. “And the amazing thing is that we beat them three times in three weeks.”
The MVP for the Cavs was power forward Marcus Lawing, who scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and was a force defensively. Lawing, a strong, silent type, was the linchpin in a balanced, team-oriented effort by the Cavs, who looked at least 300 times more together than they had 24 hours earlier.
“The great thing about Marcus is his versatility,” said Everhart. “You can put him on a guard or you can put him on (6-foot-7 Donte) Minter and let him beat and bang. He works his tail off whatever you ask him to do.”
Lawing was a popular choice with his teammates and the public, but in truth, any of a half-dozen Cavs could have gotten the nod. Marcus Reddick, who also made all-tournament, scored 15, high on the team for the second straight game. Bryan McCullough tallied 11 and was huge defensively. Dre Byrd, who didn’t start for the second straight night, scored 12 and made five crucial free throws late. Chris Phillips put in 10 and played his usual tenacious defense.
That’s five guys in double figures. Then there was Graham Hosch, who got a rare starting call in Byrd’s stead, and responded with seven points right out of the blocks.
“Graham really gave us a boost with his offensive rebounding,” said Everhart. “He was the one who got us started and we never really lost that edge.”
North led the entire night after a surprise Hosch 3-pointer snapped a 2-all tie.
The first quarter was played at an NBA pace. How good was North in that quarter? West shot 8-for-13, including three 3s by all-tournament choice Timmy Mauldin, and still went down 26-19.
“We knew we couldn’t come out slow like we did against East (in Thursday’s semifinals),” said Reddick. “If we did, we’d lose.”
As the game wore on, it was clear that the Cavs were a little better — not a lot better, but a little. They couldn’t pull away, but neither could West overcome that early lead.
West (9-4) shot better (59-44 percent), but North got many more shots by establishing a surprising edge on the boards over the taller Falcons and by forcing many more turnovers.
“They had big people dribbling and our little guards were able to go right up underneath them and steal the ball,” said Reddick.
West crept back within four at the end of the third quarter, but Byrd started the fourth with a layup off a steal and Phillips converted a spectacular three-point play in the lane against the taller Mauldin to push the lead back to eight.
The biggest play of the game may have come with North leading 62-58 at the 1:55 mark and the overflow crowd howling. West’s Horatio Everhart deflected a pass by McCullough at midcourt. He and Phillips dove for it. A call could have gone either way, but the foul was called on Everhart. It was his fifth and the Falcons lost their quickest player.
West had to foul down the stretch and that’s when Byrd became the key figure, controlling the ball, then putting in free throws.
“A lot of people run and hide in that situation,” said Everhart. “He wanted the ball.”
“We shoot 50 a day in practice, so we’re supposed to make them,” said Byrd. “It was just a case of everyone pulling together and getting the win. It’s hard to beat a team like West three times. I give them credit. That’s a real good team.”
But the Falcons were pretty much beaten after Byrd nailed two free throws with 16 seconds left for a 70-66 lead. Then McCullough intercepted a pass and made a free throw for the final margin.
“The key thing for our guys was focus,” said Everhart. “Against a team like West every point makes a difference. Tonight, we had that concentration back.”
West coach Mike Gurley said the difference was not to be found in turnover totals or shooting percentages, but on the players’ birth certificates. For the third straight time, North’s experience made the difference in the matchup.
“North’s been together three years,” said Gurley. “My guys have been together for about two months. The good news is that we played well tonight and we became a better basketball team for conference play — that’s where you hang the banners and that’s more important than bragging rights.”
“We were real close this time,” added West star Donte Minter, who made all-tournament after scoring 17. “But I don’t think it was because we were less experienced than North. We just needed a few more shots to drop.”
And now, the teams go their separate ways, each with state title dreams, West in 3A and North in 2A. “I know I’m glad I won’t see West again this season,” said Everhart. “It’s time for some new faces.”
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NOTES:Junior Hairston had another fine game with 15 points for West, but fellow soph Phillip Williams, brilliant in the Thursday win over Davie County, struggled with only four points. Eric Davis had three key steals for the Cavs off the bench.
WESTROWAN (66) — Mauldin 19, Minter 17, Hairston 15, Barringer 5, P.Williams 4, Everhart 3, Diggs 3, Gaither.
NORTHROWAN (71) — Reddick 15, Lawing 12, Byrd 12, McCullough 11, Phillips 10, Hosch 9, Farmer 2, House, Witherspoon, Davis, Bates.
West Rowan 19 15 13 19 — 66 North Rowan 26 14 11 20 — 71
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