North Rowan’s perfect record in the Central Carolina Conference was in jeopardy, but
Dre Byrd rescued the Cavaliers.Coach Kelly
Everhart’s visiting North Rowan basketball team had all it could handle at arch-rival
Salisbury before taking a 77-72 overtime victory.
Byrd, North’s quick point guard, saved the
Cavaliers in regulation with a clutch basket that forced the contest into overtime.
Guard Markeice Daugherty had just given the
Hornets a 68-66 lead with 15.6 seconds left when he made two free throws.
North quickly inbounded the ball to the elusive
Byrd, who streaked down the court for a twisting layup with 10.9 seconds on the clock.
“He has a knack for doing that. I told him I
wanted him to push it and get it down there,” said Everhart.
“I pushed it pretty fast,” said Byrd.
“He (Everhart) said, ‘Hurry up and get the ball across halfcourt so we can try
to operate something on offense.’ He said, ‘As soon as we cross, hurry up and
get a basket.’ We’re good at scoring fast. So that’s what we tried to hurry
up and do.”
North had a chance to win it in regulation when
Byrd came up with a loose ball near midcourt, but his off-balance shot from about 10 feet
out missed.
“Whenever he came up with the steal there
with just over two seconds left to go, he actually, I believe, could have made it all the
way in for a layup. But, of course, he didn’t realize how much time he had left and
did what I would want him to do in that situation, that’s throw it up there and hope
that it goes in,” said Everhart.
Forward Mario Sturdivant and Byrd opened the
overtime period with 3-pointers for a 74-68 North lead, but it still wasn’t over.
Boo Blount’s 3-pointer and a free throw by
Steven Blanton pulled Salisbury within 74-72 by the 1:51 mark. The Hornets tied up Byrd
and got the ball on the alternate possession rule.
Guard Randall Jones missed from outside, then the
hustling 5-9 Byrd came up with the rebound. Sturdivant made two free throws at the
30-second mark for a four-point lead. After the red-hot Terry Johnson missed for the
Hornets, Byrd rebounded again and made a free throw in the final seconds.
“Give Salisbury credit,” said Everhart.
“They fought and fought and did everything they had to do.”
Byrd, who led the Cavaliers with 22 points,
wasn’t surprised that North (6-0 in the CCC, 13-3 overall) had such a tough time with
the Hornets (6-12, 2-4).
“We knew coming in here it was going to be a
good game. I don’t want to take nothing from Salisbury. Salisbury’s a good team.
They’re one of the best teams in the conference, despite their record. They showed
they can play in big games. This was a playoff atmosphere type of game,” said Byrd.
North has gone through the first half of its
league schedule with four easy victories but two tough ones. The Cavaliers edged Lexington
64-63 earlier this month.
“It’s always good to win close ball
games. Certainly, I would prefer that it not be that close. But it’s good to know
that whenever the game’s on the line, the kids step up and rise to the occasion and
don’t fold under the pressure,” said Everhart. “We have several kids on
this team who, whenever the game’s on the line, they want the ball in their hands,
and Andre Byrd is one of them. He wants the ball. And Marcus Reddick proved over at
Lexington that he doesn’t mind having the ball in his hands at the last second. Both
of those guys have hit key shots in the last few seconds to either win the game or to send
it into overtime.”
Byrd wasn’t the only Cavalier with a big game
last night. Post player Bryan McCullough was unstoppable inside in the first half and
finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sturdivant came off the bench
for 10 points.
For Salisbury, forward Terry Johnson and guard Ken
Drye carried the load, each with career-high games. Johnson made 10 straight field goals
before missing a shot in overtime and finished with 25 points. He also grabbed 16 rebounds
for a double-double. Drye had a big fourth quarter and finished with 22.
“They stepped up. Ken Drye had a great first
half. He hit some nice shots and kept us in the game. Terry took over there for a while.
That was an inside-outside combination that was good for us,” said coach Drew Mathews
of Salisbury.
“It was typical of our season. We can play
with anybody in our league until it comes down to the last minute of the game to make the
play and execute, do the right thing and follow directions,” he added. “And we
don’t make it happen. Until my group of guys realizes that you have to make it happen
at the end and follow directions, we’re going to always be in this situation.”
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