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NEW LONDON — North Rowan’s 19th straight boys basketball victory came with the union label attached.
The unbeaten Cavaliers had to work harder than expected for Friday’s 74-62 victory at North Stanly.
“We didn’t come down here to make ourselves known,” said senior guard Chris Phillips, one of five North scorers in double figures. “We came down here to get a W.”
They got it all right, thanks largely to a jackrabbit start that saw them grab a 22-3 lead early in the second quarter. For much of the first half the first-place Cavs (9-0 CCC) made the last-place Comets (2-17, 0-9 CCC) look like innocent bystanders at a crime scene.
“We were able to get the tempo up to a level that we’re comfortable at,” said winning coach Kelly Everhart. “We pressed them early, got some steals and scored off some of those turnovers.”
They scored often enough to mount a 35-13 lead at the break. “(North Stanly) laid back in a zone,” said Cavs’ forward Marcus Reddick, who tallied 10 of his 21 points in the opening half. “Anybody that lays back against us get punished.”
Ouch. The Cavs, given room to vroom, motored their way through the back door, down the lane and even hit a trio of 3-pointers — the last of which was delivered by Bryan McCullough and gave the visitors a 22-point halftime lead.
“We stuck with the game plan,” said Phillips. “We took over with our size and speed. This could easily have been a 40-point win.”
The free-for-all ended in the third period, when the referees’ whistles and North Stanly’s improved defense brought the game to a near standstill. The Cavs suddenly found themselves stuck in traffic — with four starters alternating turns on the bench due to foul trouble.
“When the officials started blowing the whistles as much as they did tonight, neither team could get into a flow,” said Everhart. “Whenever a game is called as tight as this, that’s not to our advantage. It took us out of our game. We can’t commit foolish fouls and let people shoot free throws all night.”
The Comets converted 15 of 17 free throws in the second half, six of them by Earnest Mangum. But things didn’t really get interesting until the final quarter, when the hosts began chipping away at a 56-34 deficit.
“We got sloppy,” said Phillips. “We didn’t focus on what we had to do. You see our size and think it’s a mismatch, so everybody starts taking shots when nobody’s under the boards.”
North Stanly inched as close at 72-62 when Nick McRae split the Cavs’ defense and drove the lane for an uncontested layup with 17 seconds remaining.
“They played with a lot of intensity in the second half,” said Reddick. “When that happens, you gotta be careful because you never know what can happen.”
Despite the belated charge, North Stanly simply didn’t have enough speed and muscle to scare the Cavs. “We were never worried about losing,” said Reddick. “We’re mature enough that we can handle a tough situation. But we’ve got to play a lot better than this next week.”
That’s when North faces CCC contenders Lexington and High Point Central.
“We came down here to get a win, get out of here without anybody getting hurt and let’s move on to the next game,” said Everhart. “Next week is a big week. Tonight we got what we came for.”
NOTES: Mangum led all scorers with 24 points, including 22 in the second half. ... Reddick shot 7-for-12 from the field and added seven rebounds. Phillips contributed 11 points, six assists and four steals. McCullough, the county’s fourth-leading scorer (18.4 average) had 14 points and nine rebounds.
NORTH ROWAN (74) — Reddick 21, McCullough 14, Lawing 12, Phillips 11, Witherspoon 10, House 2, Farmer 2, Davis 2, Bruce, Hawkins, Hosch, Peoples.
NORTH STANLY (62) — Mangum 24, Tr.Gordon 12, McRae 9, Harwood 6, Harris 5, Drye 2, Ty.Gordon 2, Solomon 2.
North Rowan 18 17 21 18 — 74
North Stanly 3 10 21 28 — 62
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