MOUNT ULLA — This West Rowan boys basketball team really is a lot like Duke.

And not just because they’re both ranked No. 1, both have 22 wins, both average a zillion points per game, both wear blue, both perform in front of a zany packed house and both play man-to-man defense straight from Hades.

There’s more. Think about it.

Both Duke and West have a fiery, slightly crazy coach named Mike and a player named Jason Williams.

Both boast a high-rising star named Donte, although that Jones dude in Durham spells his name “Dahntay,” which adds a little pizzazz.

We might even mention that both Mikes (West’s Gurley and Duke’s Krzyzewski) took their teams to championship games in 1999 behind point guards named Avery (West’s Josh and Duke’s William). Or that both lost those title games. But that stuff’s way too eerie to even think about.

At any rate, West (22-0, 11-0) looked downright Devilish again on Wednesday night, slugging visiting A.L. Brown 75-54 in a 3A North Piedmont Conference affair.

The first time the teams played, the Wonders (15-6, 6-5) were awed and offered no resistance as West waltzed 75-39. The Falcons weren’t pushed to the limit in the rematch, but the Wonders, sparked by 6-foot-6 shot-blocking fiend Justin Robinson, weren’t intimidated. Fans aren’t used to seeing Falcon jumpers flying back in their shocked faces, but Robinson rejected a half-dozen or so.

“Robinson’s long and he gets up quick,” praised Gurley. “But you saw Donte (Minter) make the adjustment to a shot-blocker. He’s seen them in summer ball, so he started using the side of the rim for protection. Donte makes the best adjustments of any post man I’ve coached.”

“Robinson’s as athletic as anyone you’ll come across around here,” said Minter. “It was like those Kannapolis guys had a different mind-set than the first game. We always play hard, and tonight they did too.”

“We competed,” agreed Wonder coach Shelwyn Klutz. “When we play like this, we’ll take care of business against a lot of people.”

But balanced West, which got between six and 10 points from six players, is not ordinary people. It handled the Wonders for the 16th straight time. West last lost to Brown 10 seasons ago.

Minter powered in 25 points and stuffed the highlight tape with soaring blocks, muscular dunks, double-clutching layups and even a stumbling 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer that had fans rolling in the aisles.

“I just threw that one up. It was like, well, here goes,” chuckled Minter.

“Donte works hard on his 3-point stroke,” said Gurley. “But I don’t think he’s made one in a month. It was great that he threw up that prayer and it went in. I think it relaxed him.”

As usual, it was the Falcons’ frantic defensive energy that refused to let the Wonders relax for a second.

The score was tied at 5-all after four minutes, but Junior Hairston zipped a pass to an open Minter to snap the deadlock and West sped off on an 18-0 run. The Wonders went nearly six minutes without scoring.

“West Rowan’s guards (Horatio Everhart, T.J. Gaither, Brian Avery and Darren Ramsey) would not let us run our offense,” marveled Klutz. “And if you can’t score, you’re in real trouble against West.

“It’s like playing Duke. Only on a different level.”

n

NOTES:Minter completed a remarkable run. In four varsity years, he didn’t lose a conference game on his home floor. ... West honored retiring principal Henry Kluttz, a staunch friend of athletics who guided the school for 17 years. Among other things, West’s athletic building and football field will be named in his honor. ... The Wonders’ Klutz offered the blueprint for beating West. “You’re gonna need great inside people and a heckuva point guard who can keep the ball in the middle of the floor,” he said. ... The Wonders need a win Friday at North Iredell. They could get help in their quest for third place if Mooresville beats Statesville tonight. ... West finishes regular-season play Friday at East. ... Wonder forward Lucious Miller had four fouls in the first quarter.

A.L. BROWN (54) — Thomas 11, Robinson 11, A.Patterson 8, Graham 7, Miller 5, Allison 4, Barrier 4, Ardrey 2, Powell 2, Blackmon, Collins.

WEST ROWAN (75) — Minter 25, Gaither 10, Ramsey 9, Avery 8, J.Williams 7, Hairston 6, Everhart 6, Scearce 2, B.Patterson 2, Hartsell, P.Williams, Johnson, White.

A.L. Brown 5 19 10 20 — 54

West Rowan 20 23 18 14 — 75