Davie’s top six players are seniors (they scored every one of their team’s points in Thursday night’s easier than expected 84-65 win over North Rowan) and that may explain why the War Eagles (13-0) played their best basketball of the season in the pressure-packed finals of the Sam Moir Christmas Classic.

In winning the school’s first Moir crown since 1982, the War Eagles withstood anything and everything super-quick North Rowan could throw at them. They fed off the 33 points on magnificent 15 of 17 field goal shooting by superstar and tournament MVP Duane Phillips and they fed off the bench calm of coach Jim Young and the court cool of that sextet of seniors.

Top-seeded Davie came into the tournament looking forward to a much anticipated meeting with fellow unbeaten West Rowan in the finals, but the War Eagles were stunned when third-seeded North knocked off the Falcons in a Wednesday semifinal.

Fans wondered if the War Eagles would be up for the Cavs. But they didn’t have to wonder long. Davie roared out of the gate 11-2 and never let up one iota.

“Just because we ended up playing North not West, there was no change in focus on our part,” said guard Dominic Graham, who scored 15 points and joined Phillips and big man Djordje (pronounced George) Lukic on the all-tourney team. “We knew no matter who we were playing this was for a championship. We wanted it and wanted to go into 2000 undefeated.”

“Everyone kept talking about the player (Scooter Sherrill) that West has,” added the 6-7 Lukic, a sure-fire college player who was a tower of strength inside with 17 points and 18 boards. “But we knew that North was fast and quick with great jumpers. We knew we had to be ready for them and worked hard.”

Young was ready for the Cavs (7-3) too. He’d watched them bedevil West with a transition game fueled by Falcon turnovers. He knew he’d have to limit North’s layups and make it prove it could stick outside shots. Young packed his team back in a tight zone with Lukic, 6-6 Larry Umberger and 6-7 Jon Orsillo holding their arms to the heavens and dared the Cavs to bomb away.

“We had to do that,” said Young. “They have a great, great point guard (Dre Byrd), who is an unbelievable penetrator. “Against man-to-man, he’s going to score or get the ball in someone else’s hands to score. And he’s never going to put the ball in your hands.”

North eagerly accepted the challenge of firing over the Davie zone, but the numbers weren’t pretty. Byrd scored 20, but shot 7-for-27. Mercurial Mario Sturdivant was 3-for-14. Marcus Reddick tried to pick up the slack, but shot only 4-for-15.

“In practice, we get on streaks where we knock down all kinds of 3-pointers,” said North coach Kelly Everhart. “Unfortunately ...”

The bombs seldom dropped last night.

And there was little available inside for the Cavs. Lukic swatted the first effort in the lane by North enforcer Marcus Lawing, the same thing he did to Salisbury’s Thad Pryor the previous night. The message was clear. After that, ultimate warrior Lawing and silky running mate Bryan McCullough still got their share of rebounds, but rarely were able to finish plays.

“I think they got two putbacks in the first half,” said Young. “Limiting putbacks and limiting our turnovers were the two things we emphasized. Our kids did a great job on both.”

Davie dominated the first half in every phase, shooting 54 percent, while North was flailing away at 27 percent. The War Eagles were a scarily efficient 8-for-10 in the second quarter with Phillips turning playmaker and repeatedly finding a cutting Lukic for easy buckets.

“Davie was awfully hot and they’re awfully good,” said Everhart. “They wore us out.”

But North got a glimmer of hope late in the half, closing its deficit from 15 points down to 10 in the final seven seconds on a long jumper by Graham Hosch and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by a literally flying Byrd. It was 37-27 at the half.

“We talked at half about chipping away,” said Everhart. “We knew we couldn’t get everything back at once. Our goal was to get within five heading to the fourth quarter.”

And the Cavs responded with a third quarter good enough to wilt most teams. Byrd hit two 3s and Reddick made one, but by quarter’s end, Davie still led by 10 at 60-50. Mostly because Davie’s unflappable Phillips answered everything North had. Against a variety of defenders, he nailed six straight jumpers. And each was as clean as grandma’s kitchen floor. He would finish with 13 straight makes and Davie would finish with its 13th straight win.

North’s last threat came at 6:34 when Sturdivant skied to hammer home a dunk off an inbounds lob by Byrd to make it 63-54. That play got the crowd screaming and the Cavs dreaming, but there would still be no comeback.

“I thought we had a chance there,” said Everhart. “That play gave us some great energy, but Davie kept its composure.”

Young called timeout as the crowd went bananas and quietly told his team not to lose focus.

“That was quite a flush by Sturdivant,” said Young. “A great athletic play. But I just told our kids to relax and keep doing what they had been doing all game long.”

North closed to within eight points — with the ball — but then another Sturdivant 3-pointer rattled out. And Davie wouldn’t rattle down the stretch. The War Eagles made six of eight field goals in the fourth quarter. They shot 59 percent from the field for the game and their free throws were automatic.

North’s legs were noticeably less lively than they had been against West — that mighty effort had to drain them — and maybe that’s why they came up inches short on so many 3-point tries.

“McCullough got winded a little early tonight, because he played so hard against West,” said Everhart, refusing to look for excuses. “But for the most part we were OK physically. They just outplayed us. We knew they were awfully big — those guys change a lot of shots — and they were also much quicker than we thought.”

“We are, maybe, just a little faster than we look,” said a grinning Young. “Even with the three big guys in there.”

“I’m the eternal optimist and kept thinking somehow we could get it done,” said Everhart. “But Davie’s an outstanding team.”

It’s a team with size and Phillips’ uncanny shooting purity. But mostly it’s a team with maturity. These boys have poise and even in an impossible conference — the 4A Central Piedmont — they’re going to make some noise.

So, said Young, will the Cavaliers.

“When they get on their level (2A), they’re going to be great,” he said. “Heck, they’re a great team on any level.”