Led by Most Valuable Player Megan Honeycutt’s 23 points and 14 rebounds, coach Gary Atwell’s Cavaliers won 66-62 at Catawba College’s Goodman Gym for North’s second title in three years.

“This one may be a little more satisfying,” said Atwell, comparing his two titles. “We were supposed to do it back when we had Jackie (Wood) and Megan and all those kids. We were supposed to do it that year (1997). ... I think a lot of people took us for granted this year. The kids were really hungry. This was Megan’s senior year ... and we wanted to go out on top.”

Honeycutt wasn’t the only offensive weapon for the winners, who got a season-high 17 points from forward Courtney Hill and a career-high 15 from point guard Joyce Ann Hipps. Hill and Hipps joined Honeycutt on the all-tourney team.

Top-seeded North (7-2) and third-seeded East (9-4) combined for the second-highest point total in tournament history. Only Central Cabarrus, a 66-65 winner over East in 1986, scored more.

It was a fast-paced contest with only 19 combined turnovers, just eight by the Mustangs.

“The two teams had good point guards. Brooke (Misenheimer of East) doesn’t make many mistakes. Joyce Ann (Hipps of North) doesn’t make many mistakes. ... Both teams shot well,” said Atwell.

North had a slight edge in field goal shooting percentage, making 24 of 59 for 40.7 percent to East’s 27-for-67 for 40.3 percent. North had the edge at the foul line, outscoring East 14-5.

It was a tie game at 58-all after a 3-pointer by East’s Nicole Loggins with 2:15 to go, then Hipps’ second 3-pointer of the night put the Cavaliers ahead to stay at 61-58 with 1:45 to play. After Lora Williams’ basket pulled East within one, Hipps answered again with two clutch free throws in a one-and-one situation for a 63-60 lead with 47 seconds left.

A free throw byHoneycutt put North up by four before East’s Misenheimer drove the lane for a layup that cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 64-62. Honeycutt made one more free throw, Loggins missed a 3-pointer, then Hill’s free throw with three seconds left wrapped it up.

Williams’ career-high 18 points led East’s scoring, while forward Emily Rich matched her career high of the previous night with 15. Loggins added 13. The three Mustangs joined the three Cavaliers in making up the all-tourney team.

North had whipped East by 23 points just 10 days earlier.

“I knew that wasn’t going to happen again,” said Atwell. “You can’t embarrass a good team twice, so I figured it was going to be nip-and-tuck. I knew Randy (Bingham) would have them ready to play.”

North, which had led by 10 at 26-16 early in the second quarter, watched the lead dwindle until East tied it at 33 early in the third period. East took the lead on six different occasions after that, the last time at 55-53 on Rich’s outside shot with 3:07 to play.

“It was going to be interesting to see whether we would just turn it up a notch or what would happen, and we did (turn it up),” said Atwell. “Things came around.”

North scored five points — four by Hill — in only 42 seconds to reclaim the lead at 58-55, then eventually took the lead for keeps on the 3-pointer by Hipps.

Bingham had praise for his East team in defeat.

“I thought this was probably the best game we may have played all year. I thought we played better than even last night (62-56 win over West Rowan in the semifinals).”

Bingham, in his first year as head coach, inherited two senior guards (Misenheimer and Loggins) who were expected to lead and score a lot of points. East, however, has developed into a balanced team with four players capable of scoring in double figures. Loggins, pure-shooter Rich and Williams scored in double figures in every tournament game. Misenheimer was in double figures the first two games and slipped to eight points on Thursday, but she was also setting up her teammates inside with 10 assists.

“It really surprises me the way we played at the first of the year. We had to depend so heavily on Nicole and Brooke to score, we just couldn’t score. Now I think our girls have finally realized they can score. Emily Rich has really stepped up the last three games. She shot the lights out.Lora Williams has finally found out she can score,” said Bingham.

His team showed its balance when Loggins went to the bench with three fouls at the 3:53 mark of the second quarter. Down 30-23, East rallied to within 33-31 at halftime without the 1998 tourney MVP and 1999 Rowan County Player of the Year.

“I’m proud of all of them. They played their hearts out.I don’t think anybody in their right mind would have given us a chance coming into this tournament the way we’ve played this year,” said the East coach, referring especially to a 29-point loss to West Rowan and the 23-point loss to North.

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NOTES: Each team had an injured player. North’s Tasha Pharr has been bothered by a sprained ankle and turned it again early in the game. She played only briefly after the first quarter. East’s starting center, Stephanie Morgan, sat out all of the West Rowan game with a sprained ankle and didn’t play in the first half last night. She saw limited action in the second half. ... Courtney Hill was North’s second-leading rebounder with nine, just missing a double-double, while Hipps had eight. They helped the Cavs outrebound East 37-33. ... Williams and Loggins led East on the boards with eight and seven, respectively.

EAST ROWAN (62) — Williams 18, Rich 15, Roberts 2, Loggins 13, Misenheimer 8,Poole, Morgan 4, Haynes 2.

NORTH ROWAN(66) — Honeycutt 23, C. Hill 17, Pharr 5, Hipps 15, Tucker 4, A. Hill 2, Witherspoon.

East Rowan 16 15 17 14 — 62