BY MIKE LONDON
SALISBURY POST

CHAPEL HILL - Everyone's saying that Saturday night's 3A boys championship game pitting West Rowan against Winston-Salem Parkland - two teams that have combined to go 57-3 - will be the very best game of Championship Saturday in Chapel Hill.

Both teams are uptempo. Both teams are athletic. Both teams are used to winning. Both teams play hard. Both teams are really, really good.

''We both press and run,'' said Parkland coach Mike Pennington. ''That's what we do. I don't think either of us is going to change anything now.''

West coach Mike Gurley said exactly the same thing.

Within the awesome team battle, there will be a monster individual confrontation between West superstar Scooter Sherrill, a 6-3 junior, and Parkland's 6-3 senior sensation Clifford Crawford, who has already signed with N.C. State.

Pennington, whose team made huge strides from its 13-13 mark of last year, expects to defend Sherrill with Crawford when Parkland plays man-to-man, while Gurley says his ''early diagnosis'' will be to return the favor by asking Sherrill to contain Crawford. Gurley has other defensive options available in Tommy Lee and Terris Sifford.

Pennington promises that West players are in for a tough night and West fans are in for a treat when they get a load of Crawford.

''Clifford's as good as there is in this state,'' Pennington said. ''He's athletic, big and strong, and he's great off the dribble.''

Asked if Crawford had any weakness, Pennington thought for a long time.

''Yes,'' he said. ''He's way too unselfish. He won't shoot it enough.''

Sounds like Crawford is a lot like Sherrill.

Pennington and his staff arrived in Hickory last Saturday night just in time to see West's second-half wipeout of T.C. Roberson. They saw Sherrill score 27 of his 37 points in the second half. They watched him make eight of his last 10 shots. And they were impressed.

''Scooter's every bit as good as advertised,'' said Pennington. ''West is good and he's good.''

But so, obviously, is Crawford, who was the MVP of the Eastern Regional. For the first time all season, West, may actually be staring at a player just as talented as their own main man. Crawford averages 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and a very impressive 6.3 assists.

Sherrill, the MVP of the Western Regional, averages 23 points, seven rebounds and a team-leading 2.8 assists.

''We have a good team and please underline team,'' said Gurley. ''But having a player like Scooter is important. He gives all the other kids the confidence they need to go out and do their thing, because they all know that Scooter is going to do his thing. When it came down to the last shot against (High Point) Andrews in the Regionals, Scooter was having an off-night, but he was still ready to win the darn thing. And everyone on the team had confidence that he would win it.''

The Falcons will need all their confidence and everyone clicking on all cylinders to win on Saturday night. They will also need Sherrill to keep doing his thing in his key matchup with Crawford.

''Teams have had a very difficult time matching up with this year,'' said Pennington. ''But West might be able to do it as well as anyone, because they have size and quickness. So do we. It ought to be a great game and a fun game to watch.''

Tickets are on sale at West Rowan High at $6. Tickets at the gate are $7. Gametime is 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Dean Smith Center.