By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
STATESVILLE ó West Rowan coach Mike Gurley emerged from a quiet locker room following a 20-minute talk with his team.
Many of Lake Norman’s players hadn’t even entered their locker room yet.
Matt Eller’s off-balance shot from the left wing, taken a step inside the 3-point arc, swished through the net with one second left to lift the Wildcats to a 56-54 victory over West in the NPC tournament final Friday night.
Lake Norman students rushed onto the floor at West Iredell, and the celebration lasted a half-hour. West Rowan players and coaches spent that time coming to grips with a gut-wrenching result.
“We’re going to handle it like Falcons, so that means we’re going to handle it like men,” Gurley said. “We’re going to accept what happened. Every day is not a sunny day, but the beautiful part is the good Lord gives you another day.”
The teams shared the NPC’s regular-season title, and Lake Norman (25-1) will enter the 3A playoffs as the league’s top seed. West Rowan (23-3) will play host to A.L. Brown in the opening round next week.
Lake Norman’s Reggie Price and West’s K.J. Sherrill scored 15 points apiece to lead their squads Friday. B.J. Sherrill added 11 for the Falcons.
“We kept playing hard,” he said, “but we just fell a little short.”
A second consecutive steal from Jason Grant gave West possession with the score tied and 90 seconds remaining.
K.P. Parks drove for a layup with 30 seconds left and had his shot blocked. An official pointed in the Wildcats’ direction as the ball and several players went out of bounds near the baseline.
Effective defense once Lake Norman crossed halfcourt pushed the ball toward the left corner of the floor, and coach Brandon Jolly called timeout with five seconds left.
Matt Denyes looked to inbound from the baseline closest to the Wildcats’ bench and passed to Eller, who had run off a screen from post player and No. 1 option Paul Larsen.
Eller caught the offering from Denyes, turned back toward the middle of the floor and released a jumper as he drifted right.
“I meant to pump fake and take a dribble and then get off a shot, but I fumbled it on my pump fake,” Eller said. “I picked it up and kind of threw it up awkwardly, but as soon as it left my hands I knew it was going in.
“It was overwhelming. I don’t think I’ve ever hit a shot like that in my life. That just made my year.”
The Falcons, who led for only 20 seconds in the second half, trailed 54-49 when Gurley called timeout with 1:59 left. Myles Moore entered the game and drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing 16 seconds later.
Gurley called another timeout and went with a lineup of physical defenders. West employed a fullcourt press, and Grant stole a pass near the Falcons’ basket. His layup tied the game with 1:36 remaining.
“K.J. played like a warrior, but I don’t really want to single him out because I thought everybody got on that floor and were warriors,” Gurley said.
“We weren’t really struggling offensively, I thought, as far as getting what we wanted. What bothered me was they got some transitions there to get up five. We fought with great courage. Myles Moore’s shot and Jason Grant’s steal ó wow and wow.”
The Wildcats used a zone defense throughout the fourth quarter to protect a foul-plagued Larsen, and K.J. Sherrill went 2-for-2 from the field after halftime.
His only shot attempt of the fourth quarter came with 5:19 remaining, and it pulled the Falcons within 50-45. B.J. Sherrill then hit a 3-pointer from the left corner, and he drew a foul on West’s next possession.
“I tried my hardest to move everywhere, but they were moving with me,” K.J. Sherrill said. “That opened up my teammates for 3s and drives.”
B.J. Sherrill made one free throw to trim Lake Norman’s lead to 50-49 but missed the next one, and Denyes scored six seconds later. A missed shot led to another transition opportunity for Denyes, who increased his team’s lead to five.
Eller’s last-second shot spoiled West’s comeback and produced a landmark win for the Wildcats.
“This is something Lake Norman has never done, and a lot of people were questioning us,” Jolly said. “I think we proved that we do belong here. We might see them again in the state playoffs ó we’re both that good.”
LAKE NORMAN (56) ó Price 15, Denyes 12, Eller 9, Canevari 9, Larsen 4, Mercer 3, Albritton 2, Smith 2, Saunders.
WEST ROWAN (54) ó K.J. Sherrill 15, B.J. Sherrill 11, J.Kimber 8, Ke.Sherrill 7, K.Kimber 7, Moore 3, Grant 2, Crucitti 1, Smith, Parks.
L. Norman 13 20 13 10 ó 56
W. Rowan 16 11 13 14 ó 54