CHINA GROVE — “Good teams love playing good teams.”
And two great teams squared off in China Grove Tuesday night when Concord and Carson went blow-for-blow for four quarters in a game that resembled a heavyweight prize fight.
After a few shots were dished out — almost some punches too — the third-ranked Spiders escaped with a physical 77-71 victory to stay perfect in the SPC.
“It was a tough game. We expected it to be tough because they’re one of the best teams in the state,” Carson coach Brian Perry said. “It was very physical. They were a little more physical with us in that first half, but I thought we adjusted more to the physical style in the second half.
“We made a nice run to cut it to three, but let a couple possessions get away from us,” he continued. “And if you do that against a team like that, they take advantage.”
Carson hung with the high-powered Spider offense for most of the night, making a strong push late in the third quarter to make it a game.
Trailing by 14 in the final minute of the third, seniors Tre Williams and Colton Laws combined to score the final six points to head to the fourth only down eight at 53-45.
Laws and Williams added the first two buckets of the fourth before Jacob Raper hit a step-back 3-pointer to bring the Cougars to within one (53-52).
The Spiders answered and pushed their lead back to double-figures but couldn’t shake Carson.
Andrew Hower drilled a corner trey before Raper hit another bomb to bring the Cougars to within six at 70-64.
Raper then stole the inbounds, found Laws underneath the basket for a layup plus the foul. The big man missed the free throw but Darren Isom stuck it back up to cut it to two.
“We were just competing,” Perry said. “I think our guys didn’t hang their heads and wanted to make a run.”
But Carson was called for a travel on the next possession and could not pull even, dropping a heart-breaker, 77-71.
“I like my team,” Perry added,” We didn’t give in. When we play hard, we can compete with anybody.”
“We were there. They just made the plays at the end of the game and we didn’t,” Williams, who had 16 points, said. “With two good teams, all the little possessions matter.
“This just makes you want to play them again,” he continued. “This makes you want to play hard against everyone else just so you can get back to them.
“Good teams love playing good teams.”

CONCORD (77) — Burchfield 18, Nasirildeen 18, Pruette 13, Alexander 10, Black 8, Twigger 4, Childress 3, Sedergren.
CARSON (71) — Laws 22, Williams 16, McCain 11, Raper 8, Hower 6, Stout 6, Isom 2, Rucker.
Concord 24 13 16 24 — 77
Carson 19 8 18 26 — 71