A big 3rd quarter from Paul Larsen and 4th quarter from Reggie Price propel Lake Norman to championship

Saturday March 13, 2010

The East Champion Terry Sanford Bulldogs came into the championship game with a spotless 31-0 record.  Terry Sanford controlled teams all year long with their defense, holding teams to 43 points per game and a potent enough offense to get the job done. 

West Champion Lake Norman Wildcats, are a freer team offensively that scored more than 76 points per game in their 25 wins coming into the Saturday’s contest.  Lake Norman put up more than 90 points on three occasions this season, scoring an eye popping 108 against Statesville.

The first half was Terry Sanfords kind of game, as Lake Norman hit the court looking a bit tight.  Robert Carpenter had 7 points in the 1^st quarter, as Lake Norman heated up by mid-quarter to pull within 13-10. 

In the 2^nd quarter Paul Larsen came out lively with a couple of quick buckets.  Lake Norman seemed to be getting into a groove and took their first lead of the game on a Joseph Weston three-pointer.  Terry Sanford countered by posting guard Chris Wilson over the smaller Kevin Canevari, regaining the lead.  Reggie Price then came up with a four-point play to give the Wildcats a 27-24 advantage, but once again the defense of Terry Sanford showed up and the Bulldogs finished the half on a 7-0 run.

In the 3^rd quarter, Larsen continued to do damage inside with another 7 points in the quarter as Lake Norman gained momentum.  Robert Carpenter answered with 6 points of his own and Terry Sanford went into the 4^th quarter with a 43-40 lead.

Between periods, Coach Brandon Jolly must have given the speech of his life.  With everything on the line, the Wildcats came out with a 5-0 run to begin the period and never looked back.

Ironically it was the Lake Norman defense that came up huge, holding Terry Sanford to just 5 points in the 4^th.  The Bulldogs were forced to play faster than they would like on offense and Lake Norman maintained a healthy margin the rest of the way winning 63-46.

Price was the main cog in the decisive stretch with 11 of his game-high 20 in the final period and was named Most Outstanding Player for Lake Norman.  Larsen finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and was named Most Valuable Player.  Chris Wilson was named Most Outstanding Player for Terry Sanford, putting in a team high 13 points. 

Lake Norman earns a championship in men’s basketball to go with banners in men’s soccer, men’s swimming, women’s swimming, women’s tennis, men’s tennis, and wrestling.  Terry Sanford finishes 09/10 with just one blemish and state championship runners-up yet again. 

Kerry Smith

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