Lake Norman stops Chambers, punches ticket to the NCHSAA Final Four next week
The Lake Norman Wildcats used a strong defense and balanced scoring as they jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead and and went on to defeat the visiting Chambers Cougars 82-61 in a 4A West Regional basketball semifinal Friday night.
“It’s just who we are,” Lake Norman head coach Grant Hodges said. “When we play like that and share the ball we can be a tough team to beat.”
Lake Norman (28-2) never trailed and after the first quarter never led by fewer than five points as Tre Mckinnon scored six of his 19 points in the first quarter to help Lake Norman push in front.
Chambers (22-9) guard Markus Kerr scored back-to-back baskets midway through the second quarter to cut a Lake Norman lead to 24-19. But Lake Norman would hold Chambers without a field goal for the final 3:40 of the half and led 31-22.
Chambers would score the first four points of the third quarter to make it 31-26 but Lake Norman stayed poised, going on a 10-2 run over the next three minutes, capped by a 3-pointer by Josh Yates to extend the lead to 41-28.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chambers made one final push, closing to 56-49 on a Tarris Bouie dunk, but Lake Norman never panicked. The Wildcats would go on a 13-3 run, with nine of those points coming from the foul line, to put the Cougars away.
Three Who Mattered
Trent Steinour, Lake Norman: Junior center scored 19 points and controlled the paint for much of the game.
Tre McKinnon, Lake Norman: Also scored 19 for the Wildcats, including six straight from the foul line in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Tarris Bouie and Markus Kerr, Chambers: Each scored 17 points to help keep Chambers in the game.
Worth Mentioning
Lake Norman did a good job of getting the ball in the paint and drawing fouls, outscoring Chambers 20-8 from the foul line.
Lake Norman had five players score in double figures, the ninth time the Wildcats have done that this season. They have also had five different players lead them in scoring. “What I love about this team is the trust the guys have in each other,” Hodges said. “We wouldn’t have gone this far without our depth and it really showed tonight.”
There was a minor altercation early in the fourth quarter with players having to be separated after a Chambers dunk. A technical was called on McKinnon but calm was restored and the rest of the game went on without a problem.
Lake Norman advances to the regional final Thursday in Winston-Salem where they will face North Meck.
SUMMARY
Chambers 15 7 19 20 — 61
Lake Norman 19 12 20 31 — 82
LAKE NORMAN 82 — Tre McKinnon 19, Trent Steinour 19, Josh Yates 14, Santana Lynch 12
CHAMBERS 61 — Markus Kerr 17, Tarris Bouie 17, Maurio Hanson II 11
