Lake Norman sweeps Hickory Ridge at home. Boys clinch share of league title
Lake Norman’s boys were dominant Tuesday night.
The Wildcats, No. 5 in The Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, controlled 81-58 home victory over Hickory Ridge from the start.
While its offense shot the ball well throughout the night, Lake Norman’s 10th win in a row featured a second-half blowout that continually limited the Ragin’ Bulls’ scoring opportunities.
“We’ve been playing really well defensively,” said head coach Grant Hodges. “We’re a really good offensive rebounding team, and sometimes we get a little complacent on the defensive boards because we put so much pressure on other teams with our offense.”
Lake Norman (20-1, 9-0 Greater Metro 4A) secured at least a share of the conference title. The Wildcats haven’t lost since their 72-71 heartbreaker against Weddington on Dec. 22.
In addition to junior center Trent Steinour, who jammed home a fourth-quarter dunk, Lake Norman’s well-balanced offense found different ways to make baskets as it ran up the score late.
“Out there tonight was so much fun for me — dunking the ball, then the energy from the teammates, the student section, the bench,” Steinour said. “Everyone being so energized just gives you so much energy and adrenaline.”
Steinour, their 6-foot-10 Division I recruit, wasn’t the only Wildcat who slammed home a dunk in Tuesday’s rout.
Junior guard Tre McKinnon, who is 6-foot-5, slammed home three dunks during the fourth quarter. Senior Santana Lynch, also 6-foot-5, dunked as well.
“Tre threw the lob to Santana, and then Santana threw a lob to Tre,” Steinour said. “That was really cool. I got a lob from Josh (Yates).
“That’s unselfish. A teammate throwing a lob to another person, and then they throw the lob back the other guy the play later. It’s really fun to play with them.”
Lake Norman has beaten Hickory Ridge (16-6, 7-3 Greater Metro 4A) in both meetings this year. It plays Cox Mill and West Cabarrus to round out the regular season.
“We wanted to go through conference undefeated, that was our goal,” Hodges said. “The guys played really well down the stretch tonight.”
No. 1 Lake Norman girls rally past No. 11 Hickory Ridge
Lake Norman has played close games against Hickory Ridge. But nearly every Wildcats’ game in the last year has ended in a decisive victory.
The Wildcats fell behind early in their 52-48 win Tuesday night. The game went back and forth until late in the fourth quarter.
Lake Norman’s speed and defensive pressure was too much for the Bulls down the stretch. The Wildcats won their 11th straight game — and have still never lost a Greater Metro 4A game since joining the conference.
“Not comparing us to Carolina-Duke, but any time two teams go against each other that have seen so much of each other that every game is big, you never know what to expect,” said Lake Norman’s seventh-year head coach McKenzie Graham. “Kudos to them; they had a lot of energy from the tip.”
Lake Norman’s (19-1, 9-0 Greater Metro 4A) lone loss came at the hands of Georgia’s Campbell High. The Wildcats haven’t lost to a North Carolina opponent since falling to Cary’s Panther Creek in last year’s NCHSAA 4A championship game.
In that season, Lake Norman set a program record with their 31-1 campaign.
Hickory Ridge (18-4, 8-2) scored the game’s first 10 points as it jumped in front early.
The Bulls held commanding leads and battled throughout Tuesday’s game, taking a five-point lead into the fourth quarter.
“It’s one of the first times that we’ve had to face some real adversity — being down big in the first quarter,” Graham said. “I don’t think we’ve been in a situation like that in a year or more. My girls dug in and found a way to do it down the stretch.”
Sophomore forward Kelsey Rhyne knocked down a 3-pointer that trimmed the deficit to 40-38 with five minutes left, and a great find down low to junior guard Addison Sirianni tied the game.
At that point, the Wildcats just kept their foot on the gas. The defense pressed, which allowed junior point guard Adason Buoniconti to come up with a steal and deliver Lake Norman the lead.
After Hickory Ridge quickly responded and knotted the game at 42, Alexis Shehan was fouled on a strong chance to score and capitalized at the charity stripe. Her sister, Samantha, hit a layup on the next possession.
“The Shehan twins are no joke,” Graham said. “They play so well off of each other. We’ve been working on that baseball pass, and Lex threw an absolute dime to Sam down the stretch. That’s what we’re capable of. That’s the basketball that we like to play.”
