NCHSAA men's basketball roundup, Lake Norman HS headed to state championship

GREENSBORO — The North Carolina High School Athletic Association had regional finals for men's high school basketball in Greensboro this past weekend.

In the 2A bracket, North Rowan High School played Smoky Mountain. The North Rowan Cavaliers' won the game with a final score of 58 to 56. The Cavaliers (22-5) will take on the Kinston High School Vikings (25-4) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum.

In the 4A bracket, Lake Norman High School took on Greensboro Page. The Lake Norman Wildcats had an 18-point lead at halftime that vanished in the third quarter. At the end of Page's run, the Pirates had taken the lead by one. The Wildcats regained composure after Page's run, and Trey Ford hit the game-winning three to send Lake Norman to the state championship Saturday, winning by a final score of 61 to 58. Hunter Seacat and Kishawn Pritchett finished with 18 points each.

"It was a nightmare third quarter but we just kept battling and grinding. People were questioning whether we had that toughness to grind one out and we've done it two games in a row. So we're living on nine lives, hopefully we've got one more left in us for Raleigh," said Lake Norman head coach Brandon Jolly.  Lake Norman (28-1) will face the Apex High School Cougars (22-7) at Reynolds Coliseum on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The 3A regional final was the last game Sunday afternoon, featuring Freedom High School and North Forsyth. The Freedom Patriots won the game 76 to 59. The Patriots (30-1) will play James B. Hunt High School Warriors (25-2) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Dean Smith Center.