Lake Norman Publications

Basketball Playoffs: Harper tip sends Pride to 2nd round


JT Harper, left, hit the game-winning shot for Pine Lake Prep in the first round of the 1A playoffs. Jacob Morgan, right, leads the Pride at 19.1 points per game. Photo by Doug Coats
File photo

MOUNT MOURNE – Pine Lake Prep defeated defending 1A state champion Bishop McGuinness 58-57 Feb. 25 with a tip-in by JT Harper with one second remaining.

Harper, a junior forward, finished with 10 points in the first-round home matchup. The 12-seeded Pride (18-9) overcame a 9-point fourth-quarter deficit and were led by 12 points from Meelad Doroodchi, and Carson Shirley and Trace Forest with 11 each.

Villains 6-foot-4 sophomore Dawson McAlhany scored a game-high 23 points for the 21st seed, from Winston-Salem. Senior Jake Ledbetter scored 15.

The Pride next traveled to Hayesville Feb. 27 for a second-round tilt.

Wildcats break playoff streak

MOORESVILLE – The Lake Norman girls won the program’s first playoff game in 10 years when they defeated West Forsyth 63-48 Feb. 25 in the 4A state playoffs.

The 15-seeded Wildcats advanced to 16-9 on the year and faced second-seeded Kernersville Glenn Feb. 27. Lake Norman lost to Glenn in last year’s first round 75-49.

Lake Norman falls to Sabres

MOORESVILLE – The Lake Norman boys’ season came to end with a 67-51 first-round loss to South Meck Feb. 25.

Junior forward Christian Taylor led the 16-seeded Wildcats (14-12) with 13 points, and senior guard Bryant King had 12.

The 17-seeded Sabres out of the South Meck 7 (13-11) were led by 6-foot-8 junior Joseph Ferrante, who scored a game-high 15 points.
Lake Norman only trailed by one after the first quarter but was outscored 55-28 over the next two frames.

Though frequent high-scorer Jack Edmonson will graduate, the bulk of the Wildcats’ core is made up of juniors, including guards Clay Hodges and Cam Kepley, as well as versatile forwards Seth Aeschliman and Taylor.

Langtree stymies Starmount

MOORESVILLE – The Langtree Charter girls won a first-round playoff game for the second consecutive year in the program’s three-year history.

The 10-seeded Lions (26-4) defeated Starmount 49-32 Feb. 25 in the 1A state playoffs. They held the Rams to two points in the second quarter, and four in the fourth.

Pine Lake falls to mighty Murphy

MURPHY – The Pine Lake Prep girls fell to top-seeded Murphy 79-25 Feb. 25 in the 1A state playoffs.

The Lions, under second-year head coach Scott Fitzgibbons, finished the year 7-19 with a 7-7 mark in the PAC 7 conference. Murphy remained undefeated at 26-0.

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