Third-ranked Wildcats clip fifth-ranked Titans

This game had no business in the first round of the State Sectional playoffs. Or the sectional semifinals. Or maybe even the sectional championship.
The third-ranked Lake Norman Wildcats edged the fifth-ranked McDowell Titans 69-63 at Titan Gym Monday in a matchup more suited to the Regional Tournament than the opening round.
Lake Norman (21-3), the third seed from the I-Meck Conference, met the Titans (22-2), the top seed from the Mountain Athletic Conference, because of the state athletic association's preset playoff brackets. The same brackets had 3-18 Garinger playing at 4-16 A.C. Reynolds Monday.
McDowell, despite a distinct size disadvantage, led the game by two points at halftime. The Wildcats took the lead for good when they scored the first seven points of the third quarter, but the Titans got within one in the fourth before some clutch shooting down the stretch gave Lake Norman the edge.
The Wildcats got 20 points and 12 rebounds from chiseled 6-8 Mercer recruit Paul Larson. Heavily recruited 6-3 guard Reggie Price added 14 and post Matt Eller tossed in 13.
Chavis Hamilton, in the final game of his four-year varsity career, recorded his 15th double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 boards. Eli Miller (3 rebounds, 3 assists) added 14. Brandon Dockery and Randall Conley (6 rebounds) tossed in nine each.
"I'm disappointed we lost," said Titans head coach Lloyd Church. "But we played hard, we played smart and we played tough. We did things our way, and we just came up short.
"I couldn't be any prouder of them. We had a chance to win against a great team. I'm disappointed, but I am so proud of these guys."
The Titans led 20-18 after one quarter and 31-29 at the half.
But Eller sank a short jumper to tie the game, and Larson scored in the paint at the 6:22 mark to give Lake Norman a 33-31 lead it never relinquished. After a McDowell turnover, the Wildcats' Brian Whalen (9 points, 4 rebounds) hit a 3-pointer to make it 36-31 with 5:35 left in the period.
"We started playing with a little bit more intensity and a little more fire in the second half," said Lake Norman head coach Brandon Jolly. "It looked like we were asleep in the first half. We had a long bus ride up here, and I don't know if that carried over or what. But we actually came out and played the way we were capable in the second half."
But the Titans didn't quit.
McDowell got within 47-44 after three periods as Hamilton - who scored 14 of his 18 in the second half - asserted himself against his larger adversaries.
The Titans got as close as 53-52 when Hamilton converted a conventional three-point play off a Miller assist with 4:08 remaining.
But Whalen drilled a trey from the left wing on the ensuing possession. McDowell missed its next shot, and Wildcats point guard Kevin Canevari canned both ends of a one-and-one to make it 58-52 with 3:17 to go.
Another missed shot by the Titans led to a bucket by Eller that gave Lake Norman a 60-52 lead and effectively ended McDowell's comeback attempt.
Tyler Hopkins (4 assists) added seven points for the Titans and Tre' Young (5 rebounds) scored six.
Statistically, the two clubs were remarkably close.
The Titans shot 43 percent (23-of-53), while Lake Norman hit for 46 percent (25-of-54). The Wildcats held a slight 31-28 rebounding edge. McDowell committed 13 turnovers, Lake Norman 14. The Titans were 14-of-19 from the line, the Wildcats 14-of-22.
Lake Norman advances to the sectional semifinals. The Wildcats will be on the road at West Meck (13-13) tonight.
McDowell's 22-2 mark is the second best in school history in terms of winning percentage (.916). Only the 1991-92 team (28-1, .965) was better.

Lake Norman (69) Kevin Canevari 0-3 7-8 7, Brian Whalen 3-9 0-0 9, Reggie Price 5-12 3-4 14, Matt Eller 6-11 0-2 13, Paul Larson 8-14 4-8 20, Joe Weston 0-2 0-0 0, Chris Patterson 3-3 0-0 6, Mark Larsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-54 14-22 69.
McDowell (63) Tyler Hopkins 3-6 0-0 7, Tre' Young 3-6 0-1 6, Chavis Hamilton 7-14 4-4 18, Brandon Dockery 4-14 1-2 9, Eli Miller 4-8 4-6 14, Dakota Arrowood 0-2 0-0 0, Randall Conley 2-3 5-6 9, Zack Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-53 14-19 63.

Lake Norman 18 11 18 22 - 69
McDowell 20 11 13 19 - 63

Rebounds: Lake Norman (31) McDowell (28) Rebound leaders: Lake Norman (Larson 12) McDowell (Hamilton 11) 3-point goals: Lake Norman (5-21) McDowell (3-12) Lake Norman (Canevari 0-3, Whalen 3-7, Price 1-7, Eller 1-3, Weston 0-1) McDowell (Miller 2-5, Dockery 0-4, Arrowood, Hamilton 0-1, Hopkins 1-1) McDowell assist leaders: (Hopkins 4) McDowell steals leaders: (Miller, Dockery, Arrowood 1) McDowell blocked shot leaders: (Dockery, Hopkins 1) Turnovers: Lake Norman (14) McDowell (13)