The “Motown Showdown” between Lake Norman (12-5) and Mooresville (14-1) was an exciting and entertaining game which wasn’t decided until the final horn sounded. It was a game of runs and Mooresville escaped with the 76-75 home court conference win. The atmosphere was simply electric and both student bodies should be commended for their excellent support. While the fans were loud , they were well-behaved, but more importantly created a fun-filled environment that should be the envy of high school basketball in the state of North Carolina.
Both teams battled it out in the first quarter and Mooresville managed a 17-16 lead. Mooresville turned it loose in the second quarter and raced to a 49-35 halftime lead, outscoring Lake Norman 32-19. Mooresville started the second half and expanded their lead to 20, before Lake Norman rallied and narrowed the lead to 65-52 at the end of the third quarter. To put it mildly, Mooresville had Lake Norman “on the ropes” and could have easily cruised to an easy win. That being said, Lake Norman had a “never quit” attitude and showed tremendous heart and resiliency. Many teams would have completely given up and thrown in the towel, but that was not the case with this young Lake Norman team. With less a minute less in the game, Lake Norman managed to tie the game at 74 apiece. In the end, Mooresville escaped with the 76-75 win, Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the key players and storylines of the game.
Coach Armard Moore (Mooresville)
In his second year as head coach, Coach Moore has done an outstanding job turning around the Blue Devil program. Last year, Mooresville finished with a 2-9 record. Starting anew at any school is a monumental task, but try doing it during the COVID pandemic. More impressive is the fact that Mooresville has won more games this season (15-1) than the four previous years. Mooresville finished 2-9 during the 2020-21 season, 4-21 during the 2019-20 season, 6-19 during the 2019-20 season, and 3-21 during the 2018-19 season. Coach Moore has Mooresville rolling and is one game behind Cox Mill for first place. Mooresville lost earlier to Cox Mill by two points and a rematch is right around the corner.
6’4 ’22 KC Shaw (Mooresville)
The long, lean and athletic combo guard did just a little bit of everything in the game against Lake Norman. Shaw finished with a game high 31 points, including 13-14 from the free throw line. While known for his elite level athleticism, we were equally impressed with his court vision and timely passes that led to easy baskets, not to mention his ability to use his leaping ability to secure rebounds. For the game, Shaw finished with nine rebounds and dished out six assists.
6’4 ’22 Christian Howell (Mooresville)
What a workhorse in the paint! Howell finished with a “double double” of 22 points and 10 rebounds. While somewhat undersized in the paint, Howell battled and battled throughout the game. He gets his hands on a lot of loose balls and simply has a nose for the ball. Howell has excellent anticipation for missed shots and converted some tough shots on the interior.
Grant Hodges (Lake Norman)
Coach Hodges has plenty to be proud of. First of all, the future looks extremely bright. Four of his top five scorers are all underclassmen led by the 1-2 scoring punch of 6’4 junior Cole Callaway (18.2 PPG) and 6’5 freshman Tre McKinnon (12.8 PPG) More importantly, his team showed tremendous heart and resiliency. Lake Norman could have easily folded in the second half with the huge deficit, but his calm and confidence leadership was instrumental in the comeback. While Lake Norman came a little short, it was a great learning experience for his team with that “no quite” attitude.
6’5 ’22 Davis Wagner (Lake Norman)
Wagner, once again, was tremendous in the losing effort. One thing is crystal clear. You won’t find many players with his competitive spirit on both ends of the court. For the year, Wagner is almost averaging a “double double” of 11.3 PPG and 9.2 RPG. In the game against Mooresville, he showed more versatility stepping out and knocking down some perimeter shots, not to mention he’s a warrior in the paint area. Wagner finished with team high 27 points, including 14 rebounds.
6’4 ’23 Cole Callaway (Lake Norman)
Callaway picked up two fouls early and had to sit a majority of the first quarter. That being said, Callaway bounced back and finished with 17 points including three 3-pointers. Callaway continues to make huge strides in his overall development as he has become more efficient off the dribble and become more of a 3-level scorer.
6’4 ’23 Henderson Williams (Lake Norman)
Williams stepped up big in the second half and provided a much needed spark. Williams finished with 13 points, but 11 of those came in the second half. Williams like Wagner, is a tough, hard-nose competitor that brings that workmanship approach to the game.