This week, Corvian Community’s boys basketball team will compete for their first-ever state championship, following their victory over the number one team in the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s 1A state playoffs.

On Monday evening, the Cardinals, the second-seeded team in the playoffs, won against the number one seed, South Stokes, in the western regional championship game at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem with a score of 53-41.

In the first quarter, South Stokes quickly took the lead with a score of 14-9, but in the second quarter, Corvian fought back. The Cardinals outscored the Sauras 17-11 in the second quarter.

R.J. Moore Jr. scored a last-second shot to put Corvian in the lead, 26-25, at the end of the first half. Moore ended the game with 15 total points.

In the third quarter, the Cardinals extended their advantage as Moore executed a successful three-point shot from the corner, bringing the score to 33-25. However, South Stokes responded with a surge towards the end of the quarter. With only 13.4 seconds remaining, Barry Hairston Jr. scored for the Sauras, bringing the deficit to 37-34 by the end of the quarter.

Corvian had the final run, scoring 16 points while South Stokes only scored 7 in the fourth quarter when the Sauras’ shots were not successful.

Corvian’s top scorer was Moore with 15 points, while Hudson contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Cardinals. These were the only players from Corvian who scored in double digits, but McCutcheon, Scott, and Jackson Jr. each added eight points.

Korrin N’Diaye was the top scorer for South Stokes with 12 points. He also achieved a double-double by adding 12 points. Hairston contributed 10 points for the Sauras.

The deciding factor in the game was the number of turnovers and fast break points. Corvian caused 17 turnovers while only committing seven, giving them a 13-3 advantage in points-off-turnovers. They also outscored South Stokes 10-2 on fast break plays.

Corvian (27-3) will play against the current 1A state champion Wilson Prep in the final game on Friday in Winston-Salem. In an earlier match today, Wilson Prep beat Bertie 62-46.

South Stokes ended the season with a record of 29-2.

Corvian: R.J. Moore Jr. 15, Jack Hudson 14 (13 rebounds), Malachi McCutcheon 8, Adrian Scott 8, A.J. Jackson Jr. 8.

Korrin N’Diaye scored 12 points and had 12 rebounds for South Stokes, followed by Barry Hairston Jr. with 10 points, Isiah Lash with 8 points, Brady Clark with 7 points, and Michael Werts with 4 points.

Source: highschoolot.com