If Isaiah Evans excels under pressure, it is understandable that he had another heroic moment on Thursday.

In a crucial game at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum, North Mecklenburg’s Evans made a crucial impact by scoring four points in the final 40 seconds, leading the team to overtime and keeping their hopes alive for a state title in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A West regional.

During the additional time, North Mecklenburg won 65-61 against Lake Norman due to Evans’ shot that put them in the lead with 40 seconds remaining, followed by two successful free throws to secure the victory.

The Vikings are set to take on the undefeated New Hanover in the 4A boys basketball championship this Saturday. The specific time is yet to be announced.

Trent Steinour scored a driving runner off the backboard to give Lake Norman the lead with 51 seconds remaining. However, Evans immediately responded with a similar play.

The player who was recruited by Duke was able to send the game into overtime by making a jump shot from the corner of the court with only 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Lake Norman had been in the lead with a score of 57-53 and only 37.4 seconds left, but Evans made a strong offensive move and scored two points. Then, the North Meck team stole the ball after Lake Norman attempted an inbound pass, which allowed for the tying shot to be taken.

The score was tied at 57 and the game went into overtime.

Throughout the entire fourth quarter, it was a seesaw battle. The team in second place, Lake Norman (28-3), only held the lead for the first 1:08 of the game. However, a successful putback by Santana Lynch right before the end of the third quarter allowed them to take a 45-43 lead after being behind by 10 points earlier in the period.

In the Western division, North Mecklenburg (29-3) was the fifth-ranked team. They were ahead at halftime with a score of 27-21 after Isaiah Evans made a 30-foot 3-pointer as the clock was winding down.

The Duke recruit finished with a team-high 30 points on 12-of-32 shooting. But it was the help of Trey Maxwell (14) and Chadlyn Traylor (13) to shoulder the early scoring load that gave the Vikings some early cushion.Lake Norman was powered by a quartet of scorers: 7-foot big man Trent Steinour had 14 points and 15 rebounds, Josh Yates had 13 points, Tre McKinnon had 16 and Santana Lynch had 14 points.

North Mecklenburg has won two state championships, whereas Lake Norman has one. The Wildcats have been runners-up twice, while the Vikings have been finalists four times (and now five).

In the game between North Mecklenburg and Lake Norman, the final score was 65-61 in favor of North Mecklenburg in overtime.

In the North Mecklenburg game, Isaiah Evans scored 30 points, followed by Chadlyn Traylor with 13 points, Trey Maxwell III with 14 points, Ashton Pierce with 7 points, and Exzavier Young with 1 point.

Lake Norman: Josh Yates 13, Tre McKinnon 16, Santana Lynch 14, Trent Steinour 14, Nick Arnold 4

Source: highschoolot.com