Norcross humbled by Dunwoody

AJC, High School Sports, 11/21/06, by John Hollis

Norcross 'humbled' by Dunwoody

From the story:

Officially, this game never happened. But try telling that to the raucous Dunwoody faction at the conclusion of Monday night's scrimmage at Norcross.

Chants of "overrated" echoed throughout the gym as the two-time and defending Class AAA champions stunned the Blue Devils, the reigning Class AAAAA champions and the nation's second-ranked team, according to USA Today, with a 73-70 decision.

Norcross, which officially will open its season at Shiloh on Nov. 28, had nobody to blame but itself for the setback.

The Blue Devils misfired on a staggering 27 of their 49 free throw attempts for the evening and clanged 16 of their 18 tries from beyond the 3-point arc to spoil a furious rally from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit.

and

The Wildcats led by 16 points (60-44) early in the fourth period, but Norcross stormed back into contention.

A pair of Jordan DeMercy free throws with 1:20 left brought the hosts to within one at 67-66.

But the Wildcats slammed the door shut, hitting six of eight free throw attempts the rest of the way to assure the upset.

Dunwoody finished the night 17 of 24 from the stripe.

Georgia signee Zac Swansey totaled 18 points and six assists to pace the winners, while high-flying teammate Delesan Graham added 16 points and 13 boards.

Norcross, which features four starters at least 6-foot-5 or better, struggled early on as the smaller but quicker Wildcats consistently hurt them in transition.

Quick shots and an inability to consistently swing the ball fast against a tough Dunwoody defense denied the Blue Devils many good looks throughout the evening.

and

Georgia Tech signee Gani Lawal added 15 rebounds, six blocked shots and two assists to his game-high 21 points in the losing effort for Norcross.

"I think we're a humble team," he said, "but this humbled us even more."

Picture credit and caption:

JASON GETZ / Staff
Norcross' Gani Lawal (left) gets off a pass past Dunwoody defender Justin Thurman during a scrimmage Monday night. Lawal scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a losing effort.

+ Hoop Dawgs Message Board discussion of D'wood-N'cross scrimmage