Seventy-First beats Westover to return to 3A title game for second time in three years
For the second time in three years, Seventy-First's boys basketball team will get a shot a N.C. High School Athletic Association state championship.
At Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem on Tuesday afternoon, (4) Seventy-First defeated (2) Westover 63-44 in a 3A eastern regional championship game between two Cumberland County teams.
Seventy-First set the tone early, opening the game on a 12-3 run. Westover managed just one field goal in the first quarter and the Falcons led 15-5.
Westover shot just 10% from the field in the opening quarter.
The Wolverines settled down in the second quarter, outscoring Seventy-First 17-16, but the Falcons had a comfortable 31-22 lead at halftime.
Jacquez Foster hit a three-point shot at the buzzer for Seventy-First, which gave the Falcons some momentum going into the break.
Seventy-First reasserted itself in the second half. The Falcons went 3-of-6 from three-point range in the third quarter and outscored Westover 15-8 to take a 46-30 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Falcons led by as many as 23 points as they cruised to the win over Westover.
Foster led Seventy-First in scoring with 25 points, including five made three-point baskets. Mylon Campbell added 13 points and Deandre Nance scored 12 points for the Falcons.
Westover's Ari Fulton led the Wolverines in scoring with 15 points. Jaeden James was the only other Westover player in double-figures with 10 points.
This will mark the fifth time in school history that Seventy-First has played for a basketball state championship, but the Falcons are still looking for their first win in a state championship game.
Seventy-First (27-2) will face the winner of (2) Central Cabarrus and (1) Hickory in the championship game on Friday in Winston-Salem.
Westover ends its season with a record of 29-2. Westover's only losses this season came to Seventy-First.
Box Score: Seventy-First 63, Westover 44
Seventy-First: Jacquez Foster 25, Mylon Campbell 13, Deandre Nance 12, Micah Dowdy-Isom 6, Kayden Diggs 6, Xavier McBryde 1.
Westover: Ari Fulton 15, Jaeden James 10, Malachia Allen 5, Jerimiah McGrady 4, Marselis Drummond 4, Jaylen Miller 4, Almare Josey 2.
