Cox Mill, Wendell Moore thump Greensboro Smith, return to 3A finals

Cox Mill coach Jody Barbee said he didn’t expect his team would breeze to a repeat state championship.

Turns out he was right.

After winning their first four playoff games by more than 35 points, Greensboro Smith gave the Chargers a fight in the regional semifinals. But in the end, Cox Mill star Wendell Moore, the reigning N.C. public school player of the year, was just too much to handle.

Moore dominated the fourth quarter and pushed his team to a 61-49 win and a return to the next week’s N.C. 3A state championship game.

Cox Mill will play Jacksonville Northside for the state title.

“Coach told me to get the ball and make plays,” said Moore, who finished with 32 points, five rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocks. “That’s what I did. Not only did I score, I also got my teammates involved....He’s been preaching that to me since I stepped in the building, that when the time comes I’ve got to take over the game. I felt I did a good job of that today.”

The Chargers (28-3), who have imposed their will defensively on playoff opponents, couldn’t consistently bother Smith until late in the game.

In the fourth quarter, when it counted, Moore and that defense returned.

On Smith’s first 10 fourth-quarter possessions, it turned the ball over eight times. Meanwhile, Moore scored five points and helped his team to a 47-41 lead it would not give up.

For Cox Mill, North Carolina recruit Leaky Black added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Charlotte 49ers recruit Isaiah Bigelow led Smith (27-4) with 14 points and five rebounds.

And for Cox Mill, it has one game left in a season in which it was expected to win big.

“It’s huge,” said Chargers coach Jody Barbee. “You go win a state championship last year and all of the expectations. This has been the hardest season for me. I ain’t crying the blues. I ain’t having a pity party, but you’ve got two kids ranked in the top 50 in the nation and everybody expects you not to lose a game.

“We lost three against three nationally ranked teams. But for us to get back here says a lot about...how hard the kids have worked.”

This story was originally published March 3, 2018 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Cox Mill, Wendell Moore thump Greensboro Smith, return to 3A finals."