Independence High wins NCHSAA state title, with defense

Independence High’s boys basketball team is a state champion again.

The Patriots used the same zone defense to confuse Wake Forest Heritage that it had used to confuse 30 of its previous 31 opponents Saturday in the N.C. 4A state title game.

Independence won 71-60 in the type of game it prefers, slow, steady and dominated by defense. Coming into the finals, the Patriots had limited 23 of its 31 opponents to 60 points or less.

Heritage (25-5), which had won 18 straight games, got to 60, but a rush of points came at the end when the game was salted away.

That allowed Independence to win its 22nd straight game, finish the season at 31-1 and win its first state championship since 1997, when head coach Preston Davis was a player.

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This story was originally published March 10, 2018 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Independence High wins NCHSAA state title, with defense."