West Charlotte slams the door on North Iredell, heads to Elite 8 after a big win
West Charlotte was on a mission in the third round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs Saturday night, and the Lions’ intense defense was too much for North Iredell as they ran out to a 70-33 win, advancing to Tuesday’s regional semifinal.
“I felt really good about the win,” Lions head coach Jacoby Davis said. “I thought our guys played at the level they should.”
To Davis’ point, the Lions forced nine turnovers, and their defensive pressure was excellent. They made every pass for the Raiders a difficult one.
West Charlotte held North Iredell to under double-figure scoring in all but one quarter (North Iredell scored 12 in the second), but nothing came easy. Nearly every shot was contested.
“The one thing that I talk about with us is our defense,” Davis said. “It’s our strength. We can do whatever we need to do, play zone, play man, pressure you. So, I felt that was our thing, just stressing that we have to pressure you and take their best guy out of the game.”
West Charlotte’s leading scorer, Landon King, finished with 14 points, right at his season average, and had seven rebounds.
“He can score the ball, there is no question,” coach Davis said about King. “He did struggle early, he was in foul trouble early. That is a part of it. There are some things we talked about earlier in the season about picking up those cheap fouls early so you don’t sit as long. But, he was in his bag tonight.”
King feels that if the team continues to play for one another that they will find success in the next round of the playoffs.
“I felt like we played well as a team, we played good and nobody played selfish,” King said. There was one thing King felt was important heading into the next round. “Kepp attacking and keep talking on defense.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Landon King, West Charlotte: The senior starter did it all for his team despite picking up two fouls early in the game. He controlled the game on both sides of the ball, forcing turnovers and getting good looks on offense. His absence on the floor is noticed when he has to go out of the game, but when he comes back in there is a sense of intensity that picks back up.
Chadlyn Traylor, West Charlotte: Despite only scoring two points, Traylor is a phenomenal freshman point guard. His passing was something you would not expect to see out of a freshman. He had eight assists on the game and made incredible outlet passes which led to run-out layups.
Alius Bowser, West Charlotte: Totaling 12 points on the night, Bowser lived in the mid-range all game scoring over the North Iredell big men. He and King were the catalysts to the offensive attack for the Lions all game.
WORTH MENTIONING
▪ The North Iredell team shot the ball really well in warmups, but when the West Charlotte pressure started ramping up, open shots were hard to come by, and the Raiders did not have a single 3-point basket in the game.
WHAT’S NEXT
West Charlotte advances to the quarterfinals of the playoffs to play at Greensboro’s Ben L. Smith HIgh. The North Iredell Raiders’ season comes to an end.
