In NC East region high school basketball final, Panther Creek stops Cleveland, 68-54

This season’s Panther Creek boys forever etched its legacy among its school’s athletics traditions Saturday at Green Level High School.

Panther Creek defeated Cleveland, 68-54, in the NCHSAA 4A Eastern regional final to punch its ticket to a first-ever state championship game appearance.

Panther Creek (23-7), which led 22-20 at halftime, seized control of the game by scoring the fourth quarter’s first 11 points to extend the Catamounts’ lead to 17. Team leading scorers Amari Odom (16), Tyler Thompson (14), and James Daly (13) accounted for all of the run’s 11 points.

Cleveland (30-2) scored its first fourth-quarter points at the period’s 4:37 mark. Rams guard Baron Williams scored a game high 24 points (four 3-pointers), while teammate Trey Fields added 19.

Fields spent much of the third quarter on the bench after picking up his third foul. Fields returned to the game at the period’s 1:18 mark. He scored five straight points that brought Cleveland within four (38-34). Odom’s inbound lob pass to Thompson for a buzzer-beating layup shifted momentum to Panther Creek for its run to start the final stanza.

Panther Creek will meet Weddington in next weekend state 4A final. Weddington won the 3A crown a year ago and has won 48 straight games.

Panther Creek coach Shawan Robinson played in the 2001 4A state final for Leesville Road, where he was coached by his father Darryl, now a Panther Creek assistant coach.

This story was originally published March 6, 2022 at 12:19 AM with the headline "In NC East region high school basketball final, Panther Creek stops Cleveland, 68-54."