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COLUMN: Feisty Wildcats pack a powerful punch
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Published: February 23, 2009
Have you seen Lake Norman basketball player Matt Denyes?
The physically unassuming forward is a good basketball player, and a pretty nice guy, too.
Nice is not usually what you want when things get physical.
Have you seen West Rowan forward Chris Smith?
He was an all-state defensive end on the Falcons state championship football team.
Sturdy and loaded with muscles, Smith looks like he could bench press an airplane.
So it was interesting in Friday's North Piedmont 3A tournament championship game to see the mild-mannered Denyes thrust his chest into Smith's, stand toe-to-toe with a much bigger man and refuse to give an inch.
The confrontation came moments after Denyes' teammate, Matt Eller, was cold-cocked by an errant elbow to the head that caused him to momentarily black out.
That's when the Wildcats were supposed to shirk away quietly and defer to their bigger, more physical opponent.
Look, everyone knows the stigma attached to Lake Norman — that it's a preppy school heavily populated by the wealthy.
Unfair as that stigma may be, it has carried over to the Wildcats hoops team as well.
Lake Norman has only lost once this year, but it was a 70-47 mauling to West Rowan in which the Falcons asserted their will and physically manhandled Lake Norman.
These Wildcats have some fight in them, though.
Sometimes in basketball — and in life in general — you must stand up to a bigger, intimidating opponent and show you won't be pushed around.
When it started getting rough Friday, Lake Norman players collectively gritted their teeth, dug in their heels and made a stand.
It started when Eller leapt to his feet after the cobwebs cleared and screamed a few choice words at the Falcons.
After being pulled off the court by Lake Norman coach Brandon Jolly, Eller re-entered the game a few moments later to jeers and some obscene gestures from the West Rowan student section.
Eller flashed a grin into the stands, then ran down the court and buried a 3-pointer.
Late in the game, 20 minutes after being knocked senseless, Eller delivered the knockout punch.
His jumper with no time on the clock sealed a 56-54 win that clinched the NPC's No. 1 seed in the N.C. High School Athletic Association's 3A playoffs.
Lake Norman opens the first round at home tonight against Porter Ridge.
You never can tell what will happen in the playoffs, particularly at the high school level.
The Wildcats, though, have all the tools to make a deep run toward a state championship.
They have strong post play, an excellent point guard, athleticism to spare and 3-point shooters to stretch the defense.
Most importantly, as shown Friday night, Lake Norman is a tough, unified team.
Let's see how far it takes them.
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