Norcross knows its state championship game foe well: 'I don't even know if we need to practice, to be honest'

By David Friedlander | Photo by Ed Turlington

BUFORD, Ga. — When Norcross first met Newton in the second game of the 2021-22 season back in November, the Blue Devils learned a lot about themselves, as well as the Rams.

That early-season, 16-point loss served them well during the rematch Saturday in the Class 7A state tournament semifinals.

This time, Norcross made enough adjustments pregame and in-game to upend Newton 75-72.

With their starting five playing almost the entire game, the Blue Devils (25-6) showed plenty of stamina, with four starters finishing in double-figure scoring, led by Jerry Deng with a game-high 22 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

The Blue Devils learned a lot in their first meeting with the Rams (24-5), and that played a key role in earning a trip to the state finals Saturday in Macon, where another familiar foe — Region 7-7A rival Berkmar — awaits.

"It was execution on the offensive end, and really just kind of locking in and knowing personnel and scouting on the defensive end and rebounding, to be honest," Norcross coach Jesse McMillan said. "Newton is elite on the offensive glass. When we played them in November, we gave up 16 offensive rebounds and they beat us by (16). So we knew coming in (Saturday) night we had to kind of cut that in half. I don't know how many offensive rebounds they had, but they didn't get a lot late in the fourth quarter, and that was the difference.”

Newton out-rebounded Norcross 37-29 for the game, but the Rams got scant second-chance opportunities down the stretch.

The Blue Devils also did a solid job keeping Newton four-star wing Stephon Castle in check most of the night, though the 6-foot-6 junior did give the Rams a fighting chance down the stretch with 12 of his 20 points.

They also withstood a scoring binge from reserve Marcus Whitlock, who went for 18 of his 20 points in the second quarter and stayed within striking distance heading into the fourth quarter trailing just 51-49.

That was thanks largely to Deng, who carried the team throughout most of the first half, especially when junior point guard London Johnson was saddled with early foul trouble.

“I was thinking to myself, I'm not going home,” the 6-7, 220-pound senior said. “I'm not going to lose. I just got in that mode and just went crazy.

Down the stretch, his Norcross teammates began to get Deng some help.

Johnson picked up his scoring with the bulk of his 21 points, and he contributed six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Fellow juniors Mier Panoam (10 points) and Samarion Bond (16 points) also came to the forefront.

Senior Hezekiah Flagg, who played a strong complementary role with seven rebounds and six assists, contributed offensively with a basket that tied the game at 58-58 with 4:12 remaining.

Johnson then gave Norcross the lead for good with his only 3-pointer of the game with 3:12 left, and the Blue Devils withstood Castle's late attempt to shoot Newton back into the game.

When the last of Castle's three 3-pointers in the final quarter went through the net with only a few seconds left and Newton with no more timeouts, Bond let the ball roll a bit before inbounding the ball to allow the clock to run out.

And having learned enough to vanquish one foe that had beaten them earlier in the season, the Blue Devils now turn their attention to another in their opponent in the title game, Berkmar.

Norcross has dropped three previous meetings with the Patriots, but they've all been close, with Berkmar's three wins coming by a combined nine points.

“We've seen them a lot,” Deng said of Berkmar. “They've seen us, and we know how they play, but I think we can beat them.”

Norcross has been on the other end of an identical situation before.

Back in 2018, the Blue Devils had beaten region rival Meadowcreek three times by a combined 15 points during the regular season and region tournament, only to see Mustangs turn the tables on them in the championship game to take a 13-point win and the title.

McMillan will no doubt mention that to his team as a reminder that the first three meetings with Berkmar mean little with everything now on the line.

“I don't even know if we need to practice, to be honest,” McMillan said. “(Berkmar coach) Greg (Phillips) is in the same boat. We know each other so well, and there's a lot of respect between our programs and theirs.

“It's not like (Berkmar is) going to roll over. It's the state championship game, and all that other stuff kind of goes out the window. We're going to have some things that they're not prepared for, and they're going to have some things that we're not prepared for. I'm just excited for (an All-)Gwinnett County state championship, and I'm excited to go against some guys that we respect and love to compete against.”