North Gwinnett girls rally to take down No. 1 Norcross

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By Chip Saye

For the AJC

The girls basketball teams from North Gwinnett and Norcross met in the regular-season finale Friday in what was technically just a final tune-up for the postseason, which begins next week for both teams in the Region 7-AAAAA tournament.

Enlarge photo

North Gwinnett's Annie Wheeler (left, 23) and Norcross' Patrice Butler (34) fight for the ball. The game was close, but North Gwinnett beat No. 1 ranked Norcross 60-56.

Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com North Gwinnett's Annie Wheeler (left, 23) and Norcross' Patrice Butler (34) fight for the ball. The game was close, but North Gwinnett beat No. 1 ranked Norcross 60-56.

Photos from the game: North Gwinnett at Norcross

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In reality, there was a lot more on the line, which was obvious from the playoff-like atmosphere in the Norcross gym and the intensity with which these two state-ranked teams competed.

“That’s what we do at Norcross,” Blue Devils coach Angie Hembree said. “Norcross has a great atmosphere for basketball. We have a great student body that comes out and supports us. I know that will hold true down the line in the region tournament as well.”

No. 4 North Gwinnett outscored the Blue Devils 31-16 in the fourth quarter to defeat the defending Class AAAAA champions 60-56. It was North Gwinnett’s second victory this season against top-rated Norcross and gave the Bulldogs the regular-season region title and the No. 1 seed in next week’s region tournament at Mill Creek. Norcross finishes second in the region.

North Gwinnett (19-5 overall, 14-0 in the region) trailed 40-29 at the end of the third quarter, but opened the fourth with a 9-0 run to get back in the game. Sophomore Lexi Brown, who led North Gwinnett with 23 points, scored the first five points of the run with a layup off a turnover and a 3-pointer, one of 10 3-pointers by North Gwinnett. Less than a minute later, senior Rachel Brucks was fouled as she made a 3-pointer from the left corner and converted the four-point play to cut the lead to 40-38.

North Gwinnett finally took the lead at 51-50 on a short jumper by Brucks with 2:32 to play, and the Bulldogs never trailed again.

Diamond DeShields led Norcross (21-3, 12-2) with 23 points.

“We were able to knock some shots down, and that always helps,” North Gwinnett coach Bryan Sellers said. “If you can kinda make it a two-dimensional game, if you can get some inside looks and some outside looks and knock some down, that always helps. I think that big four-point play with Rachel Brucks, just watching her explode off the floor ... the bench and the people behind the bench and just the atmosphere of the gym was exciting to be a part of.”

North Gwinnett has won 16 consecutive games after a 3-5 start. Four of its five losses came against state-ranked teams -- Wesleyan (No. 1 in Class A), Alpharetta (No. 9 in AAAAA), Campbell (No. 5 in AAAAA) and Kendrick (No. 1 in AA).

“In that locker room at Kendrick, I told the girls to stay with us because it was one of those pivotal points where we could go one way or the other,” said Sellers, in his first season as North Gwinnett’s head coach.

“I made a promise to them at that point that my job was to make them the best prepared team when they walked on the floor. They’ve stepped up and answered that promise with the way they’ve practiced, the way they’ve prepared and the way they’ve played. It’s remarkable.”

It will be a familiar path to the playoffs for Norcross, which lost the two games to North Gwinnett and a holiday tournament game against Troy High of Fullerton, Calif. Last season, the Blue Devils lost two games against out-of-state competition and two against region opponent Mill Creek before winning the state championship.

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