By Brent Holloway
Norcross emerged from the first round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs with its winning streak intact. After Wednesday's 62-49 win over Berkmar, the Blue Devils have now won 17 straight, dating back to Dec. 29. Still to play for is a bigger goal: a third straight trip to the state semifinals.
Norcross will face the Lowndes/Lovejoy winner in the second round.
Led by a balanced scoring effort that featured four players scoring in double figures, and aggressive defense, Norcross (26-3, No. 1 Region 7-AAAAA) took control in the second quarter and fended off a pesky effort by the Patriots (13-15, No. 4 Region 8-AAAAAA) the rest of the way.
Berkmar led much of the first quarter before a Norcross run flipped the momentum. Trailing 12-7 with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter, the Blue Devils went on an 8-0 spurt before Berkmar's Al Durham sank a deep 3-pointer at the period buzzer to tie the score at 15.
As they game wore on, the Norcross full-court pressure and active half-court defense asserted itself, forcing 18 turnovers and limiting Berkmar's open looks. After hitting 3-of-6 3-pointers in the first quarter, the Patriots were just 4-of-18 from deep the rest of the way.
Berkmar didn't get its first field goal of the second quarter until the 2:20 mark, as Norcross built a 26-18 lead.
Berkmar stayed close, though, and trailed by just five points with 1.7 seconds before the half until Norcross senior guard Tim Cameron curled around a screen, took the inbounds pass and drained a 3-pointer to give the Blue Devils a 32-24 advantage heading into the half.
Norcross' standout forward duo of sophomore Rayshaun Hammonds and Ricky Madison sustained the lead from there, combining for 20 second-half points after totaling just four in the first half, as Madison sat for large spells due to foul trouble. Hammonds finished with a game-high 13, and Madison added 11.
Berkmar never let the Blue Devils pull away, but neither did the Patriots truly threaten the Norcross lead, which remained in double figures for the better part of the final two quarters.
Tim Cameron and Zach Cooks each scored 10 for Norcross, while Deionte Davis led Berkmar with 11.
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