5 Takeaways: Norcross at North Gwinnett

<p>The basketball wasn’t pretty, but a lot of that had to do with the defense, as North Gwinnett played from behind nearly the whole game but gutted out 38-37 home win over Norcross to move on to the 7A Elite 8. Here are a few takeaways from the matchup:</p> <p><em><strong>MORE TOUCHES FOR THE BIG GUY</strong></em></p> <p>NGHS coach Matt Garner saw what I think a lot of us did after a 12-point first half and found more ways to get the ball into star junior [player_tooltip player_id="758360" first="RJ" last="Godfrey"]’s hands. It didn’t necessarily result in a ton of scoring output in a low-scoring affair, but it put pressure on the defense and changed the way Norcross was looking at the Bulldogs at that end. Godfrey is terrific in close and has a creative back-to-the-basket game but needed to be put in more face-up positions and use his athleticism and ballhandling ability.</p> <p><em><strong>HAND IT TO THE ALL-AMERICAN</strong></em></p> <p>North Gwinnett’s Jordan Hancock may be a football All-American, but he can ball out as well as he’s shown all season. A tremendous athlete at 6-0, he had all 5 of his points in a 3rd quarter which finally saw the Bulldogs pull into the lead. One of his buckets was a raise-the-roof slam off the break over Norcross prized 2024 product [player_tooltip player_id="1054787" first="Jahki" last="Howard"] that put the nice Saturday afternoon crowd into a tizzy. That energy, combined with some clutch shot-making from senior [player_tooltip player_id="806753" first="Brendan" last="Rigsbee"] (9 pts) and 2022 wing [player_tooltip player_id="1011351" first="Thomas" last="Allard"] (8 pts, a big 4th qtr 3-ball), was key for the home team in finding a way to edge the Blue Devils.</p> <p><em><strong>IT WASN’T ALL ON HIM</strong></em></p> <p>Norcross PG [player_tooltip player_id="1049219" first="London" last="Johnson"] is one of the class of 2023’s top prospects, so it’s terribly unfair to pin the game on him, when down 2 with 3.5 seconds left, he missed 2 of 3 from the line with a chance to give them the lead a likely W. He was terrific all game in an affair where possessions were few and baskets were hard to get. His on-ball defense of both Rigsbee and Hancock was exceptional showing his all-around abilities, as he already has the offensive acumen and scoring chops of a more mature player. He had 11 of the team’s 37 and is a fine prospect with a bright future who will win a lot more games for the Blue Devils before he’s done than not.</p> <p><em><strong>SPEAKING OF THE FUTURE</strong></em></p> <p>Norcross will be one of the state’s best teams next year with nearly everyone back from a 21-win team that went 11-1 in one of the toughest regions in the state. With a team featuring underclassmen all over the rotation they beat postseason participants Denmark (twice), Discovery (twice), Berkmar and Westlake. Along with Howard, they have up-and-coming 2024’s [player_tooltip player_id="1054786" first="Justin" last="Mitchell"] and 6-8 Aiden Sherell waiting in the wings, the 2023 class is also loaded with the aforementioned Johnson as well as athletic guards [player_tooltip player_id="1045087" first="Mier" last="Panoam"] and Samarion Bond.  Not to be outdone, the 2022’s will feature 6-7 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1049113" first="Jerry" last="Deng"] and wing Hezekiah Flagg, both expected to be summer standouts who can make big jumps in their senior seasons.</p> <p><em><strong>UP NEXT</strong></em></p> <p>North Gwinnett heads down to Cobb County Wednesday to face 24-3 Pebblebrook in the 7A Elite 8, and it will be perhaps their tallest task of the season. Hard to find a team playing better right now than the Falcons, who boast a veteran lineup seemingly intent on not stopping without taking home a state title. With just one loss since Dec 19, seniors [player_tooltip player_id="754278" first="Jamall" last="Clyce"], [player_tooltip player_id="806718" first="Danny" last="Stubbs"], [player_tooltip player_id="754256" first="Tyler" last="Shirley"], [player_tooltip player_id="754283" first="Blake" last="Hadley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1043317" first="Aaron" last="Reddish"] form a core that has few peers statewide, and it doesn’t end there as they go close to 10 deep with quality. Should be a good one!</p>