Behind a strong second-half performance by Virginia Tech commit Dorian Finney-Smith, Norcom (30-1) defeated L.C. Bird 54-46 on Friday, pulling away late to win a second consecutive Virginia Class AAA championshipat the Siegel Center in Richmond.
Norcom Takes Back-To-Back AAA Virginia State Championships With Win Over L.C. Bird
After a close first half in which L.C. Bird (25-6), a Richmond-area school appearing in its first state championship game, slowed the tempo and forced Norcom to commit early turnovers. Bird led 28-26 going into the break.
Norcom made only nine of 24 shots.
Six quick points from Finney-Smith gave Norcom a lead it never relinquished. Finney-Smith finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds, scoring 12 in the second half. The Norcom star also hit all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
After a 17-point comeback by Bird in the quarterfinals and another 12-point comeback in the semifinals, the Skyhawks were not able to overcome another deficit against the nationally ranked Greyhounds, pegged as the fourth-best high school team in the country by ESPN Rise.
Christian Smith led Bird with 16 points. Robert Johnson added 10.
Decarlos Anderson was the second-leading scorer for Norcom with 12 points.
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