Staff report

LANDIS — Lake Norman Charter’s Caroline Mercuri was averaging 4 points per game, but scored 20 on Thursday as Lake Norman Charter rallied to beat South Rowan 53-48.

It was an entertaining game of runs. Mercuri and her teammates had the last one.

Lake Norman Charter’s only previous South Piedmont Conference success had come against Carson, but the young Knights got off to a solid start behind sophomore driver Callie Genece and led South 15-12 after a quarter.

Then Lake Norman Charter (4-10, 2-5) went cold, ice cold, failing to score a single point for the first seven minutes of the second quarter.

South had a chance to bury the visitors during that drought and tried to do just that, reeling off 11 unanswered points to lead 23-15. That South run included two buckets by Danica Krieg, a 3-pointer by Hannah Atwell, a pretty incredible floater by Ella Morgan and two free throws by Day Pharr.

Freshman Abby Courtney probably saved the Knights in the last 40 seconds or so of the half by making a 3-pointer and two free throws. South’s halftime lead was only 23-20.

Mercuri scored seven points in the third quarter as Lake Norman Charter moved back in front. Kynlee Dextraze had three buckets in the quarter, but Lake Norman Charter led 37-34 heading to the fourth quarter.

South continued to get the ball inside to Dextraze, who had all of her 12 points in the second half, early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders surged back ahead and appeared to be in great shape, holding a 47-41 lead with three minutes left against a team that hasn’t won very often.

But steals and layups by Mercuri and Courtney cut South’s lead to 47-45 with 2:28 left.

Meghan Eagle made a free throw for South with 1:52 left for a 48-45 lead, but that would prove to be the final point for the Raiders.

Mercuri scored to cut South’s lead to one. Then she made the shot of the game — a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left — for a 50-48 Lake Norman Charter lead. That was the game’s final lead change.

Corynn Keck got the biggest rebound of the game when South missed on its next possession, and Courtney made one of two free throws for a 51-48 lead.

South had the ball out of bounds underneath its goal and still had a chance to tie with a 3-pointer, but Lake Norman Charter’s other Courtney, Lucy, snatched the inbounds pass out of the air to seal victory for the Knights.

Avery Fisher scored nine for South. Atwell scored eight, and Krieg had seven.

LN Charter      15     5     17     16   — 53

South Rowan   12   11     11     15    — 48

LN CHARTER — Mercuri 20, Genece 12, A. Courtney 10, L. Courtney 5, Keck 4, Champion 2.

SOUTH — Dextraze 12, Fisher 9, Atwell 8, Krieg 7, Morgan 5, Pharr 3, Menius 2, Alston 1, Eagle 1.