Senior forward Kenny Ume’s off-balance jumper sunk through the net as the buzzer sounded to send the game to overtime, where NC defeated the rival the Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs 52-47, on Friday, January 8.

“I love beating those guys,” senior point guard Ricky Shearman said. “That was the livest and best game I’ve been apart of in my high school career so far.”

Senior Mustang guard Marcell Ellis scored with just under twenty seconds left to put KMHS ahead by two, but Shearman dribbled down the clock and passed to Ume to tie the game. NC opened overtime with a 6-0 run, capped off by a thunderous putback dunk by Myles Lake which erupted the gym and put the Warriors ahead for good. Shearman iced the game at the free throw line as he went 4-4 within the game’s final minutes.

“When Kenny hit that shot to force overtime it didn’t even feel real,” Shearman said. “That is the loudest I’ve ever heard the gym. I thought the bleachers were gonna break.”

NC started slow, scoring just 13 first half points, but overcame a 10-point deficit by holding the Mustangs to just three points in the third.

Ume totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Lake added 10 and 10.

The Warriors host two region opponents this week as they will face off against Marietta on Tuesday and Osborne on Friday.