CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nationally-ranked Myers Park seemed to be cruising to another playoff victory.
The defending 4A champions took a ten-point lead in the second quarter against North Meck in the regional semifinals.
Then it happened.
Isaiah Evans, the Vikings' Duke-bound senior, took the game over.
Evans, a 6-foot-6 McDonald's All-American, scored 21 points in the third quarter alone.
He finished with 48.
In the end it was too much for the Mustangs to handle, despite their plethora of Division 1 college prospects.
North Meck won the game, 79-63.
"I think there was a lot of speculation between who was No. 1," Evans said. "I don't think there's a conversation about who is. No one's doing what I'm doing."
The game was played in front of a sold-out crowd at Myers Park High School. Some wanted the contest moved to a larger, neutral site.
But even visiting Vikings head coach Duane Lewis told WCNC Charlotte this week he thought the Mustangs earned the right to host the game, and he was glad they did.
"We wanted to play here. They earned that right," Lewis said. "That's what high school basketball is all about. What an atmosphere. A great win for us."
Evans' fellow senior Trey Maxwell III put forth a valiant effort, battling back from a dislocted knee that kept him out of several playoff games.
Maxwell not only played, but provided the team some crucial points early in the game.
"It doesn't matter where we play. We're some dogs," Maxwell said. "We're going to get a gym hyped. We're going to get the job done."
North Meck will play Lake Norman in the 4A semifinals next week in Winston-Salem.