But by the late hour the Viking boys walked out of the toasty Lions' Den and frustratingly loaded the activity bus for the trip back to campus, the fog settling into the Queen City ushered in a new reality: fresh off a 70-64 loss to the defending state champs, and with five I-Meck games to go, the Vikings are no longer alone at the top of the standings.
The Lions' second win over North, coupled with Mallard Creek's 63-50 win at Lake Norman Tuesday, forced a three-way tie atop the standings between North, West Charlotte and Mallard Creek at 7-2. West Charlotte (14-5) has a loss to Mooresville and a surprising one to Lake Norman, and Mallard Creek (12-4) has fallen to North and West Charlotte. North (16-3) has to deal with being swept by the Lions.
"We gotta hope somebody beats them, and we gotta win out," North coach Duane Lewis said afterward, hopeful that the Vikings won't fall victim to any tiebreaker scenarios.
North has games remaining against Hough (at home Friday), Mallard Creek, Vance, Mooresville and Hopewell. Aside from a four-point win over Vance, the Vikings beat those foes by an average of 28.3 points during the first half of the I-Meck season, so there is still hope in Vikingland.
"We just gotta win out," said North point guard Shivaughn Wiggins, reemphasizing the Vikings' new theme.
That will require the Vikings to do a few things, said Lewis.
"We can if we stay together and stay focused," he said.
Wiggins scored a game-high 28 Tuesday, and post man Tahjai Watt had 15 for North. The Vikings led 33-31 at the half, after Rashaan Brown, who didn't play in the 53-50 loss to the Lions in December, hit a layup nine seconds before the half's buzzer.
But the Vikings had a lapse in the third quarter, being outscored 24-7 and committing two flagrant fouls, and once the Lions took the lead on two foul shots by Austin Harris, they didn't lose it. Gabon Williams' bucket just before the third quarter ended gave the Lions a 51-40 lead, their largest of the night.
North cut the lead to four, 51-47, on a Wiggins free throw with 4:54 remaining, but West Charlotte's 6-foot-8 junior center, Kennedy Meeks, provided a basket on the ensuing possession, and North got within five just once more.
Mike Brown led West Charlotte with 24 points, while fellow guard Mark Blackmon, the 4A state cross country champion, added 18. During one stretch of the second quarter, Blackmon hit three three-pointers in just more than two minutes.
It's quite possible — if not likely — the Vikings and Lions will meet again before the I-Meck hardware is handed out. There's the I-Meck tournament, of course, and the teams have been known in previous years to meet four times, with the final meeting in the state playoffs being the most important.
With those potential rematches in the future and much more basketball yet to play, the Vikings aren't about to back down, said Lewis.
"It's two equally talented teams," he said, of the North-West Charlotte matchup. "Either (regular season) game could have been won by either team. If we play 10 times, every one of them would be close."
Lady Vikings slip up
The way the girls' game began Tuesday night, it seemed unlikely the North Meck Lady Vikings would leave West Charlotte with anything other than some momentum and a spring in their step.
North (11-8 overall) began the game firing on all cylinders and led 17-0 after less than six minutes of play. But West Charlotte (8-7) methodically fought its way back, tied the game late in the third quarter and pulled out a 64-61 win in a game critical to the middle of the I-Meck standings.
North and West Charlotte entered the game in a tie for fourth with 4-4 league records. West Charlotte won the teams' first meeting 58-57 Dec. 13.
Lions coach Reginald Mobley said he was pleased with how his team remained composed Tuesday and continued to play. After managing four points in the first quarter, the Lions scored 20 in each of the remaining three, outscoring North 60-39 in the final 24 minutes. North missed 15 free throws.
North's Destiny Barrino led all scorers with 22. Jaydah Hayden pitched in with 12 for the Vikings. Rachel Porter paced West Charlotte's attack with 15 points, and Gabrielle McClain added 13.
