NORCROSS, GA - Norcross boys basketball coach Jesse McMillian was looking for a source of energy in its Region 7-AAAAAA matchup against North Gwinnett.

He challenged his team to bring it from the opening-tip and the Blue Devils responded. Norcross pressured, hustled and made key plays at just the right time before beating the Bulldogs 59-48 on Tuesday.

“The biggest thing was we played with some energy, which we haven’t done a couple times this year,” McMillian said.

Norcross (13-5, 8-2) received its energy source from A.J. Farrar. The senior came into the game in the first half and was relentless on both ends of the floor. He chased down rebounds, knocked down shots and always found himself around the basketball. Farrar finished with a team-high 14 points.

“I just wanted to come in and make sure we got some scoring and energy,” He said.

His effort was contagious as the Blue Devils fed off one another. Everyone that had the opportunity to play stepped on the court with a different vibe. Norcross needed every ounce of each player since North Gwinnett, who was playing without injured junior guard T.J. Howard.

However, the Bulldogs (15-3, 10-1) refused to let that become an issue. Ahmed Caver, Kam Calhoun and Malik Carter kept North in the game through three quarters.

Caver knocked down 3-pointers with defenders draped all over him. Calhoun crashed the boards for some tough putbacks. Carter managed the interior. The trio was not going to let up as it trailed 29-23 at halftime.

“Ahmad is a warrior,” North Gwinnett coach Zach Smith said. “He is one of the best in the region. He came up big for us.”

Caver finished with a game-high 21 points in 32-minutes of action. Calhoun finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds; while Carter added 10 points and six rebounds. Howard’s absence was evident, though. He did not play

“They were missing T.J., which is almost 20 points (per game) for them, but we were also without Ricky Madison. Both teams were down a man.”

North would not go away as is cut the lead in the third quarter 34-29. This is when the energy picked up another octave for Norcross. Senior center Lorenzo Carter (nine points and six rebounds) threw down a thunderous two-handed, sending the student section into a frenzy.

Norcross went on a run and it trickled over into the fourth quarter before North took a timeout early.

“That was the execution aspect,” said Smith of the timeout early in the fourth. “That was a dagger. Strength and physically and athleticism, and they have 10 guys and send them at you hard. We had plenty of chances. We’ve got to make plays in a big game, and they made the plays we didn’t.”

Norcross’ depth wore on the Bulldogs legs, especially after the full-court press in the fourth quarter.

“We wanted to limit (North’s) penetration drives because they’re really good at spacing the floor and penetrating and kicking (the ball out),” McMillian said. “We didn’t do it (press) long, but we did it long enough to get a little 7-0 spurt maybe, and change the tempo of the game. And they started missing some jumpers, which is maybe a sign of fatigue.”

Norcross’ Will Gibbons finished with 11 points. AJ Bush added 10 points.