LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – After playing the worst possible half of the season, North Gwinnett’s head coach Zachary Smith delivered a simple message during halftime. He wanted his players to stay the course because their shots would begin falling.

The Bulldogs soaked in the message, which led to a second-half comeback before it eventually pulled away to beat Norcross 55-48 to capture the Region 7 championship. This was North Gwinnett’s first region title since joining the state’s highest classification 14 years ago.

North Gwinnett will now play host to No. 4 seed Etowah on Saturday.

“We played as bad a half in a while,” said Smith of the first half. “We talked about (about) how we’ve got to stick to what we do. We believe in what we do.”

What has worked for the Bulldogs (24-3) all season is the ability to knock down open shots, especially from three-point range. North Gwinnett’s shooting went cold as shots could.

The only peak of a breakthrough was when Ahmad Caver knocked down two three-pointers just before halftime as the Bulldogs trailed 33-24.

“Ahmad is special young man whose aura helps life the team,” Smith said. “He brought that into the locker room. I just told them they had to control what they could control. Our offense didn’t generate that comeback, our defense did.”

North Gwinnett clamped down making life difficult for Norcross (21-6). The Blue Devils, who were living off of transition baskets in the first half, could not get into the open floor as easily. Norcross was out of rhythm and North Gwinnett just chipped away at the lead.

Malik Carter anchored the interior on both ends of the floor. The junior center blocked shots and helped minimize the Blue Devils scoring opportunities on the interior on the defensive end. Offensively, he established his presence by attacking the class and making tough shots. Then things started opening up.

Caver connected with a jumper. Owen Lewis hit a three-pointer. Kameron Calhoun finishes at the rim. Junior reserve Jack Stucke hits consecutive three-pointers, which elated the Bulldogs faithful and silenced the Norcross fans in attendance. North Gwinnett help a 40-37 lead and never looked back.

“They got the momentum going,” Norcross coach Jessie McMillan said. “We said, whoever set the pace in the first few minutes of the second half would make the difference. They were determined. We will be ready on Saturday.”

Norcross will host Milton on Satuday.

TJ Howard, who struggled in the first half, finished with a team-high 16 points. Caver finished with 10 points. Carter recorded a double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Calhoun chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Norcross’ Andre Chatfield, a Harvard commit, had 13 points. Ricky Madison finished with 11 points and five rebounds.