Hendrick of Durham 87 Lucky Seven 82

By Mark Carroll - Blog Coordinator

Los Angeles Lakers forward Josh Powell suited up for the second game Tuesday night, joining Courtney Fells and Lucky Seven in their game against Duke freshman phenom Kyrie Irving and Hendrick of Durham.

Former Norfolk State star Michael Deloach was the star of the first quarter, hitting multiple three pointers and setting his Hendrick of Durham teammates up for early buckets. Deloach had 13 points in the opening period as his team took the first quarter, 23-15.

Irving showcased his athleticism right away in the second half, scoring on an alley-oop lay-in while getting fouled. He would hit the free throw to convert the old-fashioned three point play, and dominated throughout the rest of the half, scoring 10 of his 32 points in the second quarter. Powell was a monster in the post, slamming in two points at the end of the half, but Irving's play led Hendrick of Durham to an eight point halftime lead.

Lucky Seven rallied in the third quarter with excellent perimeter play from Fells and Chris Lightner. A Lightner three ball in the final minutes of the period earned Lucky Seven its first lead since the beginning of the game, but a pair of Irving free throws and a two-handed jam by Chris Hill reclaimed the lead for Hendrick of Durham, 65-61.

The game was well within reach for Lucky Seven through the majority of the final period. A Fells lay-up tied the game at 76-76, but James Zimmerman shot right back with a three pointer for Hendrick of Durham with just over a minute to play. Irving was perfect from the free throw line in the closing seconds, and Hendrick of Durham escaped with the 87-82 win.

Irving's performance was the clear difference, as he noted after the game that he is always ready to put on a show against such tough competition.

"You never know who is watching," Irving said. "The person that sits at the end of the bench can come in and challenge you on the court."

After Tuesday night, it is safe to say that Irving is ready to take on just about any challenge at the Greater NC Pro-Am.