NORFOLK — Norview senior Keon Mitchell had one of the most dominating performances of the season Friday as he finished with a game-high 34 points, including a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds that sent the game into overtime.
But it was Will Adams who came up the biggest as he scored all seven of his points in overtime to help the seventh-ranked Pilots upset No. 2 Lake Taylor 73-66 in front of a sold-out crowd. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Pilots against the Titans, and handed Lake Taylor its first loss of the season.
The game had the intensity and atmosphere of Eastern District games of old.
Fans crowded the court and responded to every big play.
“I love it. I love playing in these atmospheres,” said Mitchell, who also finished with 13 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. “It’s Norfolk, and it brings out all the people.”
And the game lived up to it.
Norview (11-1) led by as many as nine points in the second quarter, only to see the Titans come back and cut the deficit to 31-29 at halftime.
The visiting Pilots tried to pull away in the third quarter, but the Titans refused to go away.
Lake Taylor (12-1) took its first lead of the game with 2:16 left in regulation, and Jacarri Jones made back-to-back baskets to give the the Titans a 59-55 lead with less than a minute to go.
But Mitchell brought the Pilots back, including a 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime.
Mitchell with the 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds to tie the game pic.twitter.com/tTmhbwx2aZ
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) January 17, 2026
Once in overtime, Adams got hot as he started the period with a 3-pointer from the corner and followed that with another basket.
“I knew it was good when I let it go,” he said.
Mitchell made two free throws and was about to shoot two more when the game was stopped because of a fight in the stands that spilled onto the court.
With Norview leading Lake Taylor 69-64, things get ugly with fans fighting and spilling onto court with 37.4 seconds pic.twitter.com/Vb5DVRoc4J
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) January 17, 2026
After a 22-minute delay — and after the gym was cleared — the game resumed.
Mitchell made two free throws and Adams added two more to help the Pilots pull off the upset.
“It was pretty much sealed by then,” Mitchell said about the delay. “I knew I wasn’t going to let them come back.”
For Mitchell, it was redemption as he finally beat Lake Taylor.
“It meant a lot. I had to get them,” Mitchell said. “I haven’t beaten them since my freshman year. So I had to get one.”
Asked if he felt pressure to score each time he had the ball, “Pressure makes diamonds,” he said, “I’m built for the moment.”
The Pilots also got help from Mitchell’s cousin Zymareon Mitchell, who finished with 16 points. Jalen Freeman also had 11 points.
The Titans were led by Jamari Edwards, who finished with 24 points. They also got help from Jones, who finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds, and freshman Shaquantay Evans, who had 14 points.
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
