In their final tune-up before starting its Yadkin Valley Conference slate, the North Moore boys’ basketball team lost a closely contested game to visiting 2-A North Stanly Monday.

In a game where the largest lead of the contest was nine points, coming during the second quarter, North Stanly used a 6-0 run late in the fourth quarter and then held off the Mustangs for a 51-48 victory.

The season’s first Comet win avenged their season-opening 50-42 to loss to the Mustangs two weeks earlier.

“We came out and played a good first half,” said North Moore coach Grant Smith. “In the second quarter we had a good run putting some pressure on them and had a five-point lead at the half. It was a tough loss for us, but it wasn’t a conference game. We’re starting to find ourselves, but we’re still having some mental breakdowns in the fourth quarter. We have to correct those mistakes.”

The loss drops the Mustangs to 1-3 on the season, while North Stanly is also 1-3. The Mustangs opened the conference schedule Tuesday, entertaining South Stanly, who is still searching for its first win under new coach Mike Crump.

North Stanly came out for a couple of early buckets and eventually built a 10-6 lead before the Mustangs closed the first quarter on a 6-2 run, tying the game at 12-12. The late run was sparked by junior Quashan Davis, who finished with six points in the first quarter.

The Comets opened the second period with Tyler Burris connecting for one of his two treys of the game, giving his team a 15-12 advantage. Then the North Moore pressure started to pay off as they ran off 12 straight points including back-to-back three-pointers by Davis and sophomore Matthew Spivey.

The run put the Mustangs up 24-15, but the Comets managed to score a bucket just before the half, trimming the Mustang lead to 24-17 at the break. Freshman Aaron Richardson led a balanced Mustang scoring attack during the second frame, scoring four points.

The second half started out slow over the first five minutes of the period with the Comets cutting into the Mustangs’ lead by outscoring the home team 9-4, trimming the North Moore lead to 30-26. With just under two minutes left in the quarter, the Comets connected on a pair of foul shots, cutting the lead to two points.

The Mustangs got a bucket from senior Landon Auman, pushing the lead back to 32-28. Burris hit on his second three-pointer, cutting the lead to one point. Senior Adam Bullard pushed the lead back to four points with a trey. The Comets scored the final five points of the quarter, taking a 36-35 lead into the final frame. Auman scored six of his 13 points during the third period.

The fourth quarter started out slow and the game was tied at 40 with just over three minutes left in the contest. North Stanly hit on one of two foul shots, followed by a bucket for a three-point lead. The Mustangs fought back with a basket by Davis, trimming the lead to 43-42 with less than two minutes left in the game.

The Comets went on a 6-0 run, opening their largest lead of the game at 49-42. The Mustangs connected on back-to-back buckets, cutting the lead to three points. With the Mustangs forced to foul with time running out, the Comets hit a pair of foul shots for a 51-46 lead.

North Moore hit two free throws for the final three-point margin. Auman and Davis led the Mustangs with 13 points each followed by Bullard with 11 points. Kasey Caulder and Dylan led the Comets with 12 points each. T.J. Smith finished with 10 points.

After hosting South Stanly Tuesday, North Moore hits the road to North Rowan Friday and journey to South Davidson Dec. 11. Both the girls’ games are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. followed by the boys’ games.

North Stanly 12 5 19 15 — 51

North Moore 12 12 11 13 — 48

North Stanly: Caulder 12, Blalock 12, Smith 10, Burris 8, Greene 6, Sylvester 3. North Moore: Auman 13, Davis 13, Bullard 11, Richardson 4, Chisholm 4, Spivey 3.

Three-point goals: NS 2 (Burris 2); NM 3 (Bullard, Davis, Spivey).