For the second time in the past three Yadkin Valley Conference games, the North Moore boys’ basketball team has found itself in tightly contested games in the final seconds and found a way to come away with the victory.

Last week it was at South Stanly when the Mustangs pulled out a five-point win in the final minute of action. Thursday the Mustangs trailed 60-59 after the Bears’ Zack Burke scored with 11 seconds left in the game. Then Mustang junior Quashan Davis found an opening and drove the left side of the lane for the winning points with 6.3 seconds left.

The Bears almost pulled the game out on a long pass, but the shot missed, giving North Moore their fourth victory in their last five games.

With the win, North Moore tightens its hold on fourth place with a 6-4 conference record and 9-8 overall while the Bears dropped to 2-7 in league action and 3-11 overall.

This was the Bears fifth close loss in conference play and their eighth home loss in nine games this year.

The game was almost a replay of last year’s game when the Mustangs had a five-point lead in the final moments and the Bears rallied for the win. This year, North Moore held a 59-53 lead with 1:32 left in the contest.

Chatham Central went on a 7-0 run with Burke hitting the go-ahead bucket with 11 seconds left, setting the stage for Davis’ winning basket. Davis finished the game with a double-double, scoring a game-high 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Davis has been on a scoring surge in the Mustangs’ five games, averaging nearly 24 points per game.

Once again the Mustangs were hitting from beyond the arc, making seven three-pointers. Sophomore Matthew Spivey accounted for four of the long-range bombs. Davis, Landon Auman and Malik Chisholm had one trey apiece. The Bears ended up making six three-pointers for the game.

The game was back-and-forth, with neither team gaining more than an eight-point advantage with the Mustangs holding that margin three times during the third period.

The game started with the Mustangs holding a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter as both teams tried to find a crack in the opposing team’s defense. The pace picked up in the second period with the Mustangs outscoring the Bears 22-20 for a 34-31 lead at the break.

The Mustangs came out and scored the first five points of the third period, including a trey by Spivey for a 39-31 lead. The two teams swapped buckets over the next three minutes. The period ended with the Mustangs holding a 44-39 lead going into the final stanza.

The Mustangs kept the Bears at bay for most of the fourth period until Chatham Central went on its 7-0 run in the final minute and a half. After Burke’s go-ahead bucket, Davis was able to find his way for the game-winner.

The Mustangs’ conference game against visiting South Davidson Friday was postponed until Feb. 6.

North Moore travels to Albemarle Tuesday for a league contest.