Duke 87   N.C. State 86

The Duke players waited for and greeted Coach K when he came into the locker room, and then screamed in elation while handing him the game ball from his 800th victory!

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- DeMarcus Nelson's two free throws with 1:01 remaining lifted Duke past North Carolina State 87-86 on Saturday and gave Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski his 800th career victory.

Nelson and Jon Scheyer both scored 19 points for the Blue Devils (25-3, 12-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who used a game-closing 14-5 run to take their first -- and only -- lead of the half and snap a two-game road losing streak.

Ben McCauley scored 19 points for N.C. State (15-14, 4-11), and his free throw with 1:11 remaining put the Wolfpack up 86-85. He fouled Nelson 10 seconds later, and the Duke captain knocked down both free throws.

McCauley turned it over on N.C. State's next possession with 40 seconds remaining, and Duke (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) ran down the clock, with Scheyer missing a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left. Courtney Fells got the rebound and pushed the ball to McCauley, whose 3 from about 30 feet bounced off the glass as the buzzer sounded.

Greg Paulus scored 15 points and hit two 3s during Duke's frenetic comeback, sparking the burst by connecting from the top of the key with 3:52 remaining to make it 81-76.

Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson had 12 points apiece for the Blue Devils, who gave Krzyzewski the milestone win in 1,064th game. He is 800-264 in his 33rd season.

This one might have been one of the most improbable, because N.C. State -- with coach Sidney Lowe sporting the same candy-apple red blazer that was the rage of last year's run to the ACC championship game -- put forth the most inspiring effort of an otherwise disappointing season.

The Wolfpack led for most of the way, building a 13-point lead when McCauley's jumper with 12:41 remaining made it 70-57.

Box Score  

800 Wins!

Elliot Williams' season came to an end on Wednesday evening as Harding defeated St. George's 49 - 44 in the semi-finals of the Tennessee Division 2-A state championship. Williams scored 22 points in his last game for the Gryphons, but it wasn't enough to advance to the championship game. Harding went on to win the State Championship with a 72 -68 overtime victory over Tipton-Rosemark Academy. It must be disheartening for St. George's fans that the Gryphons were a combined 4 - 0, during the regular season, against the two schools who played in the state championship game.

In Florida, Brandon Knight scored a game high 22 points to lead Pine Crest to the 3-A state championship, 69 - 50, over P.K. Yonge. Knight, a 6'3" point guard, is rated as one of the top five players in the Class of 2010 and is on Duke's recruiting radar.

Jon Hood, a 6'6" Class of 2009 shooting guard, has broken his right wrist and is out for the season. According to a quote from Jon's father, on Jody Demling's blog, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski is scheduled to watch Jon play in April AAU action.

Leslie McDonald scored 28 points to lead Briarcrest to victory in the Tennessee Division 2-AA semi-finals. Briarcrest will face Christian Brothers Saturday evening for the state championship. McDonald, a 6'4" Class of 2009 shooting guard, has been offered a scholarship by Duke.

The high school season is just about finished up for this year and I really hope everyone enjoyed reading my High School Hoops articles as much as I enjoyed writing them. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Mark Watson for allowing me to contribute to the Blue Devil Nation.  Go DUKE!