SMITHFIELD - If there was one single play that epitomized Knightdale’s 63-47 conference victory over Smithfield-Selma on Tuesday night it came with the final seconds of the first half winding down.

Upon a missed 3-point attempt, the Knights’ Curry Lassiter went up for the rebound untouched and tipped in two of his game-high 20 points just before the first-half buzzer sounded to give Knightdale a 31-22 lead.

“We don’t have anybody in the school to match up with him,” Smithfield-Selma coach James Robinson said with a shake of the head. “Everything we’ve been preaching about boxing them out and keeping them off the glass and they got that tap-in at the buzzer. That exemplified every one of our problems tonight.

“We didn’t get back on defense and we didn’t box out.”

Lassiter led a Knightdale charge that scored 21 of its 25 buckets in the paint to complete the season sweep of the Spartans in Greater Neuse River 4A Conference play.

“He’s a unique player because he can play inside and he can also play in space,” Knightdale coach Battle Watkins said. “Coming into the game, that was the goal, to get him the basketball. We were fortunate because that’s what we were trying to do and we were able to do it.”

Lassiter said things in the paint went just as the Knights had planned.

“We kind of game planned all week for it,” Lassiter said. “Get down there and post up and call for the ball.”

With the Knights leading 14-12 early in the second quarter, the senior Lassiter scored 12 of the Knights’ 17 points before halftime and Knightdale put the game away in the third quarter by outscoring the Spartans 18-7.

Eleven different players scored for Knightdale as the Knights evened their overall record at just 7-7 but improved to 6-2 in conference play to maintain their second-place position behind Garner.

“On any given night we can play really well and beat anyone in the league,” Watkins said. “The kids understand that and they aren’t really looking at the overall record. They’re really trying to play for their conference record.”

Added Lassiter: “Us seniors are trying to go for a conference championship for our last year. That’s the motivation behind it.”

Quantez Leach put forth a heroic effort coming off the Smithfield-Selma bench, scoring 18 points – all in the final three quarters – to lead the Spartans (7-10, 2-6). Donald Jones joined Leach in double figures with 10 points.