New Albany 52, Northland 45
Eagles hold off the Vikings and win their 2nd straight DII district title
Written by 270 Hoops staff writer Greg Glasser
MOUNT VERNON, OH - Given New Albany and Northland squared off in the district finals last season, naturally it’d be fair to assume motivation would strongly lean on the side of the revengeful Vikings after they suffered a 57-39 defeat to the Eagles just over a year ago.
While New Albany (#3) was one higher seed than Northland (#4), the Eagles didn’t necessarily storm into the postseason with momentum as they suffered a buzzer-beater loss to Westerville Central followed by a defeat from Hilliard Darby.
“It’s a new mindset, it’s now a six-game season,” New Albany junior Cam Kolar said after the game. “Erase the regular season.”
Although Northland played with a high-energy effort that displayed plenty of motivation, the Eagles were able to use a 12-0 run that spanned from halfway in the first quarter towards early in the second period to give them a lead they’d hold for the remainder of the game.
But it didn’t come easy.
