Northland 77, Centennial 56
Vikings defense shines as they stay unbeaten
COLUMBUS, Ohio - - In a battle for first place in the City League north, two undefeated teams met at Northland High School to see who would claim early custody of sole possession of first place as Northland Vikings (6-0, 4-0) defeated an undermanned Centennial (6-1, 4-1) by a score of 77-56 and gave the Stars their first loss of the season. A win for the Stars would have all but ensured a new representative for the City League north in the championship game, but the Viking win keeps them in the drivers seat for their third straight appearance in the championship game.
The defending City League champions jumped out to an early 11-2 lead after a hot shooting start from their backcourt duo of juniors Diante James and Jaden Shoultz, who combined for three triples in the opening minutes of the ball game.
After a Centennial timeout, they bounced back and began to hit shots from outside as well behind freshman Cam Johnson, scoring five of his 16 total points in the opening frame, the Stars went on a 10-5 run to answer Northland’s start. As it seemed to happen all evening, whenever the Centennial made a run, it was a key Northland player that stopped it in its tracks. Viking forward Nehemiah McMorris made his presence felt at the end of the opening quarter, closing the quarter making plays on both ends and leading his team to an 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Centennial missing, possibly, their two best players in senior Carl Koonce and sophomore Keon Bonner began to hurt the usually deep Stars in the second frame because it was Northland that showed their depth before the half, playing nine total players in the quarter.
A great defensive quarter from Northland was highlight by a couple of steals and scores from unsung hero on the night Jojo Ahon, whose effort on defense in his minutes on the court allowed him to score nine points in the game. Shoultz and McMorris carried the offense in the second quarter, they scored 13 of the teams 21 points and the Vikings held the Stars to another 12 points to hold a 39-24 lead at halftime.