Northland 83, Beechcroft 52 - Prospect Scouting Report
Northland 83, Beechcroft 52 - Prospect Scouting Report
Vikings reign supreme in the City League with another dominant performance
COLUMBUS, OH - Despite the near-capacity crowd that was largely in favor of the home-court Cougars, the Northland Vikings made the quick 2.5 mile trip north and took care of business with a 31-point defeat that triggered a running clock.
The Vikings built a 17-2 lead halfway through the first quarter that quickly indicated it would be another overly matched conference bout. Northland’s core of sophomores King Kendrick, Diante James and Jaden Shoultz along with junior post Nehemiah McMorris all had their share of contributions that left the Cougars overwhelmed.
Kendrick led all scorers with 21 points, five assists and was a true thief defensively, with six steals in the first half. James finished with 16 points, McMorris had 14 along with four blocks and Shoultz scored ten of his 12 in the first half.
It was a difficult night for the Cougars, who struggled with Northland’s defense and had an abundance of turnovers. The Vikings did an exceptional job of double teams and limited senior Rosean Burns, a returning All-City League first-team selection, to six points and just one made field goal. Senior Santonio Dorch delivered an admirable and noteworthy output of 18 points and six rebounds, the only Cougar to score double digits.
The win for Northland (8-3, 7-0) has them undefeated in league play by an average margin of defeat of 31 points. The domination indicates a near-guarantee for a repeat appearance in the City League title game, but questions may linger how the Vikings will compete against mostly Division I teams from the OCC come tournament time, as they have not played another area team outside their league.
Meanwhile Beechcroft (5-7, 4-2) suffers their worst defeat of the season and have a quick turn-around against division foe Linden-McKinley on Tuesday.
The Vikings put on a show and their young core can be exciting to watch. Below, we recap their scouting report, along with a mention for Beechcroft’s best player on Tuesday.