Pickerington North 51, Grove City 48 - Prospect Scouting Report

Panthers survive a physical bout in gritty win over the Greyhounds

GROVE CITY, Ohio - A contested battle in a contested OCC-Ohio duel resulted in Pickerington North surviving a physical brawl with a second-half comeback to complete their season sweep of Grove City, as the Panthers won 51-48.

Pickerington North stormed out to an early 17-12 lead to end the first period, as they connected on a high percentage of their attempts inside the arc and significantly out rebounded the Greyhounds.

Yet an 8-2 Grove City run to start the second period gave the Greyhounds a lead that would get up to ten at halftime and remain firm throughout the third and most of the fourth quarter.

After an already dazzling three quarters, Panthers junior Arness Lawson scored the first of two North buckets to get the Panthers back within four points to begin the fourth quarter. After he came down with a defensive rebound just under the five minute mark, Lawson experienced serious pain in what later appeared to be from cramps and needed assistance off the floor.

With Grove City big Kraig Gilbert on the bench with four fouls, the Panthers stepped up while Lawson was tended to, as senior Jaiden Vital and junior Favor McFadden scored a bucket and two free throws, respectively, to tie the game at 46 a piece.

Lawson made a return and Vital again came through in the clutch with an offensive put-back with 3:22 left to give the Panthers an 8-0 run and their first lead since the start of the second quarter. But Lawson would again experience cramps and once again had to be helped off the floor.

Grove City junior Demetri Adado scored the next bucket to tie the game, but McFadden responded once again with a strong and-one, capped by the free throw to give the Panthers a 51-48 lead, which ended up as the last score despite 1:43 left on the clock.

The Panthers survived two giveaways and Grove City failed to convert on their ensuing possessions. In the final seconds, Lawson would return and he and McFadden would contest the Greyhounds final two three-point attempts to secure a crucial league win.

Credit to the Panthers, in particular McFadden and Vital, who stepped up when North needed them the most and scored their final seven points. They finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively, as McFadden added six blocks and Vital battled for seven rebounds.

Lawson was tremendous, and the result of his late-game cramps can be attributed to his high-level effort and the aggressive play he received from the Greyhounds. He finished with a game-high 17 points, along with five rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Grove City received a well-rounded effort from their starting five, which includes five seniors. Guards Kevin Gallagher and Jack Reber finished with 11 points, along with Gilbert who also added five blocks. Adado added quality minutes and seven points off the bench.

The win for the Panthers ties them with Grove City for second in the OCC-Ohio, as New Albany moves in sole possession of first place with a one-game lead.

For a look at the top performers from Friday’s game, check out the Prospect Scouting Report