Westerville Central 69, Thomas Worthington 62
It's a "clean slate" for the Warhawks as they move on to the district finals behind Josh Henderson's incredible 35-point performance
WORTHINGTON, OH - The magic of the postseason allows every team’s record to reset. No matter the regular season results, good or bad, the biggest goals are still obtainable.
While #11 Westerville Central may not have been pleased with their 9-13 record, Monday night’s Division II district semifinal game against host #7 Thomas Worthington, a team who gave them a 12-point loss in December, allowed them to start anew. The outcome to the tune of a 69-62 victory indicated a Warhawks team with a renewed focus, carried on the backs of senior leaders Josh Henderson and Amare Spiva.
Henderson in particular, may have delivered one of the area’s best performances of the year. The 6’5 wing, an Akron signee, exploded for 35 points on 13-of-14 shooting, which included three makes from beyond the arc along with three assists. Spiva, a senior guard and one of the area’s top unsigned players, was sensational in his role with 21 points, while his high-end speed allowed him to collect six steals along with three assists.
“Our team leaders in Josh and Amare were able to control the tempo of the game, the pace a little bit and I think a huge thing was defensively when we went full court, that changed the tempo and sped things up for us, which is what we are best at,” Westerville Central head coach Max Shawver, who is in his first year in this role with the Warhawks, said after the game.
The tempo was evident from the start, when the Warhawks began the game on an 11-2 run that included a stretch where the Cardinals didn’t cross half court for four straight possessions as the Warhawks collected six steals in the first quarter to build a 24-10 lead.