Central Meets Its Match…again

Northern blows by Central in a romp

By Marcellus C. Miller

30 January 2008

greatlakeshoops.com

Nap Lavoie-- On the surface, tonight’s game was just another one on the schedule for both of these teams.  However, it was much more than that as it could be a springboard back to respectability coming off of terrible seasons last year.  The first contest was played at Northern’s house, and the Vikes took that one.  This one, however, was in the friendly confines of the Lavoie field house.

I guess friendly should not be the word that I used there.  From the start, Northern came out swinging, employing a 1-2-2 zone press that challenged the Phoenix’s ball-handling skills.  The challenge was not met as Northern cruised out to a 10-0 advantage before two free throws by Demetrius Miller stopped the bleeding.  All-in-all, Central was held to a measly seven points in the quarter and was down by 11. 

The second was pretty much status quo, with Central making a slight run, then Northern answering the bell.  Demetrius Peterson canned a 3-pointer from the top of the key (Northern’s only triple of the night) to effectively keep Central at bay heading into halftime at 32-19.

Northern’s coach was unsatisfied and let his players know it at the break.

“We should be up way more than 13!  You’re playing with no fire!”

That changed dramatically in the second half.  A unique switch in the Northern press had starting center Sam Morgan switch places with the starting point guard, Carlos Benton, and be the point person on the press.  His height presented all sorts of problems on the inbound passer and Benton’s anticipation caused two immediate steals on baskets.  Northern went on a 12-2 run, capped by a two-hand slam by Joemar Black off of the alley oop pass from Kelvin Kornegay.  That same connection hooked up two more times in the quarter for easy lay ups as Northern started to pull away.  Not to be outdone, Central fired back an 8-0 run of their own and found the range from beyond the arc twice in the quarter.  They still found themselves down 56-40 at the break.

The fourth quarter was a blur, literally.  If you weren’t careful, you would have a crook in your neck watching both teams play at break neck speed.  Dunks by Morgan, Black, and Darrell Williams brought the crowd alive and propelled Northern ahead.  Central rushed bad three point shots and committed numerous turnovers.  By the time the final horn rang, the Vikings had taken this one by 26 (88-62), keeping them at the top of the city race.

Amazing stat of the night- Points in the paint; Northern- 70, Central- 32

Player of the game- Joemar Black- 26 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and three vicious dunks

Notable absences- Central’s Keenan Coleman, Northern’s Michael “OJ” Martin

Play of the game- Easily Black’s tomahawk dunk off of the alley oop from Kornegay

Game Notes

- Coleman was out due to eligibility and Martin due to discipline.  Both provide a similar amount of offense for their teams, but Martin’s all-around game initially made him look like a bigger loss.  The game proved otherwise as Northern had far more weapons in their arsenal despite also missing sixth man Allen Seales due to his knee injury.

- Miller showed yet again his prowess at getting to the rim, finishing with 18 points.  It is the 3-pointer he hit at the end of the game that needs to be added to his repertoire for his ultimate success.

- Aaron McReynolds found his rhythm in the second half from the outside a bit.  He finished the game with 17 points, but had to shoot quite a bit to get them.   Brandon Jackson’s seemingly limited mobility (playing with a knee brace) and Harold Peterson’s lack of production forced him into those shots though.

- Unsung heroes- Jerrod Vaughn and Darrell Williams had something to smile about after this one.  In limited time, Vaughn hauled in a game best 10 rebounds to go with his all out hustle.  Williams, who is in his second game after becoming eligible, scored 11 points, but more importantly had 5 huge blocks keeping the lane closed for guards coming in there.  His length at 6’6” will help the Viking immensely.

- Central looked absolutely lost tonight.  They had no answer for the press other than launching up bad 3-pointers (They shot a paltry 6-25 from beyond the arc).  The loss of Coleman is devastating to them.

- Morgan showed flashes of why he can be a force inside.  He finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and two big blocks.

- The JV contest was also dominated by Northern which could spell impending doom for Central in the years to come.