Northmor 59, Crestline 33
Northmor’s (13-8, 8-5) Grant Bentley hit four threes and played solid all-around basketball to lead the Golden Knights to a 59-33 win over Crestline (5-13, 3-6) on Feb. 10.
Northmor led 14-7 after one quarter, with Max Lower and Jax Wenger leading the Knights with four points apiece.
In the second quarter, Bentley made it a 19-12 game on a 3-pointer, with 5:45 on the clock. Bentley also had a steal with about 4:50 left, and Isaac Black had a pair of blocks. With 2:25 left in the quarter, Bentley put Northmor up 24-16 on a three. He then hit another from downtown to make it a 29-18 game with a minute left in the half. As time expired, Drew Hammond hustled for a steal, and Bentley added a block. Northmor went into the locker room at halftime up 31-18, led by Bentley’s 11 points, including three from downtown.
In the third quarter, the Golden Knights outscored the Bulldogs 17-11, fueled by six points each from Bentley and Lower. They finished out the game with an 11-4 fourth quarter to take a 26-point victory. A fourth quarter highlight included a steal and fast break bucket by Bentley down the stretch.
Bentley finished the night with 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting. He was particularly efficient from deep, going 4-for-5 from 3-point land. He also hit three of his four free throws. Bentley added three steals, one block and one rebound to his line.
Hunter Fulk put up eight points, four assists and a rebound. Wenger chipped in with six points, five boards, four assists and a steal in the win.
It was also a big night for Lower, with the senior playing a pivotal role in the win by being perfect from the free-throw line and hitting double figures in scoring with 13 points. He added five boards, three steals and an assist.
“Huge congrats to Max Lower for playing a great game on his senior night,” Northmor basketball coach Blade Tackett said. “Five-for-five from the line might be a first for him. (I am) happy for him and proud of our guys for taking care of business to make sure his last regular season home game was a good one. We have one more tough match up vs. Mansfield Christian this week to get ready for sectionals.”
Overall, it was a great win for Northmor, shooting 47% from the field as a team and 31% from long range. They made 87% of their free throws, as well.
Lucas 60, Mount Gilead 48
Mount Gilead (10-10, 7-5) got another solid performance from Matt Bland, but the team struggled to find their 3-point stroke and suffered a 60-48 loss to Lucas (17-4, 10-0) on Feb. 10.
Mount Gilead went up 8-2 to start the game, with Aaron Gannon stealing a pass and going coast-to-coast for a fast break bucket at the 3:45 mark. Quade Harris added a steal in the quarter and Carter Kennon had a block.
Fast forward to the second quarter with 3:20 left and Lucas was up 23-10, but Kennon buried a three to make it a 10-point game. With about a minute left in the half, Rowan Fitzpatrick hit a three of his own to make it a 25-22 game. Bland made it a one-point game as time wound down in the quarter on a fast break score stemming from a steal. Gannon also had a block in the quarter, his second of the game.
While it was tight at halftime, Lucas started to pull away, 35-27. Gannon added another block in the quarter, leading to a fast break bucket by Bland to put the score at 35-29 with 4:30 left. Kennon also had a blocked shot.
In the fourth quarter, Lucas widened the gap to 14, but Fitzpatrick drained a three to make it a 54-43 game.
Mount Gilead made 43% from the field as a team, but only 18% from three. Lucas shot 41% and 29%, respectively.
Bland, who is the top scorer in KMAC at just above 21 points per game, had 10 points despite going 0-for-8 from three. He also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Gannon had four steals and two blocks to go with his six points and four rebounds. Cam Vickers had six points, 10 boards, two assists and a steal. Fitzpatrick had 10 points, two boards and one steal.
East Knox 52, Wellington 46
East Knox (3-17, 0-12) finished out a back-and-forth fight with Wellington (1-16, 0-8) on an 18-14 fourth-quarter advantage to secure a 52-46 win over The Dukes on Feb. 10.
Both teams scored seven points in the opening quarter. Carter Wesney made it a 5-3 game on a three in the first quarter to lead the EK offense.
In the second quarter, Bulldog Dustin Springer nailed a shot from deep to break a tie and give East Knox a 12-9 lead. The Bulldogs were outscored 17-13 in the quarter and Wellington had a 24-20 lead at halftime. Ethan Rine scored six points for the Bulldogs in the quarter.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs regained the lead with a 14-8 advantage. Rine was the top scorer with six more points. EK finished out the game strong with an 18-14 fourth-quarter advantage, with Jax Lester scoring five points.
Rine led the Bulldogs in scoring with 14 points and was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Springer scored 12 points, including a pair of threes. Lester also hit double figures with 11 points, including a three. Wesney scored nine points in the win.
East Knox shot 38% and 21% from three. They led in boards 41-31 and assists 11-10. Wellington led 9-3 in steals and 4-1 in blocks.
Utica 65, Northridge 61
Utica (9-8, 4-5) had a two-headed monster attack with Trenton Collins and Roman Gamble each bringing their best stuff in a 65-61 win over Northridge (16-4, 13-1) on Feb. 10.
Utica’s Brody McDaniel hit a three in the first quarter to make it a 5-5 tie. Both teams scored 14 points in the opening frame, with Gamble leading the Redskins with eight points.
In the second quarter, Utica had a 14-11 advantage and took a 28-25 lead into halftime, highlighted by a three at the end of the quarter by Zach Heckman to break a 25-25 tie. Collins was hot in the frame with 10 points. Heckman and Collins each had a steal and McDaniel had a block for Utica.
In the third quarter, Utica led 32-25 when Gamble showed off his defensive skills with a blocked shot under the basket. Collins sprinted for a smooth fast break layup in the quarter that came off a steal by Gamble. Utica had an 18-15 advantage led by Gamble’s 10 points and supported by Collins' eight markers. While Northridge had a 22-19 advantage in the fourth quarter, the Redskins held on for the tight win.
Collins scored 25 points in the win and was 9-for-12 from the foul line. Gamble was 16-for-19 from the line and had 24 points. Heckman and McDaniel each chipped in with seven points and a 3-pointer each.
Utica made 46% of their shots and 25% from three, but a huge part of the win was due to free-throw shooting. They went 31-for-42 from the line compared to 14-for-26 from Northridge.
Northridge led 32-26 in rebounds, 17-4 in assists and each team had a pair of blocks. Utica had a 3-2 block advantage.
“Our five seniors led the way to a rivalry win on senior night,” said Utica basketball coach Brian Radabaugh. “(I am) really proud of this group for their dedication to our program. The atmosphere was as good as any I can remember.”
Utica 71, Highland 61
Utica’s (9-8, 4-5) Trenton Collins was unstoppable from the start against Highland (8-13, 1-11) on Feb. 11, leading the Redskins to a 71-61 win with a 30-point effort.
Utica trailed 15-14 after one quarter with Highland’s Gavin Hankins providing five points, including a three. Brock Church scored three in the quarter for the Fighting Scots. Utica would have been far out of this game early if it wasn’t for Collins, who had 10 points to lead the Redskins.
In the second quarter, the Redskins put 22 points on the board and held Highland to 14 points to take a 36-29 lead. Collins scored 13 points to lead the offensive charge. Roman Gamble added four points. Hankins had six points for the Fighting Scots in the quarter.
Utica had a 15-13 third-quarter advantage, highlighted by a three each for Brody McDaniel and Logan Gosnell. Church scored five points for Highland.
Gamble took over in the fourth quarter to help Utica secure the win. He had 12 points in the quarter and hit 10 free throws down the stretch.
Collins led the 'Skins with 30 points and was 8-for-10 from the line. Gamble had 19 points and was a force from the foul line going 15-for-18. Gosnell added eight points to help Utica secure the win.
Church was the leader for Highland with 17 points, including a pair of threes. Hankins put up 16 points and had a pair of threes. Gavin Toombs hit a three and had 12 points.
Free-throw shooting was a huge factor in the game, with the Redskins going 31-for-38 from the line and Highland going only 18-for-33.
Each team shot 39% from the field, with Utica making 29% from three and Highland making 36%. Highland led 41-28 in rebounds and 7-5 in assists, but Utica led 4-3 in steals.
