Two local teams entered berths in the OHSAA boys basketball district semifinals and one team emerged with a shot at the Divison IV, Region 16 championship – the Northmor Golden Knights. The other qualifier, Fredericktown, saw their playoff run stopped in the semis.
No. 3 Northmor 61, No. 8 Delaware Christian 44
Grant Bentley and Jax Wenger each put up a big scoring night in the District Semifinals of the Division IV, Region 16 OHSAA tournament, leading No. 3-seeded Northmor (15-8) to a 61-44 win over No. 8 Delaware Christian (13-11).
Bentley was coming off a game in which he only scored six points, but this time the KMAC’s second-leading scorer went for 27 points on a night in which he hit five threes.
Northmor had a huge first quarter with a 25-9 advantage as the Golden Knights scored the game’s first 10 points. With three minutes left in the quarter, it was a 17-2 game. The Knights were sparked by a dominant start by Bentley, who put up 15 points. He hit a pair of threes in the quarter. Wenger also started off hot with five points. Hunter Fulk, Drew Hammond and Caleb Schnuerer each had steals on quality hustle plays for Northmor.
The Eagles woke up in the second quarter with an 18-point showing, but Northmor hung with them with 15 points of their own. With 5:30 on the clock, Bentley nailed a three to put the Golden Knights up 32-19. Wenger and Bentley had six points apiece and it was a 40-28 lead for the Golden Knights at halftime.
Both teams scored nine points in the third quarter, with Wenger leading the Knights with seven points and Max Lower providing one bucket to round out the scoring. Wenger hit a three to make it a 45-32 game. Then, with 3:20 on the clock, at 45-37, Schnuerer swatted away a shot to stop a surging Eagles squad. Wenger had a steal at the end of the quarter.
The Golden Knights finished the game strong with a 12-7 advantage, highlighted by six points from Bentley. Wenger had a block and Fulk had a steal in the quarter, as well.
Bentley’s 27 points led all scorers and Wenger added 21 points of his own to provide a sweet one-two punch to orchestrate the victory. Lower had four points and Fulk, Schnuerer and Hammond each had two points apiece.
Northmor shot 46% and 38% from three, while making 57% of their free throws. The Eagles shot 41% and 33% from three, and made 53% from the foul line. The Eagles led 13-11 in assists and 15-5 in steals, while both teams had a pair of blocks. Delaware Christian had a 30-27 rebound advantage.
“A great first quarter helped us sustain the lead when they hit four threes in the second quarter,” said Northmor coach Blade Tackett. “Our kids played hard and together and played themselves into a game that no Northmor team has ever been before. I’m proud of them. They worked hard in the offseason and continually improved this season to put themselves in this position. They deserve it. That being said, I could tell tonight they are not satisfied and are looking forward to putting forth their best effort on Friday at ODU.”
On March 3, Northmor took on No. 2 Columbus Patriot Prep (18-6) for the Division IV, Region 16 Sectional Finals and statistics were not available at press time. The winner moves on to play the Southwest 1 District winner between No. 1 Jackson Center (23-1) and No. 4 Cincinnati College Prep (11-5) on March 7.
Previously, Northmor beat No. 12 Berne Union 64-29 in the opening round of the tournament.
No. 1 Africentric 75, No. 9 Fredericktown 49
Kaid Carpenter had a solid night scoring and snagging rebounds with a double-double for No. 9 Fredericktown (17-8), but it wasn’t enough to topple No. 1 Africentric (20-5), who knocked the Freddies out of the OHSAA Division III, Region 11 District Semifinals in a 75-49 loss.
The Freddies opened up the game with a 5-2 lead, highlighted by a three from Brady Lester on a catch-and-shoot play. With 30 seconds left, Ben Mast nailed a wide-open three to put the Freddies up 10-9. Mast also had a blocked shot as time was winding down to keep it a one-point lead. Trevor Bellman had a steal in the quarter for Fredericktown, as well.
In the second quarter, Africentric outscored Fredericktown 20-13 and took a 29-23 lead into halftime. Teegan Ruhl and Bellman each had steals for the Freddies.
In the third quarter, Luke Bean nailed a three to make it a 42-34 game in favor of the Nubians. Carpenter hit a three in the fourth quarter to make it a 52-40 game, and later in the quarter, Bean hit another three to make it a 71-49 game. However, the second half was all Africentric with the Nubians posting 23-13 advantages in both the third and fourth quarters to cruise to a 26-point win.
Fredericktown shot 33.9% and 31.8% from three, while making 50% of their free throws. Africentric shot 42.5%, but only made one of 12 3-pointers. They also made 54.5% from the foul line. Africentric dominated the glass with a 52-31 rebounding advantage and were incredible in the paint with 58 points. The Freddies led 16-12 in assists, but they turned the ball over 21 times compared to only 12 for the Nubians. The Nubians capitalized off the turnovers as well, with 28 points.
Carpenter had 12 points, 13 boards and six assists to lead the Freddies. Lester also had 12 points and just missed a double-double with nine boards to go with three assists. Ruhl had eight points, one rebound, one steal and one assist. Bean had nine points and was 3-for-5 from 3-point land. Bellman had five points, including a make from downtown, three assists and two steals.
“Our guys played great and were locked in and focused from the beginning, but unfortunately fell short,” said Freddies' coach Derek Dibling. “The Freddies had a great season and I was really proud of all that was accomplished this year.”
Africentric will now face No. 3 Columbus Academy (23-2) on March 2 in the sectional finals of the Division III, Region 11 OHSAA tournament. Previously, Africentric beat No. 27 Cristo Rey Columbus 102-14 and No. 26 Amanda-Clearcreek 87-33. Fredericktown previously beat No. 17 Liberty Union 54-42 and No. 19 North Union 51-44.
