The Northmor Golden Knights (10-4, 6-1) have been rolling and took another conference win on Jan. 20, bearing Centerburg (6-6, 4-3) 63-52 in a come-from-behind victory led by their top scorer Grant Bentley.
“We had a gutsy win against a tough Centerburg team on Saturday,” Northmor Coach Blade Tackett said. “Even with two of their top players out, they came out with great physicalness and shot the lights out. We had no answers for Isaiah Sule in the first half and we tried everything.”
Despite being shorthanded due to injuries, Centerburg came out with a fire lit under them. Sule went off for 13 of the 16 Trojan points in the first quarter, while Northmor was held to eight points with seven of them coming from Bentley. The second quarter was more evenly matched, with Northmor outscoring the Trojans 18-17. At halftime it was a 33-26 lead for Centerburg, and Sule was dominant with 23 points going into the locker room. Bentley already hit double figures with 10 points for the Golden Knights.
In the third quarter the Golden Knights came out on a mission, outscoring the Trojans 14-8 to cut the Trojan lead to only one. Bentley and Drew Hammond each had four points. The key was holding Sule to only three points in the third quarter, which pushed the momentum in Northmor's favor.
Northmor finished out the game with their best quarter, outscoring the Trojans 23-11. Hunter Fulk scored eight and Bentley put up seven points to lead the charge.
“Credit to our guys in the second half,” Tackett said. “We called a timeout midway through the third, put on a press, and proceeded to go on a 12-0 run to retake the lead. Our guys never gave up and got a gritty win that took a lot of effort. Isaac Black tracked down every loose ball in the third and fourth quarters. Drew Hammond was a force on both ends of the floor. Hunter Fulk recorded multiple steals and hit some big shots and big free throws. Bryson Keirns rebounded and also hit a big shot when we were down. And Grant was Grant, just a slow and steady 20 points that he really had to work for Saturday.”
Bentley went for 21 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal for Northmor. He was 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Hammond had 15 points, four rebounds, five steals and two assists. Hunter Fulk had 10 points, three rebounds four steals and two assists. Bryson Keirns scored six points and grabbed a pair of boards. AJ Bower had five points, two rebounds and a steal, while Jax Wenger had three points, four assists, three boards, two steals and a block.
“We also got some big plays on both ends of the floor from our two juniors Jax Wenger and AJ Bower,” Coach Tackett said. “Our bench was never out of it and gave us great energy the entire game, especially our senior Logan Caudill.”
Centerburg’s Sule had a hot start but was held to only three points in the second half. He had a game high 26 points on the night, going off for three makes from deep and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
Jack Lawrence scored a bucket in each quarter for eight points. Bennett Hill had a pair of fourth quarter threes for six points. Rounding out the scoring for Centerburg was Owen Taylor with five points, Ryder Scott with four points and Blane Ball with three points.
Coach Tackett was very impressed with the way his Golden Knights responded after being down early. He recalled it as a milestone moment, and credited the Northmor squad for the guts they showed in persevering to victory.
“Overall one of the best comebacks I've had as a head coach and it's because of the experience of our team,” Coach Tackett said. “They knew that the KMAC was on the line and they willed themselves to a victory and I'm proud of them for that.”
The battle for the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference title has become a three team race, with Northmor leading the way. Cardington-Lincoln and Fredericktown are locked in a second place tie at 5-2, and Centerburg is behind them at 4-3.
Northmor has been surging, with this win being their third straight. On the season they have outscored opponents 839-702, and in KMAC play it has been 438-331.
