The Vikings Hold Off a Scrappy Irish Squad

In the night cap of the Ohio Play-By-Play Classic in Columbus, Columbus Northland, the 4th ranked team in division I according to Ohio’s AP polls, squared off against St. Vincent St. Mary (7-7). Northland’s main guy is Michigan-bound Trey Burke at the point guard spot, while juniors Jalen Robinson and Devon Scott patrol the paint. St. Vincent is led by senior guards DeVonte Beard and Ricky Johnson.

The Irish came out hot and scored the first 4 points in the game. From there, Northland got things going as the Viking’s post play stated to assert itself, and Northland took the lead midway through the opening quarter. By the end of the first period, Northland possessed a 21-16 lead. St. Vincent started the second period with a bucket, but a Trey Burke-initiated spurt at the end of the quarter added to the Northland lead. A driving layup by Ricky Johnson ended the second period with Northland up 30-39. Over the course of the third quarter, Northland increased its lead by 2 points, as the period ended with a score of 49-60. The teams traded buckets for most of the 4th quarter, and the Irish’s full court pressue resulted in a couple of Viking turnovers, and allowed the Irish to cut into the Northland lead. However, Northland was just too tough down the stretch, as Robionson and Scott got a few easy dunks, and Northland went on to claim the 77-49 victory.

Northland’s Jalen Robinson was the leading scorer and MVP for Northland with an impressive 25 points. Right behind Robinson was Trey Burke and Devon Scott, who finished with 19 and 12 points, respectively. St. Vincent’s Ricky Johnson dropped a game-high 27 points on his way to game MVP honors. DeVonte Beard supported his efforts with 14 points. All-in-all, Central Ohio basketball enjoyed a great day of basketball. To see some of the pictures I took at the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page. Checkout the Cap City Prep Video.