COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In a district final showdown that was not expected coming into the tournament, No. 17 Thomas Worthington's cinderella run stopped in its tracks as the Cardinals fell to No. 5 Pickerington North on Saturday at the Columbus Convention Center.

Despite a big-time showing of 33 points from Thomas sophomore Jalen Sullinger, the Cardinals had a tough time containing the more physical and athletic Panthers as North captured its second district title in the last three years in a 72-60 victory.

Feeling each other out in a high scoring first quarter, North struck the final blow as a backdoor cut from sophomore Casey George resulted in a go-ahead layup which put the Panthers up 18-16 with 46.4 seconds to go in the opening frame.

From that point until the 6:08 mark of the third quarter, North executed a 19-7 run that broke Saturday's game open, as the Panthers went up by as many as 15 points in the period. 

Going into the fourth quarter holding a 47-35 lead, North was in the driver's seat for its second-ever district title. Dominating the Cardinals on the glass, North held a major 21-9 advantage going into the fourth quarter, mainly due to the play of stud sophomore Jack Sawyer. 

While leading by double digits for most of the period, the Panthers struggled to contain Sullinger who scored 15 of his game-high 33 points in the period.

Thomas got as close as eight points with 30 seconds to go, however Sawyer closed the game out with four-straight points topped off by a district title sealing dunk with five seconds to go to power North to a 72-60 victory. 

After a massive upset loss to Mount Vernon in the district semifinals a year ago, North redeemed itself with a district title that could help put the Panthers back in the regional final for the second time since 2017.

Leading the way for North was Sawyer, who finished with an efficient 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The 6-foot-6 sophomore is built like JJ Watt, passes like Kaleb Wesson and has a Seth Towns-like turnaround jumper. Sawyer's impact on the boards helped North have a 30-13 rebounding advantage on Saturday.

Outside of Sawyer, junior wing Chris Scott had yet another big game, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. The 6-foot-4 Scott is the glue guy for the Panthers and a terrific secondary scoring option who has really improved over the course of the season. Scott is the type of complimentary player who could help you win a regional title and more, similar to someone like Westerville South's Jordan Humphrey in 2016.

Sophomore guards Idris Lawrence and George combined for 23 points, both attacking the rim with aggression and making plays all over the floor. George came in late in the first quarter and scored seven quick points to help the Panthers establish an early first half lead. Lawrence matched up with Sullinger and held his own, as the 5-foot-10 guard attacks the rim like a bull in a china shop and has special finishing ability when he gets there. 

Rounding out the rotation, junior wing guard Hunter Shedenhelm added six points and six rebounds, as the 6-foot-5 wing had an impactful two-way performance.

For Thomas, Sullinger was everything and then some. Finishing with 33 points and four steals, the sophomore scored it on every single level. Knocking down three triples, scoring at the rim over length and showing an ability to score in the in-between game, Sullinger put together one of the best guard performances that we've seen over the last six years at the district final level. 

Outside of Sullinger, Thomas struggled to find consistent offensive production, as sophomore Isaac Settles came alive late, scoring 14 of his 15 points after the 2:30 mark of the third quarter. Settles showed flashes of his big-time upside, however, as the 6-foot-5 sophomore knocked down a few impressive shots off the bounce in the face of tight defense in the fourth quarter. 

Outside of its talented sophomore duo, the rest of Thomas' rotation combined for 12 points as the injury plagued Cardinals just did not have the depth to take down a highly talented North squad.

With the district title victory, North advances to the regional tournament to take on the winner of No. 9 Newark and No. 13 Olentangy Orange on Wednesday, March 13 at Ohio Dominican at 7 p.m.