PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Statement made.

Using a huge third quarter run and a breakout showing from junior guard Casey George, Pickerington North (3-3) raced past bitter rival Pickerington Central (3-2) on Tuesday, dominating the Tigers in the final two quarters en route to a 71-54 win.

Setting the tone from the opening tip, the Panthers jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead behind two tough buckets from George and forced a Pickerington Central timeout with 2:56 left in the quarter after a tough post score from the junior.

Trimming the deficit down before the end of the frame, Pickerington Central used nine first quarter points including a tough fadeaway at the buzzer from junior Garner Wallace to make it a one point game at 14-13 after one.

After the two squad's stayed even for the first few minutes of the second, Pickerington North created some separation behind lockdown defense and the play of George, Chris Scott, and ​​​​​​​Jerry Saunders.

Putting together a 10-2 to end the half, they headed into the locker room ahead 29-19 at the break.

Opening up the second half by knocking down some tough shots and forcing a few turnovers, Pickerington Central cut the lead to as little as four as they trailed just 34-30 two and a half minutes into the quarter.

Refusing to let the Tigers entirely close the gap, Pickerington North stormed back to end the frame. The Panthers closed out the third on a 12-2 run behind some tough finishes from Scott and a few three pointers from George, ​​​​​​​Hunter Shedenhelm and ​​​​​​​Dior Conners to head into the final quarter with all of the momentum, leading 50-34.

Blowing the game open in the final quarter, Pickerington North continued their domination as they extended their lead to as large as 22 points when they forced a Pickerington Central timeout with 3:57 to play.

Leading the Panthers with 18 points was Scott, however, George was their MVP as he finished with 15 points, controlled the pace of the game and set his teammates up for some easy buckets all night.

Shedenhelm also contributed 12 points, while Saunders and Savion Marshall-Hamilton each scored six for Pickerington North.

You can catch them back in action on Friday as they host Lancaster at home before a big challenge on Saturday when they will take on Centerville at 8:30 PM at Capital University.

For Pickerington Central, Wallace led them with 15 points, while ​​​​​​​Tahleik Walker scored nine and ​​​​​​​Elhadji Thiam contributed eight. They don't play again until Friday night as they'll take on Reynoldsburg in a tough OCC-Ohio game.

Casey George (6'0 PG / Pickerington North / 2021): George was phenomenal tonight, putting together one of the best games of his career on the big stage. The junior guard was extremely efficient from the field as all of his points came off of field goals. He scored in a variety of ways as he finished through contact, hit shots off the dribble in the mid-range, knocked down a catch and shoot three and even had a tough post score on an opposing guard. George plays at a very good pace as he both handles pressure well and knows when to speed up the game and get out in transition. We loved the way he passed the ball tonight, making the correct read nearly every time down the floor as he found open teammates off the dribble time and time again. The 6-foot guard plays the passing lanes well on defense and seems to improve as an on-ball defender every time we see him. George plays with a swagger that you can't teach as he was ready for the bright lights tonight and led his team to a huge win. Keep an eye on the junior this season as he's really improved over the last season and will only continue to get better in the role Pickerington North has him playing.

Chris Scott (6'4 WG / Pickerington North / 2020): While Scott is going to be a Division I wide receiver at this time next year, the senior wing is using all of his athletic blessings to dominate for Pickerington North on the hardwood early on this season. The 6-foot-4 wing is one of the fastest players in the area and used it to his advantage tonight, running the floor and filling lanes excellently for some easy finishes set up by his teammates. He had a few really, really tough finishes through contact tonight, showing great body control and touch around the rim. Scott positions himself well in the halfcourt, stays active on the glass and creates a ton of easy points on that end. Defensively, Scott is one of the better wing defenders on Pickerington North as his length and quickness can really frustrate opposing ball handlers. He played the passing lanes well for a couple of steals tonight as well, even setting himself up for an easy transition slam late in the game where he showed off his high-level athleticism. While he doesn't score many flashy points and gets most of his buckets off of layups, the senior is just as valuable as anyone on the Pickerington North roster as he allows them to excel in transition and on the defensive end.

Garner Wallace (6'5 WF / Pickerington Central / 2021): Wallace was just about the only bright spot for Pickerington Central tonight as he went for 15 points and showed off his offensive arsenal from the opening tip. Similar to Scott, the junior has elite athletic tools such as his speed, length and athleticism, all of which allow him to be a force in the open floor. He impressed us in the halfcourt tonight however as he finished some nice takes with both hands and got to the free throw line several times after attacking his matchup off the dribble. He also hit a three off the catch and made a tough fadeaway off the dribble in the mid-range area, showing off some improved jump shooting within his arsenal. The 6-foot-5 wing is also a very good defender as he can defend 1-4 at the high school level and isn't afraid to apply ball pressure and make opposing guard uncomfortable. We expect some big time numbers out of the junior this season as he's in a much bigger scoring role than he was last season.

Jerry Saunders (6'0 WG / Pickerington North / 2022): Saunders continues to impress us as a decision maker on the offensive end in every viewing that we have of him. Running the point at times for Pickerington North tonight, the sophomore made some really good choices, took care of the ball and handled Pickerington Central's pressure extremely well. Though he only scored six points, he was efficient on the offensive end as he didn't take any bad shots and hit two tough shots off the dribble in the mid-range. What we liked most from Jerry tonight was his ability to find teammates in the open floor as he had a few really nice dump offs in transition for easy buckets, attracting defensive attention before making the right read nearly every time down. With Saunders and George, the Pickerington North backcourt is going to be in good hands for years to come as both prospects really impressed as offensive creators and decision makers tonight.