JOHNSTOWN, Ohio --  Coming off of a home loss to Granville, Johnstown hosted rival Northridge hoping to regain their footing. Despite the Vikings keeping it close, the Johnnies improved to 2-1 with a big LCL-Cardinal Division win against the Northridge Vikings.

The Johnnies led for nearly the entire game, due to their full court pressure that resulted in 11 steals. While the Johnnies defense was tenacious, the Vikings hit eight three-pointers to keep themselves in the game, six of which came in the second half. The Vikings made a run in the fourth quarter cutting the Johnnies lead to just three, but it wasn’t enough as the Johnstown Johnnies hung on to win 44-37.

At the start of the first quarter, it was a defensive battle, as the Johnnies came out playing great team defense. This resulted in five first quarter steals, two each by junior Gavin Foe and senior Matt Sayer. Their defensive effort propelled the Johnnies to a 12-4 first quarter lead.

Johnstown was able to continue right where they left off heading into the second quarter, due to a continued strong effort by Gavin Foe. Foe was filling up the stat sheet as the second quarter wrapped up, finishing the half with eight points, four rebounds, two steals, and one breakaway slam. Junior Jake Lusk helped with the Johnnies second quarter effort as well, adding five points to go along with three rebounds in the first half, leading Johnstown to a 22-11 first half lead.

Seniors Ben Smith, Travis Neumeyer, and sophomore JD Miller helped Northridge to claw their way back to a deficit of 32-25 at the end of the third quarter, making for a nail biting second half. Smith had six of his nine points all in the second half with a total of seven rebounds. Neumeyer had eight of his nine points all in the second half as well, to go along with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Miller contributed all nine of his points in the second half. However, it proved to be too little, too late. 

Johnstown’s junior point guard Foe put on quite the fourth quarter performance by adding six of his 16 points in the final frame, finishing with eight rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Despite making six of eight three pointers in the second half, Northridge was not able to make the run it needed to take the lead. 

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Gavin Foe (6’1 PG / Johnstown / 2021): I was very impressed with the all around game that Foe showed on Tuesday. He showed his athletic abilities all night, which was very evident during his breakaway steal that finished with a dunk. The junior showed his scoring ability by getting to the basket in a variety of different ways. Foe elevates well, and was one of the toughest players on the floor. This was evident in the fact way he battled with both teams post players despite working from the guard spot, and even finished with a game-high eight rebounds. His length and athleticism at the front of the Johnnies press caused Northridge guards problems all night. Foe will look to take the reigns of this Johnstown team as their lead guard and showcase his high-level athleticism as the Johnnies get into the thick of their LCL schedule.

Jake Lusk (6’3 PF / Johnstown / 2021): A starter from day one in this Johnstown program in both football, where he is an all-state defensive end, and on the hardwood, Lusk is one of the strongest and most physical players in the Licking County League. Once he establishes position around the basket, he is very difficult to handle. He is the current iteration of what has been a continuous cycle of great post players to come out of Johnstown. He uses his body well and has great timing and instincts to dominate the boards. Lusk will continue to impose his will in the paint against league foes and hopefully give the Johnnies a chance to compete against the heavyweights in Division III once tournament time rolls around.

Travis Neumeyer (6’0 PG / Northridge / 2020): Neumeyer is the obvious leader of a very young Vikings team, possessing a well rounded and unselfish game. Despite the loss, the senior gave Northridge a chance with his sharpshooting and great passing. His eight points and two assists in the second half helped cut the Johnstown lead to just three with under one minute remaining. Neumeyer showed tremendous range, dropping his three pointers from well behind the arc. His energy on both ends of the court was contagious with this young team, and Neumeyer will have to continue keeping the Vikings in games as they try to turn their season around.