PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- In the opener of The Challenge event hosted by Pickerington North, Groveport Madison and Centennial met in what was the Stars first game since before Christmas. That was certainly not the case for the Cruisers, however, as they came straight off of a statement win against Newark on Friday night to withstand multiple serious comeback attempts by Centennial and come away with a 69-59 win. 

While Centennial kept it close early, Groveport was able to hold a slight edge for most of the game in large part to the consistent shot-making of junior Scotty Lomax, who hit three threes in each half and finished with 29 points. Outside of Lomax, the scoring for the Cruisers was fairly even, with seniors Elijah Monroe and Tymire Jones both finishing with 10 points. Senior post Raychaun Whitfield added five points and six rebounds. 

Centennial tied the game late in the second half in a valiant effort that ultimately ended in defeat. Junior Jaylen Gilbert was a steady offensive force for the Stars, finishing with 20 pounds and five rebounds. 

Scotty Lomax (6'2 WG / Groveport / 2021): Lomax continued his offensive dominance on Saturday in another great showing against Centennial. Less than 24 hours after dropping 31 points in the Cruisers throttling of Newark, Lomax was able to showcase his advanced offensive feel and overall confidence as the steady leader of his Groveport Madison team. Even before Lomax got his outside shot going, the springy 6-2 guard was able to mix things up on both ends with active hands on defense that led to multiple transition assists on the other end. Lomax draws attention wherever he is on the court, pulling two defenders his way whenever he takes it off the dribble where he is then able to find the open man. However, as the focal point of the offense, Lomax is usually looking to find his own shot, whether it be a high-flying finish around the rim off the bounce or rising up from outside above the opposing defenders. Lomax has proven that he is a reliable threat from beyond the arc and has been unconscious from deep over the last couple weeks, hitting SIX threes on Saturday. Lomax ended up with 29 points in what was an incredibly impressive p with 29 points in what was an incredibly impressive offensive performance, something that we have come to expect from him in his breakout junior campaign. 

Jaylen Gilbert (6'4 PF / Centennial / 2021): The quarterback of Centennial’s history-making playoff football team, Gilbert is an efficient playmaker on the hardwood that kept the Stars in the game down the stretch. Gilbert is a bucket-getter and overall smart basketball player and used his sturdy 6-4 build to impose his will against Groveport Madison. Gilbert is physical and heady on both ends, using great positioning to find open looks for himself and his teammates. He showed a variety of moves on offense that included drop-steps and turn-around jumpers, and even stretched his game out to the perimeter for three. 

Marlon Elliott (6'0 PG / Groveport / 2022): Elliott, a standout in the Open Division of the 270 Hoops Fall League, showed a feel for the game beyond his years as the glue that held the Groveport Madison team together on Saturday. The sophomore has a steady, controlled confidence that translates into winning plays, using active hands on defense to cause problems for opposing offenses. Elliott made a variety of crafty passes against Centennial and impressed us by always keeping his head up in transition to find his open teammates. We’ll look for Elliott to carve out an even bigger role for Groveport Madison as the season goes on. 

Kevin Brown Jr. (5'9 PG / Centennial / 2023): Coming off the bench on Saturday, Brown proved his worth to his Centennial team with instant offense and confident all-around play. A standout from the 270 Hoops Fall League, the 5-foot-9 guard showed that he has the ability to create his own shot from nearly anywhere on the court, hitting a nice turn-around jumper immediately after entering the game in the first quarter and nailing a three soon after. Brown has a physicality that is rare for a freshman and shows an intensity on the court that was impressive.  

Elyjah Aekins (5'11 G / Groveport / 2021): Aekins is our Hard Work Report player of the game for some great high-effort plays that he was able to make over the course of the game that directly impacted the Cruisers ability to control the lead down the stretch. Aekins played a huge role in allowing Groveport to give Centennial trouble in getting the ball across half court, coming up with three first half steals. However, it was two big plays in the waning minutes of the game that really stood out - a steal and a chase-down, diving play for a loose ball that led to a jump-ball - both of which led to Groveport threes on the ensuing possessions. The Cruisers rotation is full of athletic players who provide constant energy on both ends and Aekins is one of the leaders of this squad that has now won three games in a row.