WORTHINGTON, Ohio -- Coming into Friday's game at Thomas Worthington, Lima Senior head coach Quincey Simpson was not sure how his young team would respond against a defending district champion returning all five starters.

The highly accomplished coach should be thrilled with the effort of his squad, which came into a road environment without much of any scrimmage time over the last few weeks and blew past Thomas Worthington, 62-46.

Relying on the two-way play of senior guard Jourdyn Rawlins, Lima Senior spread Thomas out and forced the Cardinals to defend in space. That ended up being the difference in the game, as Rawlins helped set up his teammates for open looks all second half.

Despite trailing 18-16 at the end of the first, Lima outscored Thomas by 18 points in the final three quarters, knocking down eight threes from the second quarter on. Rawlins and junior guard Khalil Luster were terrific in the second half, as the latter guard knocked down three triples and helped force a litany of tough shots from the Cardinals.

In a matchup against a tough opponent with a handful of scrappy, athletic guards who thrive on defense, Thomas really struggled to create efficient offense in the second half. The Cardinals were held to 17 points after halftime and hit just two three-point shots after the first quarter. 

Senior guard Jalen Sullinger led the way with 15 points, getting a lion's share of the shots for the Cardinals. The biggest key for Lima Senior was its defense of senior forward Tyrese Hughey, who was held to three points and a single field goal. Not allowing the Cardinals to give Hughey can easy looks, Lima forced Thomas to hit contested, perimeter shots to beat them, something Thomas did not do on Friday.

A bright spot for the Cardinals was the play of sophomore forward Joey Zalewski, who finished with an efficient 14 points, living on the offensive boards and free-throw line.

The senior duo of Omari Effiong and Maurice Collins combined for eight points, while no other Cardinal player had more than three.

For Lima Senior, junior guard Camren Miles led all scorers with 16 points. Luster added nine points, while sophomore forward Anthony Mosely and senior guard Quan Moore each had eight points. Senior center Naz Cameron, who spent the last two years at London, added seven points and stellar interior defense.

Rawlins only finished with five points, however, his impact cannot be overstated. The senior guard was the best player on the floor, playing elite on-ball defense on Sullinger, while adding 10 assists and forcing a handful of steals. 

Thomas Worthington will look to rebound on Sunday when the Cardinals travel to Akron to take on powerhouse St. Vincent-St. Mary, who features 4-star Ohio State commit Malaki Branham. The Cardinals will have to play much better and get everyone involved if they want to win on Sunday against one of the most well-coached and hard-nosed teams in the state. 

For Lima Senior, the Spartans may be young but with Simpson's culture of toughness and accountability, expect them to once again play at a district-title caliber level in Northwest Ohio. 

Jourdyn Rawlins (5'9 PG / Lima Senior / 2021): There are two sides of the game for a reason. Rawlins dominates on the defensive end of the floor, as he was the key reason for why the Spartans picked up a great road win against one of the most talented teams in Ohio. Checking Sullinger full court for most of the game, Rawlins forced the Kent State signee into some really tough shots which messed up the flow of the Cardinals' offense. Rawlins is strong, moves extremely well laterally and has quick hands which help him force deflections and steals. Offensively, Rawlins has a tight handle and can really get by defenders in the one-on-one game. With Lima Senior deploying a spread-out dribble drive attack, Rawlins feasted on Friday, getting into the lane and finding open teammates all game long. Finishing with a game-high 10 assists, Rawlins was the most impactful player in a game full of scholarship prospects. The 5-foot-9 guard has an elite academic profile, is extremely coachable and will give you 110 percent effort on both ends of the floor all game long. You won't find a guy who wants to win more than Rawlins. While he may not be a great shooter, the 5-foot-9 senior greatly impacts winning and will be a game-changing point of attack defender in college who should command the attention of more Division II programs. 

Joey Zalewski (6'3 WF / Thomas Worthington / 2023): Zalewski was Thomas Worthington's most productive player on Friday, making a handful of high motor, hustle plays that helped from letting the game get out of hand. Working extremely hard on the boards, Zalewski created several second-chance opportunities and converted. Drawing fouls and converting at the free-throw line, Zalewski did all he could to produce despite limited touches in Thomas' half court offense. The 6-foot-3 sophomore is as tough as they come and provides terrific two-way impact, which will make him one of the most productive players in his class this season. With senior Isaac Settles inactive on Friday, Zalewski filled a vital role in the starting lineup for the Cardinals and should stay there for the rest of the season. 

Khalil Luster (5'6 PG / Lima Senior / 2022): If Rawlins was the toughest dude in the gym on Friday, Luster was right there with him. The 5-foot-6 guard was equally terrific on both ends of the floor. The junior has been well known around state since his grade school days and has not lost any of the talent that helped him establish his name. Knocking down three big triples in the second half, Luster provided a quality outside shooting threat for the Spartans who can also take the load off Rawlins as a ball handler. Luster plays with great effort and toughness, plays with an edge that his teammates feed off and is a reliable outside shooting threat that helps Lima Senior make up for a lack of elite size. The guard duo of Rawlins and Luster will be one of the best in Northwest Ohio this winter. 

Jalen Sullinger (5'11 PG / Thomas Worthington / 2021): Sullinger was one of the few sources of offense for Thomas on Friday, as he got a bulk of the touches and shot attempts. While the senior guard was one of the top three-point shooters in terms of percentage last season, Friday was a tough night for the Kent State signee, as he had to get most of his points going to the basket and at the free-throw line. Sullinger has a tight handle and can create his shot whenever he wants, however, for Thomas to reach its potential, the Cardinals will need him to create more for his talented teammates. We have seen Sullinger do that plenty of times in the past, so we know he's capable, it just may need to come sooner than later with the Cardinals' tough slate to begin the season. 

We would be remiss not to mention the rest of the Lima Senior wings on Friday. Junior guard Camren Miles, senior guard Quan Moore and junior guard Jeron Mayo were excellent in the game, providing efficient offense, tough defense and team defensive rebounding which helped the Spartans shut off any extra opportunities for Thomas Worthington.