UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio -- Pickerington North (9-1) spoiled Upper Arlington’s (10-2) senior night with a 55-46 win on the road.

There wasn’t much to separate the two teams for almost the entire game. Because both teams are guard dominant, they could switch 1 through 5 which caused long possessions. The first quarter ended with both teams locked at eight points. 

The Panthers made it a point of emphasis to get the ball inside. Almost every play had some sort of a low curl action to get their playmakers touches. Jerry Saunders hit two mid range shots off these curls in the first half. He had six at the half for Pick North while Quinn Corna had eight for the Bears. Pick North led 18-17 at the half. 

The Bears really missed senior Nick Heath who was out with a concussion. He averages 15 points per game which would have given UA a much needed boost. However, the Bears stuck with Pick North all game and did a great job beating their ¾ court press. Corna hit two transition triples after his team beat the press to find him. He had eight third quarter points which had UA only trailing 33-35 heading into the final quarter of play. 

For the first part of the fourth, the teams stayed locked together. However, Pick North made timely defensive stops late to pull away. They found tons of success at the rim due to late rotations from UA. The Bears were caught in the cylinder a handful of times which turned their potential charges into blocking fouls and eventual three point plays for the Panthers. A six points lead for Pick North turned into free throws the rest of the way and a big win for the Panthers. 

Corey Hudson (18), Jerry Saunders (17) and Dior Connors (11) led the way in scoring for Pick North. Quinn Corna had 18 and Geoffrey Schoeny had 19 in the Bears’ loss. This is a great confidence boosting win for Pick North as they will have two tough games versus Gahanna and Huber Heights Wayne this weekend. 

The Panthers have one of the best resumes of any team in Central Ohio, picking up signature wins against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and now Upper Arlington, with its only loss coming to No. 1 Pickerington Central.

If the Panthers can go 2-0 this weekend, it'll vault their ranking to No. 2 right behind their district rivals. 

For Upper Arlington, the Golden Bears have now dropped two-straight after a 10-0 start. The injury bug has hit the Golden Bears hard, with two of their top three players in Heath and Drew Graves going down in the last two games. At full strength, this team can compete and win against anyone. 

Jerry Saunders (6'1 hybrid guard / Pickerington North / 2022): Saunders found his success mainly inside the three point arc. He did an excellent job coming off of curl and down screens to catch the ball within 10 feet of the bucket. He used his natural quickness to get around defenders and finish on either side of the rim. Pick North ran sets to get Saunders touches which he did not fail to convert. He also has a nice shooting touch and knocks down the mid range well. His ability to create space in tight situations is rare. The senior finished with 17 points on the night and was aggressive on defense, coming up with two steals and forcing a couple 5 second calls. Saunders maintained his prominent role in this offense and is a clear leader for Pick North. 

Corey Hudson (6'2 point guard / Pickerington North / 2022): The senior guard came in averaging around nine points per game but stepped up big time with 18 points to lead his team. Similar to his teammates, Hudson got his buckets down low and seemingly with ease every time. As a bigger guard, Hudson used his natural strength to bully opposing defenders down low. Hudson didn’t let contact faze him as he converted two and ones in the game. As the team’s main ball handler, he did an excellent job finding teammates while getting his shots within the flow of the offense. Hudson must continue to score like this as Pick North has two huge games coming up this weekend. 

Quinn Corna (6'3 SG / Upper Arlington / 2022): After a 23 point performance last Friday, Corna stayed hot with 18 on Tuesday. He seemed to get a bucket and settle his team’s nerves whenever Pick North went on a run. After his three point shot wasn’t falling early, Corna used his driving ability to regain his confidence. He got his shot back and hit two big threes to help UA climb back into the game midway through the third quarter. His quickness on the court is really seen when he rips through and gets downhill to the rim. Corna did a nice job letting the defense collapse to find open teammates. He is the centerpiece for this Bears’ team and will need to guide them to a win after back to back losses.   

Geoffrey Schoeny (6'2 point guard / Upper Arlington / 2022): Upper Arlington needed someone to step up in the absence of Nick Heath and Schoeny did exactly that. The senior dropped in a game-high 19 points with three makes from long range. His quickness without the ball is interesting to watch as he uses it in multiple different ways. He can come off screens for catch and shoot opportunities or take a hand off to the rim for a score. The defense’s attention was on Schoeny’s long range shot which allowed him to slip inside for easy layups. He is a great complement to Corna and will need to keep up the scoring if Nick Heath continues to miss time. When UA is at full strength, Schoeny is most used as a facilitator who is one of the best playmakers in the senior class. It was encouraging to see him step into a primary scoring role on Tuesday, as he offers much more bucket getting ability than we previously knew.