COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The race for the City League North division title is as open as it has been in recent memory this year. There is no apparent dominant team in the division, however, Northland feels they can be that squad once again after thoroughly dominating the division from 2006-17.

The Vikings took a big step getting back to that level of play at home on Tuesday against Mifflin, overpowering the Punchers in a 63-44 victory. The story of the game happened in the middle quarters, as the Vikings outscored Mifflin 37-16. The pressure of Northland was far too much for Mifflin to deal with, as a dominant 19-5 second quarter really broke the game open, resulting in just one field goal for the Punchers in the period.

The second half was much of the same, as Northland relied on the great backcourt play of freshman King Kendrick and senior Davion Bridges in the victory. Northland got solid production from the rest of the rotation and was never really in danger at any point in Tuesday's game.

Northland will have to quickly get ready to play again, as they host Bishop Hartley at home on Wednesday. Mifflin will look to get back to .500 when they head to much improved Whetstone on Friday.

1. Ball pressure is king: I didn't do this on purpose, but it makes perfect sense. Northland applied great pressure on Mifflin's primary ball handlers through the defense of freshman King Kendrick. Kendrick's length, quickness and instincts make him a tremendous point of attack defender and disruptor. From the opening tip, Mifflin's ball handlers were uncomfortable thanks to Kendrick's pressure, which fed off on the rest of his team.

2. It pays to have good guards: If you can't get into a rhythm offensively, it's hard to beat anyone. For Mifflin, they had no sort of rhythm for most of Tuesday's game, as its guards struggled to take care of the ball and create any sort of offense. On the other side, Northland got great production from Kendrick and Bridges, as both guards scored when they needed to, but got their teammates involved early and often.

3. Depth: Mifflin was without senior Semaj Bryant, who is the team's most talented scorer. With him off the floor, the Punchers really struggled offensively to find anything outside of junior LJ Foster and senior KJ Houston on a consistent basis. Northland had better depth and got strong production from everyone that hit the floor on Tuesday. With Kendrick and Bridges not having crazy scoring outings, the production of senior Latrell Ucker really helped, as he knocked down four threes and led all scorers with 17 points.

4. Interior toughness: We were really impressed with Northland's physicality on the interior, despite not having tremendous size. Senior Eli Monroe and junior Santonio Dortch were forces on the glass and came up with a handful of offensive rebounds for the Vikings. In a division where some of the other top contenders have solid size, Northland will need to keep playing with the level of effort and physicality they had on Tuesday.

5. Every game matters: We have a feeling the City League North is going to be a wild division this year. Every game, no matter the opponent, will be a battle. Just on Tuesday alone, East knocked off Linden, Whetstone only lost by four to Beechcroft and Centennial won by double digits over International. Teams 1-8 are all pretty balanced and could be capable of knocking each other off. That alone makes every game important and teams like Mifflin, who look to win the division, will need to take care of business each time they hit the floor.

MVP: King Kendrick (Northland freshman)

Top Scorer: Latrell Ucker (Northland senior)

Hustle Player of the Game: Santonio Dortch (Northland junior)