COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With sole possession of first place in the City League North on the line at Northland on Friday night, the opponent the Vikings faced could come as a surprise to many.

The casual basketball fan in Columbus knows that Northland is always in contention of the City League. However, Linden is a program that has come considerable lengths in recent years and was looking for a chance to make a statement on Friday.

That statement would have to wait as Northland cruised to a 69-51 win at home over the visiting Panthers. 

The game started off very close and competitive with both teams scoring  back and forth. However, Northland used a 10-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 13-point lead and never looked back in the second half. 

In a second half that was all Northland, Linden would get no closer than 10 points, as the Vikings used its balanced scoring attack to remain unbeaten in league play.

Let's take a look at top performers from both teams.

Linden 

LaFonda Carson (6'2 SF / 2017)

Although the Panthers lost, Carson was very impressive in providing solid perimeter defense. He also showed an ability to create his own shot offensively, getting to the rim and knocking down two threes. He finished the night with 16 points to lead the Panthers.

Northland 

N'Keeley Elmore (5'7 PG / 2019):  Elmore always provides spark of the bench defensively and tonight was no different with his two steals . The sophomore chipped In big on offense with 10 points and was one half of the highlight of the night.

Rico Robinson (6'0 SG / 2017):  The sixth man and a X factor for the Vikings was his usual stat sheet stuffing self. He finished with six points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Quentin Jones (6'8 C / 2017): Jones played big all night, dominating in the paint. The 6-foot-8 senior finished 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks . He was the other half of the alley oop highlight of the night from Elmore. 

Brandon Waugh (6'2 PG / 2017): Waugh was the MVP of the night leading all scorers with 20 points. More impressive than his point total was his phenomenal defense. Waugh finished the game with a head scratching ten (10!) steals. After tonight's performance, I believe Waugh is without a doubt the top perimeter defending guard in Central Ohio. 

The Vikings look to carry their  momentum into their matchup at The Challenge on Saturday against undefeated Upper Arlington in a game taking place at Africentric at 4:30 p.m.