skip navigation

The Challenge: Westerville North's trio of guards blow past Linden-McKinley

By Zach Fleer, 01/06/18, 2:30PM EST

Share

Westerville North dominated for 32 minutes against Linden-McKinley at The Challenge

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Dominating from the opening tip, Westerville North won in convincing fashion over Linden-McKinley in the opening game of The Challenge at Pickerington North. Westerville North relied on its trio of guards, seniors Julius Brown and Julian Malone and junior Jeremiah Keene, in a 63-42 victory.

Opening up an early lead, North's defensive pressure disrupted any type of rhythm that Linden hoped to establish in the first half. Going into halftime with a 36-13 lead, Westerville North relied on 30 combined points from its aforementioned trio of guards.

The second half was much of the same, as Linden struggled to get within 20 points for most of the final 16 minutes.

Leading the way for Westerville North was Keene, who finished with 16 points and five assists. Brown added 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals for the Warriors, but would be limited to a little more than one half of play due to a nagging lower body injury. Malone played an excellent all-around game, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

The x-factor in the paint for North is none other than junior forward Philip Alston, who added five points, three rebounds and two blocks. Alston's length at 6-foot-6 and athleticism gives the Warriors a shot-blocking presence on the interior. 

For Linden, no player scored in double figures, as junior forward Dave Brown led all Panthers with seven points. Junior forward Nate Claude and senior forward Faizon Tucker each added six points.

With the win, Westerville North will look to keep rolling on Tuesday in a non-league matchup at Marysville. 

Linden will look to get back to its winning ways on Tuesday in a road matchup at Mifflin. 

Recent News

Subscribe to 270 Hoops Mailing List!

Email Address:
Favorite High School:
First Name:
Last Name:
Subscribe