PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- After being swept in last years’ series against bitter rival Pickerington North, Pickerington Central looked like a team on a mission in an 80-67 win over the host Panthers.

Central went into the half with an 11-point lead and never looked back headed as the lead grew to as much as 19 points in the second half. 

Senior do-it-all guard Javohn Garcia was the difference, as the former Miami (OH) commit poured in 28 points to lead the charge for a Pickerington Central team that is playing great basketball to start the season.

For Pickerington North, junior forward Hunter Shedenhelm led the way with 19 points. The young Panthers will no doubt improve throughout the course of the season. 

Javohn Garcia (6’3 PG /Pickerington Central / 2019): Garcia had a dominant night not missing his first field goal until there was about a minute left in the third quarter. Javohn poured in 18 first half points and finished with a game-high 28 points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block. A natural scorer, Garcia lets the game come to him and makes you pick your poison. If you back up ,he’ll drain the three. If you’re too close, he’ll go around you. JG is at his best when he’s getting in the lane and finishing or drawing fouls. After decommitting from Miami (OH) last month, look for the senior lead guard to gather some offers this winter as he continues his stellar play in what Pickerington Central hopes is another run to the state tournament. 

Hunter Shedenhelm (6’4 WG / Pickerington North / 2020): Known as a knock down three point specialist, Shedenhelm played up to his reputation as he knocked in five triples on Friday. However, Shedenhelm isn’t a one trick pony, as he also flashed some of the things I saw from him in AAU. Shedenhelm continued to show an ability to put the ball on the floor and create a shot for himself. If Hunter can continuously do this, he’ll be a much more dangerous scorer, which will lead to plenty of scholarship opportunities. 

Sam Towns (6’8 PF / Pickerington Central / 2019): Towns played very well in what was probably my best viewing of him. The 6-foot-8 forward was a nightmare for Pickerington North, altering and rejecting  shots defensively. Towns was Mr. Versatility, showing off his nice shooting stroke as well as some nice inside finishes. The most impressive thing was the aggressiveness he was playing with. He made it clear early that he was going to take the ball up strong as he attempted a poster dunk early. Although he didn’t connect on the first dunk, he didn’t stop trying as he had the highlight of the night catching a body on a alley oop. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Towns is oozing with upside and could attract some serious Division I attention over the course of the season for the Tigers with continued performances like Friday’s. 

Coleton Landis (6’7 PF / Pickerington Central / 2019): Landis played a strong game cleaning up the defensive glass and limiting second chance opportunities. He finished strong inside,  nearly notching a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. He was key to the Tigers’ early start grabbing rebounds and getting the break started via outlet passes. Coleton is an intriguing big who can play on the perimeter but also mix it up inside. 

Tahleik Walker (6’2 CG / Pickerington Central / 2020): Walker was outstanding defensively, and in my opinion, was robbed out of few blocks that were called fouls. He brought the the defensive energy early and often. Walker was also a great floor spacer knocking down two catch and shoot threes. Starting last year as a sophomore, Walker is the prototype of an off-ball guard who thrives within his role.  

Idris Lawrence (6’0 CG / Pickerington North / 2021): Lawrence finished with nine points, providing a spark off the bench. Most impressive was his willingness to accept the defensive assignment of guarding Garcia. He approaches defense with a junkyard dog mentality. Although Garcia had his way tonight, the possessions that featured Lawrence guarding him were a lot tougher rarely ending in shot attempts. I could see Idris being a guy to guy for perimeter defense. Rare to see guys buy in to defense so young, which makes Lawrence an intriguing prospect long term. We loved what we saw from him this past summer as a scorer, which combined with what he did tonight, Lawrence could develop into one of the very best two-way players in his class.