COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The battle of Broad Street did not disappoint Saturday night. East picked up a huge road win over St Charles, 62-54, in a game that went right down to the wire.

St Charles led things early on extending their lead to nine at one point in the first half. However, every time St Charles threw a punch East offered a counter. East took a four point lead into the fourth quarter and held on strong late, even as St. Charles tried to turn up the pressure.

One thing really stuck out about East was the change in culture under first year coach Brian Wofford, who was the first alum in the Tigers’ long and prestigious program history to be named head coach. 

Very rarely do you see kids buy in so fast to what a new coaching staff is trying to do, but that’s exactly what this East bunch has done. They play very hard with every player giving maximum effort. On offense they’ve have some guys capable of getting their own shots but showed the ability to slow it down and execute in a half court set.

East could be a team with something to say about how the City League North shakes out . They have an early test coming in the form of undefeated Centennial on the road on Tuesday.

East was led by junior Cedric Norvett and senior Ty’Lei Tate, who combined for 45 points. For St. Charles, freshmen Jared Frey and Derrick Jones were the only players in double figures, finishing with 12 points and 11 points, respectively. 

Cedric Norvett (5’10 G / East / 2020): A guy who picked up his matchup with tenacious defense all night, Norvett certainly isn’t lacking confidence offensively. He poured in a game-high 24 points. Norvett had no problem creating his own shot. Whether it was one on one or in the pick and roll, Cedric consistently was able to score via pull up jumpers. He mixed it up knocking down three three pointers while also converting on some tough mid range jumpers. Norvett is one of the top stock rising seniors in the City League through the early part of the season.

Ty’Lei Tate (6’3 F / East / 2019) : Tate came out firing early and often as he consistently made the mid range shot. A nice athlete, Tate did his fair share of damage on the glass as well, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds. He had a nice dunk to cap off the game too/ Ty’Lei definitely has me intrigued after my first viewing of him. Tate should carry a nice amount of the scoring load for the Tigers this year, as East is looking to make a run for a North division title.

Jared Frey (6’4 WG / St Charles / 2022): Frey is one of the more interesting players in the Central Ohio 2022 class. Standing at 6-foot- 4 already, he has nice size and can really shoot it from three. He showed off a devastating shot fake as defenders have to respect his shot. He was able to put it on the floor and create own shot often. Already off to a great start this season, Jared is a kid to keep a close eye on. Frey finished the night with a team high 12 points, and four rebounds. Frey currently leads the entire Central Catholic League in scoring.

Derrick James (5’7 PG / St Charles/ 2022): Don’t let his height fool you, James can ball. He has a tight handle that he uses to shake off defenders and will let the ball go with the smallest amount of space. Derrick showed flashes of how good he can be offensively scoring 11 points on the night. The 2022 duo of James and Frey will be a fun one to watch as they grow together.

Armon Mackey (6’ G / East / 2019) : Armon is always in attack mode no matter what the setting is. I saw him play in AAU and he had the same mentality. Mackey is at his best right now getting to the basket finishing and drawing fouls. However, he isn’t shy and has showed the ability to shoot as well. Mackey provided senior leadership and a spark that was absolutely necessary in the win, as he finished with nine points, five rebounds and a steal.