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City League Champs: South races past Northland for its second City title since 2017

By 270 Hoops Staff, 02/16/19, 11:00AM EST

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South rolled past Northland in a game-changing fourth quarter on Saturday

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Championship basketball has arrived and is here to stay on the south side of Columbus. For the second time in three years, South is the Columbus City League champion, as the Bulldogs raced past Northland in a 68-51 victory.

While Northland hung around for three quarters, South turned in a 15-2 run from the 6:17 mark of the fourth quarter until there was a minute left in the game, as back-to-back slams from juniors Marcus Johnson and Taquan Simington slammed the door shut on the Vikings. 

Northland led for all of two and a half minutes on Saturday, as the Vikings trailed from the 5:30 mark of the first quarter on.

Coming out of the gates with something to prove in Saturday's City League Championship, Northland junior Devan White knocked down a big three to give the Vikings a quick 3-0 lead 20 seconds in.

After answering several possessions later with a jumper from Simington, South scored in transition and senior Alvin Byrd hit a big three to help ignite a 7-0 run for the Bulldogs as they grabbed a 7-3 with 4:40 to go in the frame.

Following a nice take from South's Johnson, Northland star N'Keeley Elmore went to the line and hit one, his first points of the day. Scoring their first point since the 7:40 mark of the frame with the free throw, the Vikings could not get any good looks against the lockdown on-ball defense of South.

After a three from Elmore, Tre Watkins answered with a triple of his own followed up by a big steal and slam to increase the Bulldog lead to 17-7 with 19 seconds left in the frame.

Heading into the second ahead 17-8, South used their defense to jump out to a quick lead in this one.

Northland junior Isaiah Ingle made an immediate impact in the second quarter. Following a post score, he blocked a shot on the other end and Elmore found White in transition to cut the deficit to 17-12 with 7:24 to go in the half.

Answering immediately, Byrd scored on a feed from junior Sam Barton and Simington hit another jumper to push their lead back to 21-12 with 5:12 in the frame.

Responding to a Northland score from junior Khalil BranhamTrevell Adams scored to increase the South lead to 23-17 with 3:14 in the half.

While South took its biggest lead at 25-17 with 2:42 to go in the half, Northland was not denied. The Vikings responded with four-straight points from sophomore Makhale Massey and a three from White, which trimmed the lead to 31-24 with 35 seconds to go.

Northland had a chance to score on its final possession, however, the Vikings were not able to convert. 

The Vikings were led by eight points from White in the half, six of which from the three-point line. Massey added seven points, all of which in the second quarter, while Elmore pitched in five points. Elmore led all players with five assists in the first half. 

Ingle woke up in the second quarter with back-to-back blocks that led to points for the Vikings.

For South, Simington led all scorers with eight points while Byrd added seven points. Watkins pitched in six points while Johnson and Adams each added four points. The Bulldogs had the advantage on the glass and seemed to be the tougher team in the first half. 

While South struck first in the third quarter, it was Northland who dominated most of the period.

After a basket from sophomore Jason Foster, White hit a big pull up to trim the Bulldog lead to 33-32 with 5:43 left to go in the third.

Answering the Northland blow, Byrd hit a big three on the wing from Watkins to push their lead back to 36-32. However, White responded with a triple of his own and the deficit was once again just one point.

After Johnson and Massey traded baskets, Adams hit a pair of free throws and Watkins hit an extremely deep three from the wing to force a Northland timeout with the Bulldogs ahead 43-37 with 1:23 to go in the third.

Responding with a huge and-one but missing the free throw, Foster cut the Bulldog lead to 43-39 with 42.9 seconds left in the half after grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing through contact.

After a fast-paced, energetic third quarter, South took a 45-41 lead into the fourth quarter. 

Despite not having any impact on the first 24 minutes of the game, South junior Tyrique Hawkins opened up the fourth with a big and-one to increase their lead to 48-41 and swing all of the momentum in their direction.

Elmore responded with a big corner three for Northland after Johnson hit one of two at the line to cut the South lead to 49-44 with 6:17 to go. 

This was where South made its run. Turning full court pressure into high flying transition offense, South ripped the City championship from the hands of the Vikings. 

Following an acorbatic score from inside, Johnson threw down a monster dunk in transition followed by a slam from Simington to force a Northland timeout with South ahead 55-44 with 3:34 left to play.

Turning up the pressure with intense on-ball defense and excellent trapping, the Bulldogs forced a handful of Viking turnovers to create these easy baskets.

Struggling to keep up with South's frantic pace, Northland could not find any go-to options in the last five minutes as the Bulldogs took down the Vikings in the title game for the second time in three years.

Elmore and White had a solid backcourt showing, combining for 30 points as they each scored 15. Massey also scored 11 points as the only other player in double-figures for Northland.

Running the floor with ease, South rolled in the final minutes of this victory, which was capped of by a huge slam from Johnson and an and-one from Adams.

South was led by tje MVP Simington with 14 points, six assists and three steals in a great outing. Simington's energy on both ends of the floor set the tone, as the athletic 6-foot-2 junior made an impact from all over the floor. Adams and Johnson also combined for 26 points, each scoring 13 respectively. Adams has continued to be a spark off the bench for the Bulldogs, as he scored nine of his 13 in the second half.

Watkins also scored nine points and Barton contributed with six. Watkins shined on the defensive perimeter, as his on-ball defense on Elmore was outstanding for 32 minutes. South's athletic guards pressed and trapped Northland all game long, forcing 11 steals which led to plenty of transition opportunities.

As the top seed in Division II, South will make its run for a trip to the state tournament. Appearing in the last four district finals, South is looking to make it out of the regional tournament for the first time in decades.

For Northland, the Vikings are off until a March 1 sectional final matchup at Olentangy. The road does not get any easier for Northland, who will look to reach its first district final since 2015. 

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