Boys Basketball: Division I Regional Final

Northland 54, Dublin Scioto 53 (OT)

Top-ranked Vikings advance to state tournament for first time

Saturday,  March 21, 2009 11:13 PM

By SCOTT GERFEN

ThisWeek Contributor

At one point in the third quarter of Division I regional final Saturday, Northland High School boys basketball coach Satch Sullinger's words of reassurance must have hit home.

The Vikings, playing for their first trip to the state tournament, found themselves in a familiar spot in the postseason with ground to make up.

Not only did top-ranked Northland erase an eight-point second-half deficit, it survived a slugfest with Dublin Scioto that ventured into overtime before the Vikings came away with a 54-53 victory in the Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Northland will meet Warren G. Harding on Friday in a state semifinal at Ohio State.

"We were swimming in waters with sharks, and I had to convince them they weren't man-eating sharks and that we would be OK," said Sullinger, whose team improved to 25-1 overall. "We hadn't been here before. But we can't say that anymore."

Scioto hadn't been there, either, and Bradley McDougald's 3-pointer from the corner with 5 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 45.

"It was unbelievable," Scioto coach Tony Bisutti said. "We couldn't ask any more of one guy or a team. The guys threw it out their on the floor."

Division-I recruits Jared Sullinger (Ohio State) and JD Weatherspoon (Xavier) opened the extra period with back-to-back scores under the basket to give Northland a 49-45 lead.

Sophomore guard Trey Burke was the hero at the free-throw line. He made five of six in overtime, including two with seven seconds left. As a team, the Vikings were 12 of 21.

"I told my teammates if I get the ball I'm going to make these free throws," Burke said. "When I got to the foul line, I had enough confidence that I was going to knock those two down and help my team get the victory."

Sullinger finished with 17 points, 22 rebounds and three blocks. Weatherspoon and Burke each added 15 points.

McDougald, whose team ended at 24-2, scored a career-high 32.

"Those guys (Sullinger and Weatherspoon) are two great players and they showed why they're Division-I recruits," McDougald said. "It's tough to guard both of them in the post. They'll punish you."