North Central has been the number one team in the state since the beginning of the season. They had a scare in the first round of the Marion County Tournament Wednesday as the Panthers beat Lawrence Central 54-53. Southport was tabbed as one of the best teams in the state in the preseason as well. Four of the five losses on the season came by a combined 10 points. Thursday night's quarterfinal game shaped up to be a test for both teams.

2017 guard Paul Scruggs started Southport off on the right foot with a three pointer just seconds into the game. Kris Wilkes and North Central were strong for the rest of the first quarter. Despite Scruggs scoring the first eight points for Southport, North Central was playing well and held a 16-13 lead after the opening quarter.

The game changed dramatically in the second period. The Southport defense completely shut down the easy looks and North Central struggled to find a way to score. North Central only managed to score five points in the second quarter. The Panthers were averaging over 80 points per game entering Thursday's game, so scoring five points in a quarter was unheard of.

It was 2017 guard Blake Evans leading the way for Southport in the second and third quarters. The brother of former Cathedral standout and current IPFW player, Mo Evans, was the aggressor on the offensive end. He was attacking the basket in transition and either scoring or getting fouled. In the middle quarters, Evans went 9-11 from the line on his way to 16 points.

It was never a game in the second half. Southport took care of the ball which limited North Central's transition opportunities. Then the zone defense of Southport forced North Central into outside shots that they were not hitting. One of the nails into the North Central coffin was when Butler signee Joey Brunk hit two three pointers in a matter of moments. It was smooth sailing for Southport from there.

Southport walked away with the 70-48 victory. Paul Scruggs had a game-high 21 points with Blake Evans adding 16 and Joey Brunk contributing 15. Kris Wilkes had 18 points in the loss for North Central.