A rematch of the Marion County Tournament final last month nearly had the same ending, but this time Lawrence North was able to withstand a late Pike surge and hang on for the win.
In the early going, it looked like Pike would run away and hide from the Wildcats, as senior wing
Derek Hawthorne came out aggressive from the get go. Hawthorne hit a pair of triples in the opening minutes to give the Red Devils the lead. Lawrence North had a size advantage on the interior, and they looked to capitalize on that by going into junior
Ra Kpedi early and often. The big man would respond with a pair of hook shots to keep the Wildcats within striking distance.
Lawrence North sophomore
Kevin Easley picked up two quick fouls in the opening quarter, then was whistled for his third halfway through the second period.
Djimon Henson would pick up the slack, as the Morehead State-bound guard would hit a three and a long two to keep the deficit at six going into the halftime break.
Whatever was said in the Lawrence North locker room at halftime, it showed as the Wildcats methodically worked their way to the lead. The run came on the backs of the biggest and smallest players on the floor, as
Ra Kpedi and sophomore point guard
Antwaan Cushingberry were the driving forces. Cushingberry was particularly instrumental as he pushed the pace in transition and found teammates for easy opportunities.
The fourth quarter saw each team take turns scoring and committing turnovers. Pike would make one last push with two minutes remaining. A pair of threes, one each from
Derek Hawthorne and Isiah James, cut the Lawrence North lead to just two points.
Djimon Henson was fouled to bring the lead back to four, but
Justin Thomas would knife through the Wildcat defense to bring the margin back to just a pair.
Pike was able to force a five second call on the inbounds, giving them possession under their own basket. After calling a timeout to design a play, Pike would commit a five second violation of their own, giving the ball back to LN with 19 seconds left. Pike was forced to foul
Djimon Henson, who made one of two foul shots. Pike worked to get a game-tying three pointer, but a
Justin Thomas three was blocked by
Jaylen McKay. A pair of Lawrence North free throws would give the final margin as Lawrence North avenged their earlier loss to Pike.
Pike 18 13 13 14 - 58
Lawrence North 12 13 22 16 - 63
Pike:
Derek Hawthorne 25 pts (9/17 FGs, 3/5 3Ps, 4/4 FTs), 4 rbs, 3 ast;
Justin Roberts 11 pts (5/13 FGs), 5 ast;
Justin Thomas 10 pts (3/9 FGs), 3 ast; Isiah James 5 pts (2/4 FGs); Justin Williams 3 pts; Darian Porch 2 pts; Durante Lee 2 pts