Outside of New Albany-North Central, Fort Wayne North Side against Lawrence North was the most anticipated game at the Forum Credit Union Tipoff Classic. The individual match-ups were great plus the teams are two of the best in Indiana.

Lawerence North junior Kevin Easley was hot to start the game. He had nine points by the midway point of the first quarter. His play helped Lawrence North to an early lead. It was a high-paced game with super sophomore Keion Brooks matching Easley score for score. Brooks tallied 16 points in the opening quarter.

Senior forward Jaylen Butz took over the glass late in the first quarter and into the second quarter. His hands corralled everything. It seemed like his dominance on the boards changed the tone of the game. Despite the play of Butz and Brooks, North Side wasn’t able to pull away from Lawrence North.

There was a four-minute stretch at the end of the third quarter into the beginning of the fourth where North Side went on an 18-4 run. Juan Quarles and Brandan Johnson were major parts of the spurt. The duo scored a combined 11 points in the run.

The North Side lead stretched 23 points before Lawrence North cut into it late in the game. The Legends were never challenged in the fourth quarter, though. North Side coasted to the 96-82 victory. North Side scored 62 points in the paint compared to Lawrence North’s 22.

Keion Brooks was fantastic from start to finish. He scored 33 points on 12-17 shooting. Brooks went 5-6 from three-point range. Jaylen Butz recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds. Senior guard Juan Quarles finished with 20 points on 8-12 shooting.

Kevin Easley ended with 23 points on 8-17 shooting. He was 4-9 from three. Antwaan Cushingberry added 16 while Dexter Shouse and Jared Hankins had 10 each.

North Side (96) – Jaylen Butz 15 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 3FG, 1-2 FT), 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers, Elijah Holmes 3 points, 4 assists, Keion Brooks 33 points (12-17 FG, 5-6 3FG, 4-6 FT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, Juan Quarles 20 points (8-12 FG, 0-3 3FG, 4-5 FT), 2 turnovers, Brandan Johnson 15 points (5-10 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, Davontae Kinnie 10 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-1 FT), 6 assists, 1 turnover

LN (82) – Antwaan Cushingberry 16 points (7-16 FG, 2-8 3FG, 0-0 FT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, Dexter Shouse 10 points (2-6 FG, 1-5 3FG, 5-6 FT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, Ra Kpedi 9 points (3-4 FG, 3-5 FT), 9 rebounds, 4 turnovers, Kevin Easley 23 points (8-17 FG, 4-9 3FG, 3-4 FT), 0 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 block, Mike Saunders Jr. 7 points (2-7 FG, 2-5 3FG, 1-2 FT), 1 rebound, 3 turnovers, Dalen Davis 2 points, Jared Hankins 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, Bryce Roark-Glenn 5 points