North Central held off Hamilton Southeastern to move to 2-1 on the season. The Panthers led by 16 points in the fourth quarter, but the Royals never let up. North Central salted the game away at the free throw line to win 71-63.

Senior center Shilo Jackson wasted no time making a major impact on the game. On the third possession, Jackson took a pass from Mike Elliott for a big dunk. Jackson had flashes against Plainfield, but he showed his complete game against Hamilton Southeastern. Jackson finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds, six blocks, and two steals in 24 minutes. 

North Central star Leland Walker had a stellar first half as well. Early on, Walker and Jackson powered most of the North Central's offense. Walker scored seven points and added a couple of assists before halftime. 

On the other end, Vinny Buccilla and Dalton Retzner were producing at a high level for HSE. Although Jackson had a good game blocking shots, Retzner took the action to him. The senior forward scored 10 points in the first half. Buccilla impacted the game in multiple areas - scoring, rebounding, playmaking. He racked up seven points, three rebounds, and four assists in the first half. 

After North Central led 27-25 at the half, the Panthers created breathing room in the third. Senior Mike Elliott and Walker were responsible for the NC surge. Elliott scored seven in the quarter to allow North Central to take a 45-38 lead to the fourth.

To begin the fourth, North Central started to click. BJ Williams and Walker were taking turns scoring. Midway through the fourth, Walker found a runway in transition for a massive dunk to put the Panthers up 63-47. The euphoria of the big lead was short lived. John McCall scored twice, and then Walker rolled his ankle. He missed the final 2:25 of the game. 

The Royals kept chipping away at the North Central lead, but it was too little, too late. North Central won 71-63. Walker led all scorers with 18 points. Mike Elliott finished with 15 for the Panthers. Vinny Buccilla led Hamilton Southeastern with 14 points and eight assists.

North Central moved to 2-1, while HSE dropped to 2-2 on the season.

North Central (71) - Leland Walker 18 points (7-11 FG, 0-2 3FG, 4-5 FT), 2 rebs, 5asts, 4turns, 2stls; BJ Williams 9 points, 4rebs, 3asts, 1turn, 1stl; Jalen Clark 2rebs, 2asts, 2turns, 2stls; Mike Elliott 15 points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3FG, 6-7 FT), 5 rebs, 1 asts, 3turns, 1 blk, 1stl; Shilo Jackson 16 points (6-7 FG, 4-8 FT), 7 rebs, 3turns, 6blks, 2stls; Quinton Boyd 2pts, 4rebs, 3turns, 1blk, 2stls; Joey Brown 10 points, 6rebs, 1ast, 2turns, 1blk, 1stl

HSE (63) - Alex Totten 5 points, 2 rebs, 2asts, 3turns, 3stls; Sam Jacobs 8 points, 2turns, 1stl; Jason Stutz 5 points, 2rebs, 2asts, 1turn; Dalton Retzner 12 points (5-7 FT, 2-5 FT), 6rebs, 2asts, 1turn, 1stl; Vinny Buccilla 14 points (5-10 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-4 FT), 3 rebs, 8 asts, 1turn, 1stl; John McCall 10 points, 8rebs, 4turns, 1stl; Mohammed Awad 6 points, 1turn, 2stls; Loudon Sundling 3points, Deion Miles 1ast, 1reb, 1turn