Northpoint Christian advances with win over Jackson Christian

<p>Northpoint Christian defeated Jackson Christian, 62-46, in the first round of the Division II-A Boys West Region Tournament.</p> <p>The Trojans will face No. 2 seed Evangelical Christian School in the second round.</p> <p>Here are three observations from Northpoint's win over the Eagles.</p> <p><strong>Wright made contributions without scoring. </strong></p> <p>Senior big man <strong>Mitchell Wright</strong> had 15 points in the Trojans' win but his offensive production wasn't the only way he affected the outcome of the game. Wright deflected shots at the rim, rebounded and made two great passes to <strong>JB </strong><strong>Chapman</strong> and <strong>Christian</strong> <strong>Gilliland </strong>in the second half.</p> <p>The 6-foot-7 big man demanded attention early on as he was the biggest player on the floor. Jackson Christian didn't have a post player to match, so Wright had great position on the block for most of the game and didn't have any issues finishing at the rim.</p> <p>Because of Wright, the Trojans were able to win the rebounding battle, 36-16.</p> <p><strong>Gilliland excels in transition</strong></p> <p>The freshman comb guard led Northpoint with 25 points, went a perfect 7 for 7 from the free throw line and made each point look easy. Whenever isolation plays were called for Gilliland, he took his defender off the dribble and made his way into the lane. Gilliland did more of his damage in transition. The 6-2 guard can go to his left or right side, so it's difficult to guard him in the open court. Gilliland knows how to stop and put up a floater when a defender is waiting for him to take a charge. He's very patient early on in his high school basketball career. Gilliland already seems to have a quick step on offense, as he quickly senses where his scoring or assist spot will be.</p> <p>That's a good sign.</p> <p>Another note: Gilliland had help in the backcourt from junior guard <strong>Eric</strong> <strong>Steward</strong>. He finished with 13 points.</p> <p><strong>Solid defensive</strong> <strong>effort</strong> <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Trojans</strong></p> <p>Northpoint forced the Eagles into 14 turnovers. The Trojans were disruptive from the opening tip. They made sure not to give Jackson Christian any easy shot attempts, especially to senior guard and the team's leading scorer <strong>Dylan</strong> <strong>Arnold</strong>. All of his shot attempts, except for the lone 3 in the first quarter, were contested. Arnold was held to seven points.</p> <p>Here’s the updated schedule for the DII-A Boys West Region Tournament.</p> <p>District 6 - No. 1 Lausanne vs. District 5 - No. 4 Fayette Academy</p> <p>District 5 - No. 2 ECS vs. District 6 - No. 3 Northpoint Christian</p> <p>District 5 - No. 1 FACS vs. District 5 - No. 5 Sacred Heart</p> <p>District 6 - No. 2 Harding Academy vs. District 5 - No. 3 Tipton-Rosemark Academy</p>