Westerville South 65 Vs Westerville North 52 Recap

<p>All eyes last night were on Columbus as the Division I district semis took place all across central Ohio. I took in the battle for Westerville which went down at Big Walnut High School. The first two meetings were nailbiters and the third was looking that way after the first half, but the unbeaten Westerville South Wildcats made a big surge in the fourth quarter to pull away and advance to the district finals against Dublin Jerome. Overall, both teams saw contributions from many different players, as each team played bench players for heavy minutes.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1045456" first="Drey" last="Carter"], 6’8 PF Westerville South 2022: Carter battled foul trouble but was efficient with his scoring, especially during the third quarter where neither team could miss a shot for a 2-3 minute stretch. Carter’s size was giving North problems as he could finish over the shorter defenders and was patient with his back to the basket.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1285303" first="Isaiah" last="Johnson"], 6’5 PF Westerville South 2022: Johnson had a big second half to his senior season and earned himself all conference honors in the OCC. Johnson looks more confident offensively and knocked down some timely shots in this game. I saw Westerville South twice early in the season and Johnson only scored eight points in the two games, but by the end of the season he was scoring double figures in nine of his last 12 games. Johnson has solidified himself as a college level prospect that local Division III schools should be looking at for added depth at the forward position.</p> <p>Kruz McClure, 6’2 CG Westerville South 2025: The freshman McClure didn’t play in the regular season games I caught of the Wildcats, but he made his presence known late in the season and finished with 10 points on by my count 5/5 shooting from the floor. McClure has good length for a freshman and didn’t seem phased by the bright lights of playoff action against their rival. McClure and Juniors like Jalen Wheeler and Jadi Cunningham show that Westerville South has some pieces coming back from this senior laden squad.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1312028" first="Caleb" last="Iheukwu"], 6’5 SF Westerville North 2022: Iheukwu has taken some serious strides this season and should be highly coveted by regional Division III programs and getting some serious scholarship attention. He knocked down at least three 3-pointers, a skill I hadn’t previously seen as consistent from him. He’s a prospect that thrives in transition as he can really get out and push the pace in the open court. Iheukwu could be an instant impact player at the Division III level while also having some untapped potential to reach in college.</p> <p>Carter Reese, 6’1 SG Westerville North 2023: Reese played a calm and collected game and really impressed me in my first viewing of him as a player. Reese can shoot it from long distance and made some impressive passes to teammates in this one. Not a very quick guard, Reese relies on fakes and his bigger frame to get where he wants to on the court. With a good balance of senior and returning prospects for Westerville North, they should remain competitive and continue to draw the eyes of college coaches next season.</p>