Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
KINNIKINNICK — Like many teams in the Southeast District, Northwest had one goal this postseason … get to the Convo.
Needless to say, it’s been a long, grueling journey to finally accomplish that goal. After 13 years without a sectional title, the Mohawks (20-3) matched up with Adena on Friday looking to end the drought.
Thanks to an electrifying performance from three of their seniors, they pulled away in the fourth quarter to seal a 54-46 victory, finally sending the program back to Athens.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“This is what we’ve dreamed of,” Northwest senior Connor Lintz said after the game. “We’ve had this goal since our freshman year, and having all four years pay off for just one game at the Convo has been worth it.”
While Friday night was a dream come true for Northwest, the game started out as anything but.
Adena (16-7) was firing from all cylinders to start, with all five starters scoring in the first five minutes of the game, putting the Warriors out to an early 14-5 lead.
Northwest responded quickly, however, as seven points in the opening frame from Lintz cut the deficit to 15-12 after the first eight minutes.
Northwest was able to stay within striking distance throughout the second as the two teams exchanged blows for nearly the entire period. A late basket from Adena’s Cayden Lee would put the Warriors up 22-21 going into the break.
The Warriors carried that momentum into the second half, starting with a layup from Bryson Smith on the opening possession. But Northwest stayed composed and continued to feed Lintz.
On the next possession, Lintz had the ball in the post and went up strong, sinking the bucket and drawing a foul. He followed that up on the next possession by grabbing an offensive board and finishing through contact before capitalizing on another old-fashioned three-point play.
PHOTOS: Images from Northwest’s sectional title win over Adena
That sequence brought Lintz’s scoring total to 17 on the night, but Northwest would still find itself trailing as Adena held on to a 36-34 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth, Lintz wouldn’t have to be the only one to will his team to victory. When Adena dialed in on the senior, Northwest turned to its other 1,000 point scorer.
Tanner Bolin had been having a rather quiet game throughout the first 24 minutes of play. But the fourth quarter would be his turn to light up the scoreboard.
With the Mohawks down by three early in the quarter, Bolin stepped up and knocked down a deep triple to tie the game at 40. Moments later, he got the ball outside again, and this time, he crossed his defender and finished with a floater inside. A few possessions after, the senior again got the ball down low, backed down his defender and hit a jump hook to give Northwest a 44-40 lead, their largest of the night.
The Mohawks never looked back.
“Whenever they took away one of us, the next guy stepped up,” Lintz said. “That’s why we came away with the win.”
Bolin would post 13 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 20 on the evening. He, along with Jay Jenkins, each knocked down crucial free throws down the stretch to put the game on ice, sealing Northwest’s first sectional title since 2011 and punching the team’s ticket into Athens.
“Our senior class has been playing ball together since we could walk. This is huge for us,” Bolin said. “We’ve had a goal to get to the Convo since we were little. We’ve lost in the first round every year, but now we want to prove we can make it with the big dogs.”
Following Bolin’s 20-point outing was Lintz, who finished with 17 alongside nine rebounds. Jenkins followed with 13 points and knocked down three triples. Bolin, Lintz, and Jenkins were all perfect from the charity stripe — a perfect 13-for-13 among the three seniors.
For Adena, Lucas King led the way with 11 points and nine rebounds. Cayden Lee and Bryson Smith each finished with 10 points, and Joedy Ater finished with nine points and eight boards.
Northwest’s season continues on Sunday, March 3, when it faces Portsmouth in a Division III district semifinal. That contest is slated for 4:45 p.m. at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
“Portsmouth has a great team and they’ve had a great year,” Bolin said. “We have a long break, but we want to stay focused and get another win and keep moving on.”
BOX SCORE
Northwest: 12-9-13-20—54
Adena: 15-7-14-10–46
Northwest scoring: Bolin 20, Lintz 17, Jenkins 13, Wolfenbarker 4.
Adena scoring: King 11, Lee 10, Smith 10, Ater 9, Francis 2, Heath 2, Hennes 2.
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