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ATHENS — It’s been quite some time since Northwest competed for a district title.
In the last 25 seasons, Northwest has not advanced into a district title game. But on Sunday, at Ohio University, that drought came to a screeching halt.
The Mohawks (22-3) left it all on the floor in a Division III district semifinal as 20-point performances from both of the team’s 1,000-point scorers — Connor Lintz and Tanner Bolin — led them to a dominant 71-49 win over Portsmouth.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“I thought today, our kids showed up,” Northwest coach Rick Scarberry said. “This was a huge win for our kids, especially our seniors.”
“It was our goal just to get here,” Bolin said. “We preached all week to weather the storm and hop on the senior leadership to get this win.”
Portsmouth (17-7) was firing on all cylinders to start.
DeAndre Berry led the charge with eight points in the first quarter to get the Trojans out to an 11-5 lead. However, Northwest responded when Logan Wolfenbarker and Connor Lintz sent the Mohawks on an 8-1 run, giving them a 13-12 lead at the end of the frame.
The second quarter started as a game of runs.
Berry scored four quick points to give Portsmouth a three-point lead. It wouldn’t last long, however, as Northwest continued to earn extra possessions and capitalize.
Wolfenbarker connected from outside two more times, capping off a perfect half from beyond the arc to send Northwest into the break with a 26-18 advantage.
“I realized they were letting me shoot early,” Wolfenbarker said. “If they were going to let me shoot, I was going to knock them down.”
The Mohawks played as good of a first half as they could’ve hoped for. But if they wanted to finish the job, they were going to have to keep its foot on the gas — and they did just that, continuing to pour it on offensively in the second half.
Jay Jenkins got things going with two early buckets and Bolin dominated inside with seven points and five rebounds in the period. Lintz, Jenkins and Caleb Lewis also found the score sheet, marking a 24-point quarter that pushed the lead further and blew the game wide open at 50-32 after three.
If it hadn’t looked this way already, the rest of the game had Northwest written all over it.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
The Mohawks’ offense didn’t skip a beat, continuing to make plays inside and hitting free throws down the stretch to cap a 22-point victory that sent them to their first district final in 25 years.
“We really have the community behind us,” Bolin said. “Not just this game, but the whole season. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Bolin led Northwest with a 23-point performance, while Lintz followed with a 21-point, 11-rebound showing. Logan Wolfenbarker shot a perfect 4-for-4 from outside and finished with 12 points.
Portsmouth was led by Berry, who had a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds.
While Portsmouth’s season comes to an end, the Mohawks advance to a Division III district final on Saturday, where they will face Wheelersburg — who defeated South Point to advance.
That contest is slated for 4 p.m., back at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
“We’ve got to figure out how to beat Wheelersburg, and we’ll get started on that,” Scarberry said. “I want these kids to enjoy this. So many great teams have come through the Convo on the way to the state tournament. We don’t get here very often, so we want to enjoy it and savor it.”
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