[conkfl]

After seeing how well Jered Sullinger has played as a freshman at Ohio State this year, and knowing #1-rated Northland had about 3 D-1 recruits last year, I'm STLL trying to figure out how they LOST in the Semi-final game at the State tournament last year!

(Then even stranger, their "conquerers" LOST in the next game, if I remember it correctly!)

What happened? Explain please, Fellow Huddlers! (Was it WITCHCRAFT?)

[justthefacts]

Gahanna Shot lights out, Jared had a hand injury and his hand was wrappped. Trey Burke was not really "allowed" to look for his shot as much last season.

I was at that game and Gahanna was the better team that night. Gahanna had Rob Brandenberg who plays significant minutes for VCU (Sweet 16 team this year), and Stevie Taylor (Ohio U.). Gahanna earned the W!

[wgh_raider]

conk northland was blown out by gahanna in the regional finals last year. gahanna was unbeaten then lost to eventual state champ massillon jackson in the state semifinals.

[jrccshoe]

Might be a game worth watching for UK coach Calipari.........the Gahanna/CN game that is.

[Beerman3343]

Sullinger was by no means shut down by Gahanna last year. He finished the game with 24 points and 15 rebounds. He just couldn't do it by himself. The difference in the game was that Weatherspoon, Potts, and Burke were virtually non existent, as well as Gahanna hitting 9 3's.

[SBradley]

Gahanna was hot that night and Northland wasn't. I also think Gahanna had the perfect gameplan for that game also.

[87Tigercager]

I'm sure it was Northland just playing to the level of their competition and just lost. That seems to be the common thread I hear when they had close games in the tournament this year.

[Son4ofOlen]

Perfect "Storm" situation...only 3 Northland players scored...Sullinger, Weatherspoon, Burke...other 2 starters didn't and if I'm not mistaken, didn't have 8 FGA's between them, so...were they told not to shoot but to go inside first...was it their pregame festivities at Easton...were they looking ahead to playing Jackson and not counting on Gahanna playing well...did Jared's injury play into it???

One can arrive at mulitiple conclusions, however the best is that Gahanna beat them...PERIOD...!! They played the game of their live's and they beat Northland straight up...

Although the Lion's faithful will disagree with me, that was THEIR CHAMPIONSHIP...they didn't play well the next game and lost to a pretty good Jackson team, who in turn won the State.

[Stumblebum]

Coaching

[KEMBA68]

Northland in the State finals again. Wow I guess coaching or the lack there of got them to the championship....

[SBradley]

GOOD LUCK VIKINGS IN THE SHIP!!!!!!

[conkfl]

Thanks, fellow Huddlers, for filling in a LOT of BLANKS left out of our local Papers in SW Ohio (we simply got a "score" --- and NOTHING, REALLY, about the actual game circumstances!) --- sorry about my memory failing me, I thought this so-called "BIG UPSET" happened in the State Semi-Final and it had happened in the Regional Final, instead! Chalk it up to Brain-Warp on my part? HA!

[TV1985]

Conkfl - the one thing that has been left out is that Gahanna was a team that Northland really had problems matching up with. They had a team whose best outside shooter might have been their 5 man (Bott), which meant that if you wanted to stop his outside shooting, Sullinger would have had to come out to the 3 point line. Then you had Brandenburg and Jackson, who were both really good outside shooters and very quick with the ball. They both could also handle the ball really well. On top of that, Taylor seldom turned the ball over. These kids caused a great deal of problems for any defense - hence the reason they won 26 straight games.

[NaismithII]

Most of the time Northland doesn't play very good defense. Happens a lot. Most of the time they are good enough anyway. Not always. Not Saturday night.

[Ross Ford81]

Does anyone beleive that La Salle's coaching staffed owned Northland's?

Fundementals win over out of control talent almost every time

[bethere]

Originally Posted by TV1985

Conkfl - the one thing that has been left out is that Gahanna was a team that Northland really had problems matching up with. They had a team whose best outside shooter might have been their 5 man (Bott), which meant that if you wanted to stop his outside shooting, Sullinger would have had to come out to the 3 point line. Then you had Brandenburg and Jackson, who were both really good outside shooters and very quick with the ball. They both could also handle the ball really well. On top of that, Taylor seldom turned the ball over. These kids caused a great deal of problems for any defense - hence the reason they won 26 straight games.

LIncoln was undefeated at the time... this was blown off by everyone else. good call.

[bethere]

Originally Posted by Ross Ford81

Does anyone beleive that La Salle's coaching staffed owned Northland's?

no.

[bethere]

Originally Posted by Chantilly

Fundementals win over out of control talent almost every time

irrelevant. northland was and is a very balanced and well-coached team--dominated by a stellar point guard, trey burke, not sullinger. the truth: if the other guy doesn't miss, you lose. that is simply the way it is in hoops.on all levels.

accept the fact that you guys never saw lincoln play and leave the speculation to those who have. they were very very good.

[TV1985]

bethere - I have been a teacher in the Gahanna Jefferson school district for 21 years and coached boys basketball there for 11 years (everything from 7th grade to assistant varsity) - I am pretty sure that I have seen them play more than anyone on this thread.
I sat with Tracey Beverly (the long time girls coach at Gahanna) and I told him at halftime that if Satch would come out in a 1-3-1 with Witherspoon on top to shut down Stevie's passing angles, that they could come back. However, no one on Satch's staff advised him of this and Gahanna scored the 1st 8 points of the 2nd half and it was over.