Northland dominates WGH behind Sullinger and Weatherspoon

Mike Parris, March 27, 2009 6:43 p.m.

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Columbus Northland's Jared Sullinger, left, posts up against Warren Harding's Desmar Jackson during the fourth quarter of an Ohio High School Athletic Association boys Division I state semifinal basketball game Friday, March 27, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. Northland beat Warren Harding 73-59. - (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Jared Sullinger and J.D. Weatherspoon combined for 47 points and 22 rebounds and Columbus Northland shot a blistering 64% from the field as the Vikings coasted to a 73-59 victory over Warren Harding in a Division I semifinal in front of 13,997 at Value City Arena.

Northland (26-1) made 32 of 50 field goals behind Sullinger and Weatherspoon, who only missed four shots combined. The duo usually does most of their damage in the paint, but they surprisingly opened the game with back-to-back three pointers as the Vikings raced out to a quick 13-4 lead.  

Harding (23-3) fought back behind senior All-Ohio guard Desmar Jackson, but Weatherspoon controlled the inside throughout the opening eight minutes. He posted 10 early points; including two off an explosive two-handed dunk from the baseline that gave Northland a 22-9 lead after one.

Jackson continued to breathe life into the Raiders, almost single-handedly cutting the Harding deficit in half. He scored on a baby hook off a low-post move and stroked a three-pointer from the left wing to pull the Raiders to 26-19 with 5:04 left in the first half.

Northland wasn’t fazed, as the Vikings responded with a 12-0 run of their own over the next three minutes. Dimonde Hale’s back-to-back layups pushed the Northland lead out to 19 points at 38-19 before Harding’s Fred Williams stopped the bleeding with a running one-hander in the lane.

Harding closed strong again behind Jackson, reeling off eight straight points in the final minute. But Weatherspoon sent Northland into intermission on a high note, spinning in the lane and banking in a layup with two seconds left giving the Vikings a 40-27 halftime lead.

Much of Northland’s success was attributed to its massive rebounding advantage, 37-18.

“We knew we needed to keep them off the glass but we just didn’t do a good job of it,” explained Warren Harding head coach Steve Arnold.

Jackson’s all-around game was on display again in the third. He threw down a two-handed dunk, blocked a shot, stole a pass, and scored a driving layup in a 1:30 span to keep the game within reach for the Raiders.  His elbow jumper with 2:30 left in the period pulled Harding to within 49-41.

Sullinger, held relatively in check the majority of the game by a fast-collapsing Harding defense, began taking over down the stretch. Ohio’s Mr. Basketball began establishing position in the paint and turned it into several easy dunks and layups.  The 6-foot-8 Ohio State recruit finished with a quiet –but certainly impressive – 22 points and 14 rebounds and kept Buckeyes fans looking to the future.

“It’s a blessing to have everybody watching you,” stated Sullinger about the large Ohio State fan base in attendance.

Weatherspoon was equally dominant and pleased the large crowd with a variety of rim-rocking dunks. The Xavier recruit posted a team-high 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting and added eight rebounds.

“J.D. told me before the game for me to break ‘it’ in right,” said Sullinger, referring to his future home court at Ohio State. “But it was J.D. that broke in the rims tonight.”

In his final high school game, Desmar Jackson was a near one-man show for Warren Harding. The 6-foot-6 senior recorded a game-best 29 points, five rebounds, five steals, and four blocked shots.

“He’s good, man,” said Northland head coach Satch Sullinger of Jackson. “He’s really dangerous. He’s all-state and there’s a reason for it.”

Northland, the state’s top-ranked team, will look to capture its first ever state title Saturday night. The Vikings will tangle with the winner of the Cincinnati Princeton-Toledo St. John semifinal.

Satch Sullinger thinks his team has a great chance to hoist the hardware.

“Our guys are starting to come together and peak at the right time,” he said.

“I think the engine is starting to purr.”