Thanks to Paige Wilcox, Virginia Smith for the pictures
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University men's basketball team faced off against North Central on Wednesday night with crucial implications for North Park's playoff hopes.
The 1st half of this matchup was tight throughout, though the two sides could not have arrived at their respective totals in more different fashions. North Central shot the lights out from behind the arc at an 8-15 clip that was spearheaded by Matt Helwig, who went 3-5 from deep in the 1st en route to a 16-point half. Meanwhile the Vikings struggled from 3 going 1-11 through the opening 20 minutes. They instead relied on transition to do their damage, picking up 16 points on fast breaks compared to just 2 from the Cardinals. Michael Osborne had himself a monstrous start to the game with an 11-point, 5-assist, 5-rebound line through the opening half, all of which were team-highs. Jalen Boyd was second on the team with 9 points, and he and his brother Jordan each recorded 2 steals which paced the team as they entered the 2nd half of play with a 33-31 lead.
The 2nd half started off with an 8-point run by the Cardinals to give them control of the lead. It was again the Cardinals' 3-pt shooting doing damage for them early, this time from the hands of Terrance Moncrief who poured in two quick 3s out of the gate. Meanwhile North Park's dominant transition game slowed down. Their half-court offense picked up the slack though to keep them within striking distance of North Central's slim lead, eventually bringing it to a one-possession game with just over 2 minutes to play. Shortly afterwards Jalen Boyd proceeded to tie the game on free throws with 58 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession Jonathan Johansson came up with a clutch defensive stop that led to Michael Osborne's 7th rebound, and Osborne took the ball down to the other end to score a heavily contested layup and give the Vikings a 2-point lead.
The Cardinals opted to go for the win, but Ethan Helwig missed the go-ahead 3 and it was again Johannsson stepping up in crunch time to secure a huge rebound. He iced the game with two free throws to give the Vikings a 62-58 lead that would end as the final result.
Osborne led the Vikings with 24 points and 6 assists, and his 7 rebounds were 2nd on the team to Jalen Boyd's 9. Boyd also registered 17 points as the Vikings only other player to reach double figures. Jonathan Johansson played a critical role in the win as well, coming up with huge plays down the stretch after 2 of the Vikings' starters fouled out late in the 2nd half.
What's Next?
Next up for North Park following their final home game is Millikin. They'll head out to Decatur on Saturday, February 12th to take on the Big Blue at 4:00 P.M.
