Flint Northern at Bay City Western

Bay City- Flint Northern used a complete team effort to knock off Matt Costello and Bay City Western 67-52 last night.  The Vikings, who go 10 deep, put the pressure on early to build a double digit lead and were able to hang on for the SVL win.

Northern wanted to test the Warrior guards early and used a swarming defense to force 10 first quarter turnovers.  A steal from freshman Richie Lewis turned into an uncontested lay up for Shaquille Smith and an 8-3 lead.  With 2:20 left in the opening quarter Costello picked up his second foul and was sent to the bench.  6-6 Donald Lewis drained a 3-pointer at the top of the key as the quarter’s buzzer sounded to give Northern a 13-3 lead.

Costello reentered the game to start the second quarter and the presence of the 6-8 sophomore fired up his team.  Costello’s dunk, after two strong dribbles, cut the lead to 17-13.  Costello then sunk a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 24-22 with 3:29 left in the half.

But again Western allowed turnovers to kill them.  Coach Thomas Tucker decided to go with a speedier and more energetic line-up and Northern responded with a 13-2 run to end the half.  Smith ended the half with a face up 3-pointer over a defender to give the Vikings a 37-25 lead.

After watching Northern play earlier in the year (a loss against Clarkston) it seemed like every player was out to get theirs.  In the second half against Western it was a totally different Northern team.  The Vikings patiently worked the clock while moving the ball around determined to find the best shot available.  They were rewarded with trips to the charity stripe. Western never threatened in the second half.  Smith led the way with 21 points.  Richie Lewis added 13 points.

Coach Tucker seems to be finding the right fit of players at the right time.  Earlier in this week Northern knocked off Powers.  The Vikings have a solid group of players with 6-7 Darrell Williams and 6-6 Donald Lewis in the paint.  They go with a three guard line-up with Smith and Richie Lewis taking care of the point.  6-3 Gerald Williams is Northern’s glue guy.  Williams is versatile and switched off on 5-9 guards and 6-8 post players all night.  He brings the hustle and toughness to the team.

I was honestly surprised to see Western be more than a one man team.  Costello still has to do a lot and it seems to wear on the young sophomore.  But he has help in 6-8 Brandon Havercamp, who finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds.  Junior guard Tyler Ellis brings a ton of energy and finished with 12 points.

It was a tough week for Costello and he really shouldn’t have even been playing which also says a lot for his character and toughness.  He has been sick all week and got into a car accident just hours before the game.  He played the game but you could tell he had a lot more on his mind.