Micah Young drops in two of his 29 points to punch the Warriors’ ticket to Dayton. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Howard)
Micah Young scored 29 points as high-powered North won its 23rd straight game — most of them in the same dominant fashion as Sunday.
Fairborn, OH – Truth be told, Westerville North’s road to the Division II state championship game has seemingly been free and clear of any red lights or speed bumps.
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In winning 23 straight games, the Warriors have steamrolled opponents like few central Ohio teams have in recent memory. A three-point win over 2024 state semifinalist Delaware on Jan. 24 and a 10-point margin against Big Walnut Feb. 7 were the only reasonably competitive games, and that includes the tournament.
But while North may appear to be operating on overdrive, coach Shan Trusley will never for a second let his players become complacent or take this unparalleled dominance for granted.
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During the third quarter of an otherwise humdrum 73-52 semifinal blowout of Toledo St. Francis Sunday, the usually mild-mannered coach lit into one of his players apparently for not getting back on defense quickly enough.
“I want the kids to finish … there’s another game left to finish,” Trusley said. “I want us to play great basketball all the time.”
Junior guard Elijah McCree understood where Trusley was coming from.
“You have to be on top of your game every night and look at the bigger picture,” he said.
Reaching this point has been almost expected since North moved down to Division II in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s expansion from four to seven divisions. The Warriors returned virtually everyone from a district runner-up in 2024.
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North (24-2) will face upstart Massillon Perry (14-13) in the title game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at University of Dayton Arena. The Warriors’ only other championship came in 1994 when Trusley was a young assistant under Dave Hoover, and then Kevin Thuman for subsequent trips to the final four in 1995 and 1996.
It may have gotten a bit chippy at times, but not for long as Tai Perkins and Westerville North held a comfortable lead during much of the contest.
“This run is bringing back a lot of memories for me, and I’m really excited to get down to Dayton and make some more,” said Trusley, a 1988 North graduate and a 20-year assistant. “I’m so happy the kids and our community get to experience this.”
North, which came in averaging 77.2 points per game and allowing 51.3, took no prisoners against St. Francis (16-10) out of the tough Detroit Catholic League. The Knights never got closer than double digits in the final three quarters.
TSF committed four turnovers before finally attempting its first shot two minutes into the game.
Concord-bound senior guard Micah Young scored 14 of his game-high 29 points in the opening quarter. He added a team-high seven rebounds and four assists.
Elijah McCree contributed 11 points off the bench.
Young’s stepbrother Tai Perkins, who lit up Big Walnut for 32 points on a program-record eight three-pointers in a regional final win, added 12 points and McCree chipped in 11 off the bench.
“When I woke up today, Tai said ‘I see a 30-ball in you today,’ and I just missed it,” Young said. “Really, all we wanted to do was play our game … pressure them on the defensive end and stop their bigs.”
The Warriors ultimately scored 25 points off St. Francis turnovers and wound up with multiple breakouts for easy layups or dunks.
“Our goal is to just keep coming at you, coming at you, coming at you, coming at you … “Trusley said. “Micah’s a special kid, but we have different kids that step up all the time at different moments. What makes this team so special is the way we share the ball. They want to celebrate the other kids’ accomplishments.”
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Jameson Heck and Chris Poellinitz III scored 13 points each for St. Francis. Six-foot-nine center Alan Horton, however, was limited to just three shot attempts.
Tyson Perkins gets past three St. Francis defenders during a state semifinal rout.
Trusley said plenty of complimentary things about Massillon Perry, which entered the tournament at 9-13 but upset 25-1 North Royalton on Sunday.
“We know who they are,” he said. “They’re playing at a really high level. It’s a community that’s used to success. Their kids are winners.”
For the record, North hasn’t lost since dropping back-to-back games to Olentangy Orange (57-55) and Cleveland St. Ignatius (85-72) on Dec. 3 and Dec. 7, respectively. Orange downed St. Ignatius in a Division I state semifinal Sunday.
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