DURHAM — If you weren’t a believer in the Northwood boys basketball team before Friday night, you likely are now. Just ask Southern Durham.
Sending a resounding notice to all 3A Big Eight Conference teams, the Chargers showed why they are clearly a legit threat to capture a league title by trouncing Southern Durham 67-48.
Northwood now stands at 3-0 in the conference and 12-1 overall and sits atop the Big Eight standings, half a game ahead of Chapel Hill (2-0 conference, 7-5 overall). Those two schools were set to square off on Tuesday in Pittsboro to see who will claim sole possession of first place in a game that finished after press time.
But Friday night in Durham, Northwood did something many simply don’t do: dominate a Southern Durham team. Year in and year out, Southern Durham has proved to be a benchmark of the Big Eight Conference, and this year was expected to be no exception.
That scenario has changed a bit now as the Chargers delivered a crushing defeat, sparked by a 22-5 run in the third period which blew open a 25-20 advantage by Northwood at the intermission. Southern Durham was without the services of star player Ricky Council IV — a 6-6 shooting guard who’s regarded as one of the top prospects in North Carolina in the 2020 class — but you can’t take anything away from what the Chargers displayed on Friday night.
Deuce Powell led the way for the Chargers with a game-high 26 points in the victory while a balanced attack saw Aaron Ross chip in 14 key points and Alex Snively hit three three-pointers to add another pivotal 13 to the cause. Powell put on a show in the third period, notching 11 of his points in the stanza to set up a commanding 47-25 lead entering the fourth. Ross contributed nine assists, two steals and a pair of rebounds in a strong effort to go with his 14 points while Jalen Mcafee-Marion had seven boards and five assists, Powell seven rebounds and an assist, Snively two boards, an assist and a steal, and Tucker Morgan five rebounds and an assist and a steal.
The Spartans scored 23 points in the final frame, eight coming from Jashawn Hawkins, who finished with a team-high 19. Northwood countered with 20 of its own, however, and the contest never was in doubt as the locals settled for the important triumph.