Vikings Sink Threes, Sail Past Leopards 69-57

By Leopard Nation · Published December 18, 2012 · Updated March 13, 2022

Akron North 69, Louisville 59

Akron North hit home 7 three-pointers and shot 76% from the free throw line to claim a 69-59 win over visiting Louisville Tuesday night. Blake Hoover led the Leopards with 17 points in the contest, while Alex Schooley dropped in 10 and Joe Crank added 7.

The Viking theme was fitting for the Akron North Gymnasium as the game on the court appeared to be something pulled out of the dark ages of basketball. The two teams combined to commit 57 fouls, shoot 66 free throws, and give away countless turnovers in a contest that lasted nearly two hours long. Akron North committed 30 fouls on their own, but the Leopards could not make them pay as they shot just 54% (20 of 37) from the line. On the other side, North shot 76% (22 of 29) from the line which proved to be a major difference in the contest.

The Vikings sailed out of the harbor by scoring 24 points in the first quarter. Louisville played even with Akron North in the second quarter to keep the deficit at 13 heading into the locker room. However, any hope of catching momentum was snuffed out as the Vikings began the second half by hitting home three straight free throws after being fouled on a downtown attempt. North would hit two more back-breaking three-pointers in a third quarter that saw them score 26 points. The Vikings built a lead as big as 23 before the Leopards chipped away.

Louisville fought on, but the ball would just not go through the classic gymnasium rims at North High School. The Leopard defense held the Vikings to just 5 points in the last quarter, but Louisville could only cut the deficit to 10 before the game ended dropping them to 1-4.

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STATISTICS

VIKINGS 69, LEOPARDS 57

LEOPARDS: Hoover 7 3-7 17, Schooley 2 5-9 10, Crank 1 4-4 7, Adams 2 1-3 6, Noble 1 4-7 6, Carter 2 0-0 4, Hollifield 2 0-0 4, Parks 0 3-4 3, Weiss 1 0-0 2, Minster 0 0-1 0, Lairson 0 0-2 0. TOTAL 18 20-37 59.

3-Pointers (3): Adams, Crank, Schooley

Team FT: 20-37 54%

VIKINGS: Blacknight 6 3-4 18, Bowman 5 6-7 18, Robbins 4 7-10 16, Harris 2 5-6 9, Johnson 2 1-2 6, Tarver 1 0-0 2. TOTAL 20 22-29 69.

3-Pointers (7): Blacknight (3), Bowman (2), Robbins

Team FT: 22-29 76%

Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL

Louisville 11-14-19-15–59

Akron North 24-14-26-5–69

Fouls: 30-27 Akron North

Records: Louisville 1-4

UP NEXT: The Leopards will next host the Canton South Wildcats on Friday, December 21. JV will begin at 6:00, while Varsity will follow at approximately 7:30.

VARSITY PICTURES

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JV: Louisville 63, Akron North 56

The Vikings finished the contest with more field goals than the Leopards (25-20), but Louisville made 22 of 40 free throws and took the game 63-56.

Drew Noble led Louisville with 14 points, while Stephen Kerzan added 10 and Jake Pukys scored 9.

The Vikings committed 33 fouls in the contest, which resulted in two players fouling out and Louisville spending the majority of the game at the free throw stride.

The Leopards took command of the game early and went into the break up 34-14. North would go on to outscore Louisville 42-29 in the second half, but it would not be nearly enough as the Leps improved to 3-1.

STATISTICS

LEOPARDS 63, VIKINGS 56

LEOPARDS: Noble 4 6-10 14, Kerzan 3 4-4 10, Pukys 2 5-10 9, Mathie 3 1-4 8, Shaheen 2 3-6 7, Lairson 3 0-0 6, Haren 2 1-2 5, Adams 1 0-0 2, Eddins 0 1-2 1, Graybeal 0 1-2 1. TOTAL 20 22-40 63.

3-Pointers (1): Mathie

Team FT: 22-40 55%

VIKINGS: Alqaadie 6 0-0 14, Taylor 6 0-2 12, Guthrie 3 1-1 7, Weatherspoon 3 1-1 7, Jones 3 0-0 6, Rigby 1 2-2 4, Turner 2 0-0 4, Poker 1 0-0 2. TOTAL 25 4-6 56.

3-Pointers (2): Alqaadie (2)

Team FT: 4-6 66%

Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL

Louisville 17-17-11-18–63

Akron North 8-6-17-25–56

Fouls: 33-9 Akron North

Records: Louisville 3-1