Kokomo holiday tournament championship puts Northridge 'on the map.'

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KOKOMO – The level of celebration after a holiday tournament championship can vary based several factors, including the competition and the regularity of the titles.

For the Northridge basketball team on Tuesday night, there was no holding back. The players waited for coach Scott Radeker in the locker room after 43-38 win over South Bend Riley on Tuesday night in the championship of the Phil Cox Memorial Holiday tournament before dousing the coach with water.

“Coming down to like the Indy, Kokomo area and winning against some good teams in the tournament is a big accomplishment for us and kind of puts us on the map,” said 6-7 senior Brady Scholl, who scored 79 points in the three games. “It’s definitely big for our program.”

Northridge, ranked No. 10 in Class 4A, improved to 9-1 with wins over Merrillville (76-64), Kokomo (76-61) and South Bend Riley over the two-day tournament. If anyone was not aware of Scholl prior to the tourney, they should know of the Indiana Wesleyan recruit by now.

Scholl scored 40 points in the win over Merrillville on Monday, putting him over 1,000 for his career and setting a tournament record. He followed that up with a 30-point game in Tuesday’s semifinal win over Kokomo and posted a quieter nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in the title win over 4A No. 8 Riley.

“What I respected most about him tonight was that he didn’t try to force anything,” Radeker said of Scholl. “He got his teammates involved, had several assists and kicked the ball out and still went to the boards. He didn’t try to do too much. He still trusted his teammates and that right there is huge for this team moving forward. It’s huge for those other guys to see that Brady is going to get them the ball.”

That includes his younger brother, freshman Jake Scholl. Brady, the oldest of seven kids, celebrated his give-and-go assist in the fourth quarter to his younger brother more than any play of the night.

“It’s really fun to play with him on the court,” Brady said. “We both played football growing up and he’s a hustle, effort, rebounding guy. That’s what he’s there for and he does a good job of it.”

The championship was not the most statistically impressive of the three games for Northridge, but it came against a familiar opponent that it will see again in a month. South Bend Riley (7-1) advanced to the championship behind a 31-point game from senior Tyrese Jones in a 67-52 win over 4A third-ranked Lawrence North in the semifinal.

Northridge limited the explosive Jones to 10 points in the title game. Kelin Webster led Riley with 14 points, including 4-for-6 from the 3-point line, but the rest of the team was 1-for-18 from behind the arc.

Hayden Gorball led Northridge with 14 points and five assists. Hayden Johnson also had a big tournament for the Raiders, going for 19 points on five 3-pointers in the semifinal win.

“It’s an honor to put our name up there with all the teams that have won it,” Radeker said. “To have Northridge put up there with those teams says a lot for our guys and our program and how far we’ve come over the last eight years.”

Northridge won back-to-back sectional titles in 2019 and ’20 but has had its path blocked by Penn (four times) and Warsaw (once) each of the last five years in the sectional. But with Scholl looking like an Indiana All-Star and Johnson capable of lighting it up from the outside, Northridge looks like a team that could make a deep run in March. The Raiders’ only loss is to undefeated Goshen, a team it could see in the sectional.

Several of Scholl’s future teammates at Indiana Wesleyan were in attendance to watch Tuesday’s championship game.

“There’s not a better kid,” Radeker said of Scholl. “He’s selfless, coachable and humble. He plays for something bigger than himself. And he’s a heck of a player.”

Other takeaways from Tuesday’s games:

*Riley coach Alex Daniel joked that he was going to send Kokomo athletic director Nick Sale his fifth-place t-shirt design ahead of time after so many consolation finishes in previous tournaments. But Riley was impressive in a dominant semifinal win over Lawrence North, which was playing without senior point guard Cameron Webster, who was out with an illness.

In the championship, Riley was without junior guard Dakori Parker, who sprained his ankle against Lawrence North.

“We’re not a sell out, pressing team from end to end like we were last year,” Daniel said. “But we probably play a little better in the half court offensively and defensively.”

*Class 4A No. 2 Crown Point led most of the way and held off a rally from 3A No. 1 visiting Cathedral for a 75-72 win. The Irish (7-2) got as close as one point with 2:30 remaining but could not get over the hump. Crown Point (6-0) was led by Dikembe Shaw’s 25 points. Mason Darrell added 22. Keaton Aldridge Jr. led Cathedral with 26 points and Julien Smith added 15. Crown Point hosts Hamilton Southeastern on Friday and travels to Brownsburg on Saturday. Cathedral hosts 4A No. 6 Carmel on Saturday.

*Carmel defeated Lake Central 58-45 on Tuesday at the Paul Loggan Invitational at North Central to complete a 2-0 two-day shootout. The Greyhounds defeated Jeffersonville 55-43 on Monday. Pike also swept its two games at North Central, defeating Lake Central 69-37 on Monday and Park Tudor 86-72 on Tuesday.

*Blake Neill of Bloomfield set the all-time scoring record at the First Financial Wabash Valley Classic with 333 points over his four-year career. Bloomfield defeated Sullivan 62-46 in the fifth-place game. Terre Haute North knocked off Parke Heritage 56-50 in overtime to win the championship. Northview defeated Martinsville 56-50 to take third place.

*Ben Davis knocked off Shelbyville 62-56 to win the Bob Wettig Tournament in Richmond on Tuesday night. The Giants rolled over Valparaiso 79-39 earlier in the day, while Shelbyville defeated Greensburg 76-50.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: High school basketball takeaways: Northridge wins Kokomo tournament title

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