A Sweet 16 contender in Goshen? North Oldham basketball looks the part in win over Collins
Goshen may not be a traditional hotbed for high school basketball, but don’t overlook North Oldham High School when considering top contenders for this season’s KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 title.
The Mustangs showcased their solid mix of experience, size and 3-point shooting Tuesday, beating visiting Collins 51-39 in a quintessential Eighth Region grinder.
The Mustangs (22-5) have risen to No. 3 in the Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll and haven’t lost since the calendar flipped to 2023, extending their winning streak to 11 with Tuesday’s victory.
“I would say we’re right in there,” North Oldham coach David Levitch said about the race for this season’s state title. “I think everybody has to beat Warren Central, but after Warren Central there’s six or seven teams that have a real good chance.”
Grant Neal scored 17 points — including 11 in the third quarter — to lead North Oldham. Dallas Roberts added 14 points and Luke Anderson chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
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Roberts and Neal give the Mustangs a pair of 3-point threats, and the 6-foot-8 Anderson and 6-7 Ian Higdon are forces inside. What the Mustangs may lack in style, they make up for in substance.
You’ve heard of blue-collared? Call these Mustangs “teal-collared.”
“If you look throughout the state, there aren’t a lot of teams that keep it that simple,” Collins coach Chris Gaither said. “There are some more athletic teams, but there’s not more complete teams. North is just complete.”
Kenyon Goodin scored 21 points to lead Collins (22-5). The Titans played without senior point guard Quintin Simmons (11.4 ppg), who suffered an ankle injury Monday during practice. Gaither expects Simmons to be back for next week’s 30th District Tournament at Woodford County.
Without Simmons, Collins’ offense stalled on several possessions Tuesday.
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“We have other guys who can drive and kick and swing the ball,” Gaither said. “Today … the ball just got stuck. When the ball gets stuck, we don’t shoot it well and you have to take tough shots.”
Down 19-10 early in the second quarter, Collins rallied to take a 31-28 lead on Goodin’s basket midway through the third quarter.
That’s when Neal got hot for the Mustangs, who took a 38-33 lead on his 3-point play at the 1:25 mark.
Neal entered the game averaging 8.3 points but has been on a hot streak lately.
“They were pressing, so I knew if I would slide down I’d be open and my bigs would find me,” he said. “My bigs made good plays and got me open, and I just knocked down shots. I was feeling it.”
Goodin’s basket pulled Collins within 42-39 with 4:12 left, but the Mustangs scored the final nine points to pull away.
Levitch said the victory was another sign of his team’s maturity. The Mustangs returned most of the talent from last season’s team that won the program’s first regional title.
“We’ve won a lot of games that we didn’t win last year,” Levitch said. “That comes with maturity. … We’ve figured out how to win these grind-it-out games. That was basically a tournament game — Eighth Region, state tournament type of a game.”
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Levitch is hoping the Mustangs will get another boost soon as senior guard Jack Scales (12.3 ppg) is expected to return to action. Scales hasn’t played since Jan. 3 because of a shoulder injury.
With Scales back in the mix, Neal expects the Mustangs to be a tough out in the postseason.
“Last year in some games we got down a few and would lose control and not be in the game,” he said. “This year we have the chemistry and experience and just stay fighting and make a run to come back. We just really want to get to Rupp (Arena) and have a chance to win the state championship. We know we have the team. We just have to win out now.”
COLLINS 8 12 15 4 - 39
NORTH OLDHAM 15 8 15 13 - 51
Collins (22-5) – Kiya Ledford 4, Isiah Cochran 6, Kenyon Goodin 21, Kade Goodin 4, Darius Evans 4.
North Oldham (22-5) – Dallas Roberts 14, Ian Higdon 7, Grant Neal 17, Luke Anderson 13.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: North Oldham basketball backs up No. 3 ranking with win over Collins
