Font ResizeYork, PA - Bermudian Springs had a chance Tuesday.
The Eagles had cut Northeastern's lead to four points. Headed into the fourth
But in the final quarter, Northeastern proved why it will be a tough matchup for any team in the postseason. The Bobcats have three scorers. And with three scorers, all Northeastern needed was to find an open look. Chris Nwandu had two of them, and he buried two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead the Bobcats to a 70-56 victory in the opening round of the boys' District 3 Class AAA tournament.
The Bobcats (15-8) doubled up the Eagles (18-6) in the fourth quarter, outscoring Bermudian, 20-10, through the final eight minutes.
Northeastern advances to the district quarterfinals to play second-seeded Trinity, a 47-43 winner against Susquehanna Township. The quarterfinal matchup will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Hershey's Giant Center.
"When you're guarding guys like they have -- guys that are athletic, long and bigger than your guys -- you just can't make many mistakes," Bermudian coach Tom Flaherty said. "You know we made a couple mistakes defensively. And when that happens it turns into baskets."
The two big defensive breakdowns happened when Northeastern's Khalid Nwandu (21 points) and Elijah Cooper (16) used the dribble drive to penetrate. Bermudian defenders slid into the lane to help, leaving Chris Nwandu (16) open to hit a pair of wide open treys.
His first long-range jumper turned a three-point lead to six. His second trey pushed the Northeastern lead to eight points with 3:40 to play.
"We had Khalid and Eli attacking, and they were dishing out to me," Chris Nwandu said.
Northeastern coach Jon Eyster called the two treys two big shots in a game filled with them.
His team put the game out of reach by hitting 12 fourth-quarter free throws and with a suffocating defense.
"Khalid got a couple really big blocks (in the perimeter), and we got some steals on their perimeter, which took them out of their offense," Eyster said. "They were running their offense, running their offense, and they'd get an open look and knock it down."
But that didn't happen in the fourth. Bermudian converted 1-of-8 long-range attempts (with Bermudian shooters standing on or behind the arc) in the fourth quarter.
Northeastern seemed to feed of its hometown crowd early, hitting 14 of its first 21 shots. It took the lead for good with 3:11 to play in the first quarter.
"I think you just have to focus on getting the win," Elijah Cooper said. "You can't focus on the consequences, because thinking about (the end of the season) can limit you. We came out and took care of business. The last couple years we've had great atmosphere, and we've got some crazy people that come out to support us. It's been great, just great."
Ticket info: Tickets for Northeastern's District 3 quarterfinal against Trinity will be on sale at the Northeastern High School main office 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Northeastern also will offer a fan bus to Giant Center on Friday leaving the front of the high school at 4:30 p.m. Cost for riding is $5 per person. Riders must sign up at the high school main office beforehand.
@jimseip; 771-2025
BERMUDIAN SPRINGS (56)
Al. Huntington 0 0-0 0, Hursh 2 0-0 6, Aaron Huntington 4 4-4 13, Neil Murren 3 4-6 11, Orwig 1 0-0 3, S. Murren 3 2-2 8, Z. Stroup 3 0-2 7, Markle 0 1-2 1, Hartzell 2 2-2 7. Totals 18 13-18 56.
NORTHEASTERN (70)
Gause 0 2-2 2, Khalid Nwandu 6 9-11 21, Riley 3 0-0 6, Chris Nwandu 6 1-1 16, Steadman 1 1-4 3, Elijah Cooper 4 7-8 16, Marshall 0 0-0 0, Speed 0 0-0 0, Eyster 2 0-1 6, Hoffman 0 0-0 0, Arias 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 20-27.
Bermudian Springs 13 14 19 10 -- 56
Northeastern 17 19 14 20 -- 70
3-point goals -- Bermudian Springs 7 (Hursh 2, Aa. Huntington, Orwig, Stroup, Hartzell, N. Murren); Northeastern 6 (C. Nwandu 3, Eyster 2, Cooper).
