Columbus North’s Alex King had a monster game Saturday, scoring 31 points with five rebounds and two blocks against Hauser.
North (2-0) forced nine steals and four blocks in the 64-49 victory. King helped propel North into an early lead with 20 first half points.
“I thought we played really hard and we competed,” North coach Paul Ferguson said. “Alex showed why he has a chance to be one of the best players in the state this year. He is very versatile, he can score in a lot of ways and he’s a play maker out there.”
Ethan Mitchell, who scored 22 points in the season opener, got into some early foul trouble. He missed much of the first half but still managed to be a strong defensive force with two blocks and a steal. Stephon Peters-Smith game the Bull Dogs a left off the bench with seven points and 8 rebounds along with Bailey Hester’s 8 points.
Hauser’s (1-1) Alex Gross started the game with 8 first quarter points before injuring his ankle early in the second quarter. Gross was taken out of the game and missed most of the second and third quarters. He still managed to lead the team with 23 points and seven rebounds.
“That slowed him down a little bit,” assistant coach Griff Roth said. “That slowed him down, but his presence inside was good for us. When he gets it inside we play the inside out game. It was working, except we couldn’t hit a shot.”
Justin Compton was the only other Hauser player who scored hit more than two field goals. Compton ended the game with 12 points and two steals. Connor Wilson managed to knock down a couple three-pointers for six points.
“Give Columbus a lot of credit,” Roth said. “They’re a very good basketball team, and King played a hell of a game. They’re a class program.”
