By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP
Advance Managing Editor
The Northview Chiefs' season came to an end Tuesday night after a first-round loss to Walton in the area tournament, 69-49.
The Chiefs stayed within striking distance of Walton through the first half. But, by the end of the third period they had dug themselves a 20-point deficit that would remain through the final period.
In the first period, Walton took a five point lead over Northview by outscoring them 14-9. That lead continued to swell in the second as the Chiefs were outscored 16-11 to make the halftime score 31-20.
That pattern remained consistent throughout the game as Walton went on a 21-12 run through the third period to give them a 52-32 advantage entering the final period.
Northview was affected by the loss of two players who were unable to make the trip to the area tournament – one being a starter and the other a player who routinely comes in from the bench. But, head coach Cliff Gillies said that was not the biggest problem for his team that night.
Leading scorers for the Chiefs were Daryl Cohen with 18 followed by Jason Gillies with eight and Alvin Hayes and John Madison finished with six points each.
Despite their early rejection from the area tournament, Gillies said there were a lot of positive things that the NHS basketball program can build on in the future. One of those things was their 14-12 record – the second best by a Northview basketball team.
Now that the Chiefs have learned to play basketball with some success, Gillies hopes the next step will be for them to come together as a team.