BOYS BASKETBALL: North Star Pulls Off Upset of No. 9 Pius X

LINCOLN–(KFOR Feb. 2)–Lincoln North Star has managed to keep itself afloat in boys basketball with some key wins through the course of the season, including an upset of Class A No. 9 Lincoln Pius X on Friday night.

The Gators got 21 points from freshman guard Jordan Castor and double-digit performances from junior guard Lazerek Houston and senior forward KG Gatwech to earn a 67-63 victory over the Thunderbolts at North Star’s Swamp, in a game heard on KFOR.

North Star (8-7) was neck and neck for much of the first half, taking a 17-13 first quarter lead before stretching the advantage to seven before Pius X pulled to within one, at 20-19 after a free throw from Parker Kelly,  a basket from Kellan Humm and Treyson Anderson’s dunk that led to a three-point play with 6:49 left before halftime.  But North Star countered with a dunk off a steal in transition from Gatwech.  Pius X took control midway through the second quarter when Anderson scored off a putback to go up 25-24 with 3:25 remaining.  Houston scored on the next North Star possession to put the Gators ahead for good.  North Star led at halftime 31-27.

Castor scored 12 of his 21 points in third quarter and a pair of consecutive three-pointers from Jakeyce Fowler saw North Star’s lead climb to six halfway through the period before stretching the lead to 50-43.  One issue both teams faced was foul trouble.  Castor, Houston and Chuy Thoat all fouled out for North Star, Humm and senior guard Adam Searcey of Pius X also found themselves on the bench late in the game with five fouls.

The Gators saw their lead increase to as much as 11 points before they held on late in the game to the four-point win.  Forward Will Schafer and reserve guard J’Shawn Afuh combined to hit three free-throws to seal the victory.

Houston added 14 points for North Star and Gatwech finished with 11.  Anderson scored a game-high 23 points in the losing effort for Pius X (who fell to 12-5), while Humm finished with 10 points before fouling out for the ‘Bolts.

Click the link below to hear the podcast of Friday night’s game that aired on KFOR.

Boys Basketball: Lincoln Pius X at Lincoln North Star 2-2-24