The last time these two teams met in November, Scotland Campus persevered through a listless first half to outscore Northfield Mount Hermon by a staggering 48-17 margin, recording a wild 79-59 upset at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn.
Familiar and formidable foes, Scotland and Northfield Mount Hermon are again slated for a marquee matchup in the 2019 Prep National Championships. The event will be held at Connecticut College in New London, Conn., with tip-off slated for March 6 at 5:15 PM. The event includes a veritable “who’s who” of prep superpowers. Division-I coaches and talent evaluators will be spread out the stands from the very start.
The calming effect of seasoned point guard Judah Jordan (Weber State) and timely, long range shooting from Cali-bred 3-point triggerman Austin Galuppo (Weber State) in the second half catapulted Scotland to that frenetic paced aforementioned 20-point win.
Following a tepid start in the first half, Galuppo hit a wild transition 3-pointer in the second and showcased his ability to reel off points in a hurry with his quick-strike 3-point sniping.
Northfield Mount Hermon features one of the best scorers in the country in Harvard-bound Chris Ledlum.
With his vertically explosive game and knack for knifing his way into the teeth of defenses and finishing, Ledlum has shown he can dictate the outcome of the game once he seizes that hot hand.
The Harvard-bound guard is a physical specimen of an attacker, one capable of spinning around and bulldozing defenders, finishing in both crafty and ambidextrous fashion.
This much was evident as the burly 6-foot-6 Class of 2019 wing turned in a 31-point, nine rebound, and four assist performance while spearheading NMH to a NEPSAC AAA championship win over Brewster.
Make no mistake about it, Ledlum has the prolific scoring acumen and tactical, “Mr. Big Shot” mindset within him. He can dictate the outcome of a game and also bust games wide open with a head-spinning personal surge.
The newly-minted single-season record holder for points in a season at NMH, Ledlum authored 43-point and 51-point eruptions this season. His ability to get free in stealth fashion and finish above the rim thunderously is what makes him such a unique threat.
“During the win back in November, we all locked in defensively,” said Scotland’s Jordan, who hit a number of big shots (including an off-balanced banker in traffic) while the Knights struggled mightily in the early going.
“This helped us get out in transition. Once we started gaining momentum on the defensive end, things really started to open up on offense. With us being athletic and everybody being able to shoot open shots, we started clicking and never really let up.”
A performance of this magnitude, at this early juncture in the season, allowed Jordan to redefine his role as more of a primary lock up man and true defensive catalyst.
Less ball-dominant on a team rife with guards, Jordan has since subscribed to a thorough clamp down operation while pushing to neutralize the opponent’s top scoring threat.
“After that (NMH) game, I learned that both myself and my team need to take more pride on the defensive end,” said Jordan, who chose Weber State over Towson, South Florida, Yale, and a barrage of suitors.
“Me personally, I have to be more assertive on offense without overdribbling. I also need to be more engaged by being more vocal and huddling my team. This is it right now. This is what we’ve worked all year for. Nobody wants this season to stop earlier than expected.”
Jordan has help in that stopper role with Class of 2019 guard Dequarius “DQ” Nicholas, a two-way threat who has rebounded the ball the way few can simulate at 6-foot-2.
The 34-1 Scotland Campus, previously at No.1, were dealt their first loss in the GAC Final, 88-79, against a Mount Zion (Md.) team lead by La Salle-bound guard Ayinde Hikim.
While he averaged a sizzling 36.0 PPG during two games in the GAC tournament, it was the scalding outside shooting of NJIT commit Caleb Matthews (three first half 3-pointers in succession) and an 18-point performance from upside-heavy forward David N’Guessan that lifted Mount Zion build a 20+ point lead at one point.
The high-octane Hikim was methodical in shredding through West Nottingham’s defense the previous night. Throughout the tournament, before numerous self proclaimed analysts who initially had Hikim pigeonholed as a score-first attacker, the high-scoring guard drilled several loud 3-pointers.
Always a mild mannered, steadfast, one game at a time advocate, Scotland Campus head coach Chris Chaney has utilized the “next man up” approach in preparing for Northfield Mount Hermon. The sudden, screeching halt the program’s would-be undefeated season came to following the Mt. Zion loss has done nothing to dampen this deep and competitive core’s spirits moving forward.
“It is an honor to be playing in the tournament and a definite challenge to play one of the top programs in the country,” said Chaney, he of the long and illustrious career in the prep ranks.
“Have a lot of respect for what Coach has done with the program and it will definitely be a big challenge to play the NEPSAC champions.”
