Nottingham gave their fans the best thank you for trekking through the snow to watch their home opener against Allentown with a dominant 97-47 win over the Redbirds. After leading by just four heading following the first period, a big second quarter run broke the game open. “We could have played better. In the first quarter, it was too close,” said senior Darell Johnson.
That is exactly what the Northstars did. They picked up the tempo and pressure on defense to hold Allentown to just four points the entire second quarter. Johnson had a monstrous quarter, scoring 13 of his 25 points, but also grabbing several steals, blocks, and rebounds to lead the Northstars to outscore Allentown by 25 going into halftime.
“Coming into the game we just wanted to work on things, we came in running,” said Johnson. Nottingham’s run started with their defense high pressing Allentown as soon as they crossed midcourt to force them into double teams and turnovers.
Behind a trio of talented seniors, Johnson, Richie Jones, and Cliff Joseph, Nottingham overwhelmed Allentown on both ends of the floor. With all momentum in their favor, the defending Colonial Valley Conference Division Champions pulled away to win by 50. Jones was red hot from behind the arc, knocking down nine three-pointers to finish with 33 points. Joseph added a few high flying dunks that got the crowd on their feet as he chipped in with 23 points.
Sophomore RJ Weise led Allentown with 13 points. Senior Yeshua Powe and Junior Jack Kudrick added 10 apiece.