GAME FOURTEEN: DESALES 72; WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN 55
(at Worthington Christian, January 30, 2009)
Season Record: Overall: 12-2; Central Catholic League: 6-0
 
SCORE BY QUARTER
 
    1     2     3     4   Final
DeSales 14 24 18 16 72
Worthington Christian 10 16 14 15 55
 
BOX SCORE
 
DeSales Field
Goals		 Free
Throws		 Tot.
Pts.		 Worthington
Christian		 Field
Goals		 Free
Throws		 Tot.
Pts.
3s 2s Md. Att.  3s 2s Md. Att. 
Nick Kellogg 4 4 2 3 22 Brian Hecker   4 5 7 13
Adam Griffin 2 2 3 5 13 Christian Hawkins   3 3 3 9
Zak Gaborcik 2 1 2 2 10 Alex Scott   4     8
Seun Adejobi   3 2 5 8 Brady Beals 1 2   2 7
Nick Goff 2 1     8 Boomer Johnson 1 1     5
Chris Rock    3 1 2 7 Jacob Rogge 1 1     5
Chi-Chi Ariguzo   1     2 Matt Kurelic     4 4 4
Ike Ariguzo    1     2 Miles Miller   2     4
Marcus Liston       1              
TOTALS 10 16 10 18 72 TOTALS 3 17 12 16 55
 

(55.6%)

    

(75%)

  
   
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY SCORING
 
FIRST HALF DHS WCH
FIRST QUARTER:
Nick Kellogg three-point field goal 3 0
Boomer Johnson field goal 3 2
Brian Hecker free throw 3 3
    (1st tie score)
Brady Beals three-point field goal 3 6
    (1st lead change)
Adam Griffin field goal 5 6
Adam Griffin free throw 6 6
    (2nd and last tie score)
Miles Miller field goal 6 8
Brian Hecker field goal 6 10
    (WCH's largest lead)
Seun Adejobi field goal 8 10
Nick Kellogg three-point field goal 11 10
    (2nd and last lead change -- DHS
    led for the rest of the game)
Adam Griffin three-point field goal 14 10
END OF FIRST QUARTER 14 10
SECOND QUARTER:
Seun Adejobi free throw 15 10
Zak Gaborcik three-point field goal 18 10
    (Gaborcik's three-pointer completed
    a 12-0 DHS run that started with
    Adejobi's field goal in the first
    quarter)
Brian Hecker field goal 18 12
Brian Hecker free throw 18 13
Brian Hecker field goal 18 15
Nick Kellogg field goal 20 15
Alex Scott field goal 20 17
Nick Kellogg free throw 21 17
Chi-Chi Ariguzo field goal 23 17
Nick Kellogg three-point field goal 26 17
    Time-out WCH (4:25 left to play)
Brian Hecker field goal 26 19
Adam Griffin three-point field goal 29 19
Christian Hawkins two free throws 29 21
Nick Kellogg three-point field goal 32 21
Chris Rock field goal 34 21
Brian Hecker free throw 34 22
Zak Gaborcik two free throws 36 22
    (Gaborcik's free throws completed
    a 16-5 DHS run that started with
    Kellogg's free throw)
    Time-out WCH (2:28 left to play)
Miles Miller field goal 36 24
Chris Rock field goal 38 24
Brian Hecker two free throws 38 26
    Time-out WCH (0:03.3 left to play)
END OF SECOND QUARTER 38 26
SECOND HALF
THIRD QUARTER:
Boomer Johnson three-point field goal 38 29
Zak Gaborcik field goal 40 29
Nick Goff field goal 42 29
Chris Rock field goal 44 29
Brady Beals field goal 44 31
Nick Goff three-point field goal 47 31
Adam Griffin field goal 49 31
    (Griffin's field goal completed an
    11-2 DHS run that started with
    Gaborcik's field goal)
    Time-out WCH (2:39 left to play)
Alex Scott field goal 49 33
Brady Beals field goal 49 35
Nick Kellogg field goal 51 35
Nick Kellogg free throw 52 35
Ike Ariguzo field goal 54 35
Jacob Rogge three-point field goal 54 38
Nick Kellogg field goal 56 38
Alex Scott field goal 56 40
END OF THIRD QUARTER 56 40
FOURTH QUARTER:
Matt Kurelic two free throws 56 42
Nick Goff three-point field goal 59 42
Seun Adejobi field goal 61 42
    Time-out DHS (5:39 left to play)
Christian Hawkins field goal 61 44
Seun Adejobi free throw 62 44
Seun Adejobi field goal 64 44
    (Adejobi's five and Goff's three were
    all the points in an 8-2 run that re-
    sulted in DHS's largest lead -- 4:12
    left to play)
Alex Scott field goal 64 46
Nick Kellogg field goal 66 46
    (DHS's largest lead)
Christian Hawkins field goal 66 48
Chris Rock free throw 67 48
Jacob Rogge field goal 67 50
Christian Hawkins field goal 67 52
Christian Hawkins free throw 67 53
Zak Gaborcik three-point field goal 70 53
Adam Griffin two free throws 72 53
Matt Kurelic two free throws 72 55

FINAL SCORE

 72 55
 
From THISWEEK NORTHLAND
 
BOYS BASKETBALL | GAME OF THE WEEK
DeSales 72, Worthington Christian 55
Kellogg leads path to Stallions CCL blowout victory
 
Friday,  January 30, 2009
By JARROD ULREY
ThisWeek Staff Writer
 
St. Francis DeSales' Zak Gaborcik shoots around the defense of Worthington Christian's Alex Scott during their game at Grace Bretheren Friday night.
By Tim Norman/ThisWeek
St. Francis DeSales' Zak Gaborcik shoots around the defense of Worthington Christian's
Alex Scott during their game at Grace Bretheren Friday night.

At a glance
  • Star: DeSales' Nick Kellogg, who made four 3-pointers and scored 22 points overall on 8-for-13 shooting
  • Key plays: The Stallions went on a 14-4 run over a two-minute span in the second quarter to increase a 20-17 lead to 34-21 with 2:45 left before halftime.
  • Key stat:Worthington Christian's Brian Hecker, who entered the game among the area's leading scorers at 24.2 per game, was held to 13 points -- all in the first half. He sat nearly the entire fourth quarter after suffering a shoulder injury.

Nick Kellogg has learned that when he's not having one of his better games, the DeSales High School boys basketball team has plenty of weapons in its arsenal.

When he is at his best -- as he was Friday night in the Hoop it Up game of the week at Worthington Christian -- the results can be devastating to opponents.

Kellogg scored 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting as the Stallions won 72-55 to improve to 12-2 overall and 6-0 in the CCL

When the Stallions beat the Warriors 54-49 on Dec. 12, Kellogg was held to seven points but Nick Goff stepped up to score 21.

"I think they focused a little too much on me the first time we played them," Kellogg said. "We have other guys who can step up when I'm not having a good game. It's great because we've got a lot of veteran guys. I feel like we're starting to reach our potential."

Almost from the get-go Friday, it was clear that Kellogg would lead the way.

He made four 3-pointers in the first half, including one with 3 minutes, 18 seconds before halftime that gave the Stallions a 32-21 lead.

DeSales led 38-24 heading into the third period despite a 13-point first half by Worthington Christian's Brian Hecker.

Hecker did not score again, however, and was forced to sit for most of the fourth period after taking an elbow to the shoulder. Hecker received an X-ray after the game, but results were inconclusive regarding the seriousness of the injury.

"We did a nice job getting the tempo where we needed it to be," Stallions coach Blair Albright said. "We were able to do a good job of turning our defense into offense. We shot 53 percent from the field, which is by far our best of the year."

Without Hecker on the floor, the Warriors fell behind by as much as 20 in the final period. Christian Hawkins added nine points and Alex Scott scored eight for Worthington Christian, which slipped to 10-4 and 3-3.

"When you look at what (Kellogg) did, he's being recruited by Division I schools, and when you add the four other guys, they have a lot of threats," Warriors coach Kevin Weakley said.

Copyright © 2009, ThisWeek Northland
 
From THE NORTHLAND NEWS
 

Stallions knock off another challenger in Warriors

Tuesday, February 3, 2009
By SETH SHANER
With a group of teams vying to climb atop one another in hopes of challenging DeSales for the top spot in the Central Catholic League boys basketball race, the Stallions made a statement with a 72-55 win at Worthington Christian Friday, Jan. 30.

DeSales (12-2, 6-0 CCL) is looking to reclaim the outright league crown after sharing it with the Warriors (10-4, 3-3) a year ago.

After leading 14-10 following the first eight minutes, DeSales cruised, getting 22 points from junior Nick Kellogg and double-figure efforts from junior Adam Griffin (13) and senior Zak Gaborcik (10).

Seniors Nick Goff and Seun Adejobi added eight points apiece, while sophomore Chris Rock scored seven.
 
Photo
SNP photo by Cassandra Bergman
DeSales junior Adam Griffin moves the ball
down the court during the Stallions' game
Friday Jan. 30 at Worthington Christian.

"I thought we did a nice job of getting the tempo where it needed to be," DeSales coach Blair Albright said. "We figured if we could get it up and down and score in the 70s, then we could play the game the way we wanted to.

"It was kind of a very strange and sluggish first three minutes. I thought they did an excellent job matching our energy, and our guys were just a little bit off and stagnant. But we were able to do a pretty good job of turning our defense into offense."

Worthington Christian got 13 points from senior Brian Hecker, but the reigning state player of the year in Division IV took a shoulder to the chest while trying to take a charge late in the third quarter.

Hecker would attempt to come back, but couldn't stay on the floor long before heading to the locker room. He went for X-rays following the game.

"His X-ray was negative," Warriors coach Kevin Weakley said. "He has a deep-sternum bruise. I'm not sure yet if he will play (Tuesday, Feb. 3). It will probably be a game-time decision based on his pain tolerance in warm-ups."

The Stallions shot a season-high 53 percent from the field and led 38-26 at halftime.

DeSales has featured more balance of late, including a seeming cohesiveness that has grown throughout the season.

"We have a lot of veteran guys on this team," Kellogg said. "Most of us have been together for two or three years now, so it's great knowing that no matter who has the ball, we're in good shape."

The Stallions' confidence has grown increasingly over the past weeks, spelling bad news for upcoming opponents.

"I feel like we're starting to reach our potential a little bit," Kellogg explained. "I feel like we're rolling these last couple of games. The fourth quarter against Watterson we played well, and we're just trying to keep that intensity and that focus throughout the rest of the season."

The win over the Warriors was decisive following the heart-stopping comeback over Watterson Jan. 23.

"We've talked a lot about raising the bar in terms of the level of our performance," Albright said. "We've been winning games, but I don't think we've played to the level that we're capable of, so we really tried to hone in on that.

"(Against the Warriors) we at least kind of started to get to the point where we were playing the way we're capable."

Worthington Christian got nine points from junior Christian Hawkins, eight from junior Alex Scott and seven from junior Brady Beals.

The Warriors continue to grow, playing a rotation of mostly new players aside from Hecker and Beals.

"We're a Division IV team that looks a lot more like a Division IV team than we have in the past," Weakley said. "We have a couple of guys who can play in a game like that, but then we have some guys who aren't ready yet.

"(DeSales) puts five guys on the floor who we couldn't match up with. It's discouraging a little bit and disappointing, but at the same time we know we're one of the better D-IV teams in the area, if not the state. So we'll stay positive and get ready to play and get better."

The Stallions were to host Ready Feb. 3 and travel to Hartley Friday, Feb. 6, at 7:45 p.m.

After playing Watterson at home Feb. 3, the Warriors play at St. Charles Feb. 6 (7:45 p.m.).

Copyright © 2009, SUBURBAN NEWS PUBLICATIONS