Central boys basketball team whips Northwest to reach district championship game

Central put on a clinic.

The Tigers scored often inside and out and forced tough shot after shot to cruise into the Class 5 District 1 championship game with a 74-34 rout of Northwest at Central on Wednesday night.

"We just came out and played our game," Central senior Curtis Branch said. "It's districts so we're just trying to get to the championship."

Central (19-5) had little problem with the Lions (6-17).

Branch paved the way in the first quarter.

Central's James Lane dunks against Northwest during the third quarter of their Class 5 District 1 semifinal game Wednesday. (Fred Lynch)

The senior buried three of his four 3-point attempts and made life easy for his big men with penetration and sharp passing.

The Tigers built an 18-8 lead midway through the first on an Andrew Williams trey and closed the quarter leading 25-13.

Central's two big men, James Lane and T.J. Tisdell, combined for 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting in the opening period.

"It's nice to have James and T.J. inside," Branch said. "If we shoot and miss, it's liable that one of them is going to get the rebound. They battle hard, they give everything they got. It's good to have them."

Central shot 10 of 16 (63 percent) from the field in the first quarter, including 4 of 6 from downtown.

Central's T.J. Tisdell tries to shoot while surrounded by Northwest defenders Cody Swift, left, Zack McKenney and Adam Wilkinson during the first quarter of their Class 5 District 1 semifinal Wednesday. (Fred Lynch)

The second quarter provided little relief for the Lions.

Northwest didn't see the scoreboard change on its side until 3 minutes, 5 seconds remained in the quarter. The Lions failed to find easy baskets as the Tigers relied on heavy ball pressure.

"That's one thing we preach to the kids is good defense is making them take tough shots, contested shots," Tigers coach Drew Church said. "We switched out of our normal defense after the first quarter because they had five guys on the perimeter. That's hard to guard in a matchup zone. We had to go man. They tried to pass a lot and really slow down the tempo and take good shots, and I think we did a good job denying the ball and guarding the ball. With the exception of a couple back cuts, I think we helped and made them take shots that were contested."

The Tigers surged ahead in the meantime.

Central rattled off the first 13 points to complete an 18-0 run that stretched back to the first quarter to take a commanding 38-13 lead.

Williams, the Tigers' sharp shooter, added seven of his 19 points in the second quarter.

"They were playing that 2-3 zone and 1-2-2 zone," Williams said. "So we were talking about trying to come out there and hit the [3-pointers] and try to feed it in. Me and Curtis were just feeling it today."

The Tigers eased into halftime leading 46-19.

Central wasted little time putting away the game for good to start the second half.

The Tigers scored the first 17 points of the half behind seven points by Branch and Williams. The outside duo benefited from several double teams the Lions put on Lane and Tisdell

"It works a lot," Williams said about the kick out. "Down low they have two or three guys that have to go trap them, so it's an easy kick out to me and Curtis. We're always wide open. We have to spot up and make sure we're in position for them to hit us and we just knock down the shots."

Branch was impressive, finishing with 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 6 from downtown. The senior also accounted for several assists.

"He's got to penetrate," Church said. "He's got to get a lot of motion toward the basket so when people help, he's able to dish. He's a very good passer and we need him to penetrate and open things up for our bigs and our shooters. ... We got to have him going toward the basket and taking some of the pressure off our other guys."

The Tigers finished 20 of 35 (57 percent) from inside the arc and 9 of 16 (56 percent) from deep.

Northwest 13 6 6 9 -- 34

Central 25 21 23 5 -- 74

NORTHWEST (34) -- Caleb Day 11, Cody Swift 6, Adam Wilkinson 8, Cody Davis 2, Adam Shivers 1, Ian Wilmore 2, Andrew Hughes 4. FG 16, FT 1-12, F 9. (3-pointers: Day. Fouled out: none)

CENTRAL (74) -- Vance Toole 5, Blake Ozbun 3, Andrew Williams 19, T.J. Tisdell 12, James Lane 12, Curtis Branch 19, Justin Espinoza 1, Ramsey Scott 3. FG 29, FT 7-14, F 14. (3-pointers: Toole, Williams 3, Branch 5. Fouled out: none)