Carlisle fights off Polar Bears to earn share of SWBL Buckeye title

Carlisle High School’s boys basketball team made it a championship season Friday night.

The Indians had to scratch and claw to secure a 60-52 road victory over Northridge and will share the Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division title with Preble Shawnee.

“It’s awesome,” said Carlisle junior forward Justin Flor, who tallied a career-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. “We worked hard in practice all year, and I think we deserved it.”

“It feels great,” added teammate Logan Baker, a senior who pulled down 12 boards. “Going out like this my last year, you always want to end on a good note. Even if it’s a tie, that’s fine with me as long as we can hang a banner.”

PHOTOS: Nick Graham’s gallery from the game

The win was anything but easy. The Indians were 25 of 44 from the foul line and committed 18 turnovers, but used an eight-point run in the final 78 seconds to fight off the hosts.

Carlisle ended the regular season at 17-5 overall and 11-1 in the SWBL. Northridge is 6-16, 5-7, while Shawnee beat Milton-Union 56-45 to finish 16-6, 11-1.

“That was insane,” Indians coach Don Ridinger said. “You go through a season with an opportunity to win a league championship, and you’re going to have bumps along the way. We’ve had our bumps, and tonight was another one where we didn’t play the best basketball that we could have.

“We were fortunate to make a few key buckets and a few free throws when it mattered. Championship teams find a way to win, and that’s what we continue to do. We just have to keep playing really hard basketball and sharpen it up.”

Adam Goodpaster scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for Carlisle, which has won 12 of its last 13 games. Jake Moore added six points and four boards.

The Indians led most of the night, but the Polar Bears knotted the contest at 43 with 4:06 remaining. Goodpaster responded with a quick basket and two free throws, and the visitors never trailed again.

“They always give us a tough game. They’re a real physical, fast-paced basketball team,” Baker said. “You always get a little nervous, but I think we’re good at keeping our heads level at really tough times. I think we did a good job of keeping calm and keeping things under control.”

Twon Hines’ 13 points and seven rebounds paced Northridge. Robbie Turner scored eight points, while Namon Crowder, Seth Deaton and Javoni Hill chipped in seven apiece.

The Polar Bears converted 8 of 15 foul shots and didn’t have a 3-pointer. They dropped a 56-39 decision at Carlisle on Dec. 9.

“This was about par for the course,” Northridge coach Jeff Lisath said. “In the second half of the season, we’ve been in every ballgame. We’ve had opportunities to win. A couple possessions here and there, and we end up on the losing end once again.

“We thought we matched up well (with Carlisle). I think our kids have to understand when you’re only down six points and you’ve got a minute and some change to go, each possession is crucial. You’ve got to come down and run your offense and get a high-percentage shot. We failed to do that, but all in all, I felt throughout the game we played well. We didn’t make it easy for them.”

The 6-foot-7 Flor was the tallest player on the floor and took advantage of his size. He scored at least three points in each quarter and made 12 of 18 foul shots.

Flor described his success around the basket like this: “Just trying to clean it up.”

“Two of our forwards fouled out, and their job was trying to contain him,” Lisath said. “He’s a big, strong kid who plays well around the basket. He gave us fits.”

Baker only scored four points, but the 6-3 forward was a consistent force on the glass.

“I’ve kind of accepted that as my role,” Baker said. “Not everybody’s going to score all the time. Somebody’s got to get those boards down there, and I figure it might as well be me. It’s really an effort thing. You don’t have to be the tallest guy. You have to try to be physical down there and do what your coach tells you to do.”

The Polar Bears had won the last two Buckeye championships outright and shared the crown with the Indians and Waynesville in 2013-14.

Next Saturday will mark the beginning of Division III sectional play for 18th-seeded Northridge (which faces No. 3 Brookville at 4:30 p.m. at Northmont) and fourth-seeded Carlisle (which plays No. 8 Anna at 8 p.m. at Vandalia Butler).

Lisath conceded his squad got a tough draw, but added, “I think it’s going to be a good matchup for us. We’re similar in size and athleticism, so it’s going to be an interesting game.”

The Indians are on a seven-game winning streak.

“I think we can make some noise in the tournament,” Baker said. “I would never count us out.”

Carlisle 8-18-10-24—60

Northridge 8-13-12-19—52

CARLISLE (17-5, 11-1 SWBL Buckeye): Jake Moore 1 4 6, Justin Flor 7 12 26, Caleb Boy 1 0 2, Seth Butler 1 2 5, Adam Goodpaster 5 5 15, Logan Baker 1 2 4, Steve Summer 1 0 2. Totals: 17-25-60

NORTHRIDGE (6-16, 5-7 SWBL Buckeye): Namon Crowder 3 1 7, Anthony Brooks 2 0 4, Robbie Turner 3 2 8, Darryl Storey 1 0 2, DaWalt Thomas 2 0 4, Seth Deaton 3 1 7, Twon Hines 6 1 13, Javoni Hill 2 3 7. Totals: 22-8-52

3-pointers: C 1 (Butler)

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