Boys Basketball: Vernon Hills falls to Niles North

Updated: December 30, 2011 9:23PM

Malachi Nix shot out of the gate with 11 points for Niles North in the game’s first three minutes, spearheading a 15-2 opening run that Vernon Hills couldn’t recover from in a 62-48 loss to the Vikings in the Wheeling Hardwood Classic consolation championship game.

Niles North was in sync from the get-go, hitting five of its first six three-pointers to put the Cougars in an early 14-point hole at halftime. The speedy Nix did his part with a game-high 23 points.

Vernon Hills senior guard Darren Hoveydai did his best to keep Cougars afloat — scoring 16 of his team’s 23 first-half points — but it wasn’t enough to combat the Vikings’ speed.

“They started off hot,” said Hoveydai, who finished with a team-high 21 points. “They scored on their first seven possessions. Getting down a bit early on like that really made things hard to climb out.”

Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said it wasn’t so much about his team’s performance and preparation as much as it was the Vikings ability to execute.

“The outcome of this game is almost entirely attributable to Niles North and their quickness,” McCarty said. “Malachi is a phenomenal talent. He alone outscored our entire team in the first quarter.”

Cougars junior Stephen Curry chipped in 14 points. Niles North guard Mychael Henley – back into the lineup after sitting out with a hand injury–contributed 16 points.

The Cougars’ chief concern coming into the game was the Vikings aggressiveness and their up-tempo offensive schemes, McCarty said.

“Their speed was something we tried to account for but just didn’t seem ready for today,” he said. “Their ability to press the issue led to turnovers on our end. Shots weren’t falling but we just didn’t finish the job tonight.”

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