The Ohio State men’s basketball team may have been on the road Saturday, but the rims were still rocking at the Schottenstein Center.

The No. 1 boy’s high school team in the nation, Columbus Northland, showed why it is ranked at the top in the Ohio Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic.

Behind the premier player in the country and soon-to-be Buckeye Jared Sullinger, Columbus Northland put on a show of put-back dunks and fast-break alley-oops. Before the Bishop Luers Knights got going, they were down 11-0.

Within the first minutes of the game, Sullinger gave the fans something to cheer about, getting two offensive rebounds and one emphatic put-back dunk. The onslaught of scoring continued through the first half.

At halftime the Northland Vikings were up 23 points and were shooting 78.6 percent from the field.

Northland slowed the scoring down in the second half and left with an easy victory, winning 88-67, shooting 66 percent from the field.

Sullinger ended the game with 24 points and nine rebounds. His teammate and future Buckeye J.D. Weatherspoon had a light night. Only playing 18 minutes, he scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.

Weatherspoon didn’t play much, but when he was in, he left his mark. Four of the eight points he had were via alley-oops.

Northland coach James “Satch” Sullinger said the team knew nothing of the Knights and were going to make adjustments as the game went on.

Adjustments were not needed except for defending one person: DeShaun Thomas.

“We threw everything except the kitchen sink at him,” the coach said. “I had to go into the locker room and look in the mirror and make sure there wasn’t a star on my head, because he lit us up like a Christmas tree.”

Sullinger was the hometown favorite, but Thomas, who also will attend OSU, stole the show.

A five-star recruit, Thomas may not have won the game, but he won the fans over. Thomas had a game-high 36 points and nine rebounds. During the second quarter, he brought the fans to their feet with a fast-break dunk.

Sullinger called Thomas unstoppable and said his motor never stops.

“This is about to be my hometown next, so I put up a little nice show,” Thomas said.

The showcase of talent left OSU fans and the athletes salivating about the possibilities of next year.

When Weatherspoon was asked about the possibilities for next season, he didn’t hesitate to answer the question candidly.

“We plan on winning a national title, no doubt,” he said.

Things are looking up for OSU next year, but these future Buckeyes weren’t the only ones shining. Northland guard and soon-to-be Penn State Nittany Lion Trey Burke had a memorable night.

Burke scored 23 points, shooting 10 of 14 from the field and three of four on 3-pointers.
“Burke is our engine, he’s the guy that makes us go,” coach Sullinger said about his point guard.

On the season, Northland has defeated the 2009 national champion Findlay Prep of Henderson, N.Va., and 2009 runner-up Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va. Northland can now add defeating Indiana champion Bishop Luers to its list.