Kaden Gongwer netted 12 points to help power NorthWood past Lakeland 69-52 Wednesday night in Nappanee.
NAPPANEE – Everyone on a new-look NorthWood boys basketball team is in a new role this season.
That didn’t stop the Panthers from starting a new campaign on a roll Wednesday night.
NorthWood led from start to finish in topping Lakeland 69-52 in the 2017-18 lid lifter for both squads in the Panther Pit.
The hosts used great offensive balance and a knack for sharing the wealth in scoring with a fine passing performance to easily handle the Lakers.
Senior Caleb Glick and junior Kaden Gongwer each scored 12 points to lead a handful of Panthers in double figures. Senior Brad Delio netted 11 points and the duo of seniors DeAndre Smart and Caleb Lung each had 10.
NorthWood, which had 15 assists to just nine turnovers, shot a crisp 29-46 from the field in the win.
Brad Delio runs the show for the Panthers.
The Panthers, who went 21-3 a year ago for their fourth straight season with 20 or more wins, controlled the contest the entire way.
NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe sees a lot to like from his team.
“We’re thrilled with the quality of people we have in our locker room,” said Wolfe, now in his 11th year. “Each year you try to establish an identity for your team and it’s always established by the players. This is a close-knit group. One of their strengths is trusting each other. Another strength is that they all are very selfless.
“It’s going to be an exciting journey this year with these guys. The exciting parts of the season are the unknowns. That presents challenges and we look forward to that. We have been fortunate here to have tremendous leadership over the years from some very talented players.”
NorthWood, which lost three of its top four scorers from a year ago, led 6-0 out of the gate Wednesday night. Lakeland, which finished 8-15 last year for the program’s sixth straight losing season, took almost three minutes to score. With five different players scoring in the opening frame, the Panthers led 14-9.
NorthWood, which beat Lakeland twice last year, continued its outstanding offensive balance in the second period. Six different Panthers filled the bucket as the hosts took a 36-27 halftime lead. Lung, the team’s top returning scorer back from last year, had all 10 of his points in the opening half.
“We did a nice job tonight controlling the controllable,” Wolfe noted. “Our energy, our competitive spirit. That’s encouraging. Our players are in new roles, all of them. That is going to give us the ability to continue to improve.”
Caleb Glick netted 12 points.
The Panthers, who outscored the Lakers in every quarter, led 53-40 after three periods. Gongwer netted seven points and Smart six in the third stanza to keep the Panthers in complete control.
Cameron Bontrager, who was the top scorer a year ago for the Lakers, led Lakeland with 21 points. He was 5-10 from deep as the Lakers hit 8-21 shots from 3-point range. Cole Harp had 14 points and Brayden Bontrager 11 for Lakeland.
Luke Holland had a strong effort for NorthWood with eight points and five rebounds.
Lung led the winners with eight rebounds and Smart snared six caroms. The quartet of Gongwer, Glick, junior Nick Bean and senior Jordan BeMiller each had three assists.
The Panthers shot 17-27 from the field in the first half and 12-19 in the second. The hosts finished 3-12 from distance and 8-16 from the free throw line.
Lakeland was 15-35 from the field for the game. The Lakers went 14-18 from the line and had seven turnovers.
NorthWood won the junior varsity game 63-44. Trent Edwards poured in 25 points and Brock Flickinger scored 11 to lead the winners. Carson Aldrich had 16 points and Bracey Shepherd 11 to lead Lakeland.
NorthWood hosts South Bend St. Joseph (0-0) Saturday night. Lakeland hosts East Noble (1-0), also on Saturday evening. East Noble opened its season with a 71-53 win over West Noble Tuesday night.
Luke Holland (at left) had a strong performance for the Panthers Wednesday night.