ELMHURST, Ill. -- The Vikings men's basketball team faced off with Elmhurst this Saturday evening in what might have been the CCIW's most mystifying matchup of the 2022-2023 season. After four hours, two overtime periods, and a backboard replacement, the Vikings claimed victory to move to 11-3 in conference play and solidify their first round playoff bye. The #1 seed is still within reach as the team trails Wheaton by just one win with two games left to play.
North Park and Elmhurst opened tonight's contest about as evenly as possible through one half of play, changing leads fifteen times with the scoring margin never exceeding four. However, the Blue Jays managed a slight lead at a score of 36-38 by the break, and they proceeded to maintain it for almost the entirety of the second half. The Vikings briefly pulled even after five minutes but would not do so again until the final minute of play, when Jalen Boyd found Kolden Vanlandingham for three—his 27th point—to level the score at 72-72. The final possessions were marred by turnovers for both sides, necessitating overtime to determine a winner.
As was the case in the first half, neither side managed to establish control in the first overtime period. Vanlandingham stayed hot for North Park, scoring 5 of the team's 8 points, while Elmhurst operated with a balanced scoring attack which saw four separate players come up with key baskets. The score steadied at 80-80 with ten seconds to play and Elmhurst controlling possession out of a called timeout. The Blue Jays had two chances thanks to an offensive rebound by Jonathan Zapinksi, but both fell short to send the game to a second overtime.
In a bewildering turn of events, 2OT had to be put on a near two-hour long pause after Ocean Johnson broke the backboard with a thunderous dunk on the first possession out of the break.
OMG!!! Ocean Johnson of Elmhurst shatters the backboard!!!!#whyd3 #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/DmXCG3bBNa
— Bob Quillman (@IWUhoopscom) February 12, 2023
Thankfully, the crew at R.A. Faganel Hall was prepared, and after a new backboard was placed, play could resume with an 80-82 score in favor of Elmhurst. The two teams traded baskets to a score of 86-86, though Marquise Jackson fouled out along the way and had to be replaced by Quillin Dixon. Dixon came through in a crucial way, knocking down a triple to give the Vikings an 89-86 lead—their largest since the first half—with just over a minute remaining. Zapinski then netted two free throws on the ensuing possession before sending Jordan Boyd to the line where he did the same to maintain NPU's three-point lead. With under forty seconds left, the Vikings' defense locked down the Blue Jays and forced a long possession that resulted in a missed three-pointer. Elmhurst, however, managed to grab yet another clutch offensive rebound, but they again missed the follow-up chance. Jalen Boyd secured the rebound, and after getting fouled, went to the line to make it a 4-point game with seconds remaining. While Elmhurst did score on their next possession, there wasn't enough time left on the clock for them to get another look, and the score went final at 93-90 over four hours after tip-off.
Vanlandingham finished the game with 32 points on 10-16 shooting to lead all scorers, with Jordan Boyd adding a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double on 80% efficiency. Marquise Jackson came up with 15 points and a team-high 5 steals before fouling out, and Jalen Boyd rounded out NPU's double-digit scorers with 11 points and 8 rebounds.
The Vikings have a few days off following the arduous win before taking on Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday, February 15th for the team's Senior Night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. at North Park Gymnasium.