Northwest senior Jay Jenkins (10), senior Tanner Bolin (12) and sophomore Logan Wolfenbarker (23)

Courtesy of Nick Kingrey

McDERMOTT — In seemingly one fell swoop on Monday night, the Northwest Mohawks pitched a quarter shutout, tripled up the overwhelming underdog West Union Dragons, and easily advanced to Friday’s Division III sectional championship game.

That’s because the host and fourth-seeded Mohawks held the 29th-seeded Dragons to zero first-period points —en route to a thorough 76-23 sectional semifinal victory in Roy Rogers Country.

As Northwest won its first Southern Ohio Conference (SOC II) boys basketball championship since 1998 this season, the Mohawks raised their record to 20-3.

Speaking of 20, that’s how many points Northwest had following the opening quarter —compared to not a single solitary one for West Union.

Northwest won the second stanza 17-10, the third frame 24-11, and finally the fourth canto 15-2.

The Mohawks shot 49-percent from the field, including 18-of-30 for 60-percent from inside the arc —and 11-of-29 for 38-percent outside of it.

They were also a perfect 7-of-7 free-throw shooting — 3-of-3 by senior Connor Lintz, and 2-of-2 apiece by senior Jay Jenkins and sophomore Logan Wolfenbarker.

Northwest made a dozen steals, including four by Jenkins, on 15 Dragon turnovers.

West Union only shot 16-percent —8-of-51 overall (16-percent), 6-of-34 from two-point range (18-percent), and 2-of-17 from long distance (12-percent).

Northwest also held a sizable 36-25 rebound advantage in addition to its shooting, defense and overall experience — paced by Lintz, who grabbed 13 total boards (six offensive, seven defensive).

Tanner Bolin with 16 points, on seven total field goals including two three-pointers, paced the Mohawks in scoring —as Wolfenbarker followed with 14 points, including a pair of trifectas himself.

Lintz landed a dozen points, as Jenkins and Ethan Crabtree chipped in nine apiece —as Crabtree connected on three three-pointers.

Jenkins, Lintz, Bradley Montavon and Peyton Bell bagged one triple apiece —as Bell scored seven.

Northwest senior Connor Lintz (1)

Courtesy of Nick Kingrey

Aidden Armbrister with two buckets and Thatcher Webb with one rounded out the Mohawks’ scoring, as they tallied 20 assists —five apiece by Jenkins and Lintz.

Gavin Jarvis, with 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting including 4-of-14 from two-point territory, led West Union.

Northwest returned to action on Friday evening —for the Division III sectional championship tilt against Adena.

The Mohawks had defeated the 13th-seeded Warriors in the regular season —at Northwest.

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