Boys Basketball: Malachi Nix leads Niles North past Highland Park
BY DAN SHALIN January 27, 2012 10:48PM
1/27/12 Skokie Highland Park's Ross Chukerman (4) works around Niles North's Billy Voitik (15) during their basketball game on Friday, Jan. 27th. | Dan Luedert~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 22, 2012 12:14PM
Senior guard Malachi Nix scored 28 points to lead Niles North to a 50-40 win over Highland Park in a Central Suburban North showdown Friday in Skokie.
The Vikings (15-5, 5-2) moved a game ahead of the visiting Giants (11-8, 4-3) in the CSL North race and are tied atop the conference with Glenbrook North.
Highland Park led 29-24 with three minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Nix came to Niles North’s rescue. The 5-foot-6 point guard scored eight points
during his team’s subsequent 13-2 run as the Vikings opened a 37-31 lead.
“It was nice having (Nix) on our side. He hit some real big shots,” Niles North
head coach Glenn Olson said. “He’s outstanding. He’s a Division I player ...
the real deal. But he hasn’t had a real great shooting night in awhile. He came
out and had one. He hit shots at the right time.”
Junior forward Billy Voitik added eight points and four rebounds for Niles North, which has won 10 games in a row. The Vikings’ B.J. Beckford scored six points and junior Avery Wells scored five, all of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Senior forward Josh Sterns (13 points) led Highland Park and senior Jake Norcia
scored 12 for the Giants.
The contest was tied 22-22 at halftime. The Giants opened up the third quarter with an 8-2 run, which featured a three-pointer from Sterns. But then Nix and the Vikings quickly seized control of the game.
“That was a great high school game,” Highland Park coach Paul Harris said.
“I was really proud of how we played tonight. Niles North just played a little
better and deserved to win. But if you wanted to see high school kids laying it
on the line, this was a good gym to be in tonight.”
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