(Photo by Ryan Luster)
by Tim Daniel
Indianapolis--For the fourth time in school history, the Norse are the Horizon League Tournament Champions, and are going dancing for the first time since 2019.
The Norse defeated the Third seed Cleveland State Vikings by a final of 63-61. Northern Kentucky was once again led by the dynamic backcourt of Marques Warrick (18 points), and Sam Vinson (16 points), each also getting three steals with a ruthless blitzing attack on the defensive side of the ball.
NKU also had a solid contribution from forward Chris Brandon who had a few huge defensive plays flexing his muscle as the rim protector the Norse needed him to be. Trey Robinson and Xavier Rhodes combined for 21 points, including an amazing bucket from Rhodes at the end of the shot clock.
On the other end, Cleveland State showed they were not going to miss out on the Tourney without a fight. Tristan Enaruna put the Vikings on his back at times leading the way with 17 points on 7/14 shooting. Senior guard Deshon Parker also helped his team out with a big 14-point game, also contributing five rebounds and six assists.
Now, the Norse await Selection Sunday to see who and where they will be playing to open the NCAA Tournament. Tune back here on 48minutesnetwork.com for updates throughout the week.
