After a long-awaited two years, the Westerville North High School (WNHS) boys varsity basketball team edged by Westerville Central High School (WCHS) boys basketball in a close game 42-41. 

   Caleb Iheukwu (12), a starter on the WNHS basketball team, expressed how this win felt in his final year with the team. 

   “It felt good, it was nice to go out and beat a rivalry school,” Iheukwu said. 

   On Dec. 27, 2021, WNHS boys basketball took on their rival at The Rike Center located on Otterbein University’s campus.  This game was the only non-tournament game the two rival teams have scheduled against each other for this season, making it a special one. 

   WNHS head basketball coach, Shannon Trusley, and WNHS athletic director, Wesley Elifritz, agreed that the rivalry between the schools is healthy and strong due to the intermix of students who have played together in middle school or travel teams. 

   “The difference between the Westerville South rivalry and Westerville Central rivalry is that the majority of Centrals players came from Genoa Middle School,” Elfritz said. 

   WCHS boys basketball receives a large number of their players directly from Genoa Middle School while WNHS receives a mix from the other three middle schools in the district. 

   In the previous season, WCHS boys basketball advanced to the state Final Four.  Their season ended after their loss to Cleveland St. Ignatius with a final score of 51-42.  

   “They’re a different team, and we’re a different team than last year but it’s exciting,” Trusley said. “It’s always nice to say you knocked off someone who got to the state championship the year before.” 

   This victory has WNHS 9-3 regular-season record while being 6-1 in the Ohio Capital Conference. WNHS boys basketball plays next on Jan. 21, 2022, at 7:30 pm as they take on Franklin Heights at home.