Elijah Prichard scored the first eight points of the game and helped North Central (Farmersburg) to a 16-7 lead over South Vermillion after one quarter Saturday morning in the opening game of the Gobbler Games at Greencastle High School.
Down 34-14 at halftime, South Vermillion junior Nick Straw helped spark the Wildcats in the second half with 15 of his game-high 19 points but the Thunderbirds were never threatened again in a 62-48 win.
Prichard, a freshman, did not score in the second half, but still led North Central (1-1) with 16 points and six rebounds. Chris Benford finished with 13 points while Carter Smith, Conor Callahan and Brayson Marlow each had eight.
Ben Shryock had 10 points and six rebounds in the loss for South Vermillion (0-1), who shot 35% from the field and made just 4 of 19 three-point attempts.
South Vermillion hosts Riverton Parke (0-1) Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of the Banks of the Wabash Classic.
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