MOUNT VERNON — The season-ending two-game losing streak is a distant memory for Kaden Daniels and his Mount Vernon teammates.
After staggering to the regular season finish line, the Yellow Jackets have come back to life in the postseason. Mount Vernon opened sectional play with a 59-58 overtime victory against Dublin Scioto and followed up with a 68-58 win over Teays Valley in the sectional final.
Next up for the 16th-ranked Jackets (17-7) is a district semifinal showdown against top-seeded Pickerington North at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Granville High School.
One of 10 Mount Vernon seniors, Daniels scored a career-high 32 points in the win over Scioto. He and fellow senior Collin Barteau combined for 43 points in the win over Teays Valley.
Before losing two straight to close out the season, Mount Vernon had won 12 of 13. The hot streak came on the heels of a four-game slide in mid-December.
“For us it was a change in mentality,” Daniels said at the time. “We lost four straight and we realized we have to come to play every night.”
The Jackets will have their hands full Wednesday. Pickerington North boasts the Central District Division I Player of the Year in 6-foot-7 forward Jerome Hunter, an Indiana recruit.
The Yellow Jackets counter with a balanced attack led by Daniels and Barteau, Ohio Cardinal Conference first team picks and honorable mention selections to the All-Central District team.
“Our senior class is so unselfish,” Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon said earlier in the season. “It’s not just one or two guys. They all have contributed to our success this season.”
In Division IV, second-seeded Danville won its fourth sectional title in the past six seasons with a 67-49 win over Millersport.
Skyler Durbin and Corbin Hazen combined for 44 points in the win. The 6-foot-3 Durbin, who averaged 22.9 points a game, was selected the Central District Player of the Year in Division IV.
The Blue Devils will take on No. 5 seed Tree of Life Christian at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Highland High School. Tree of Life advanced with a 70-48 win over No. 6 Grove City Christian.
