When the Winchester Community Golden Falcon basketball team traveled south on Highway 27 to play Northeastern on Friday, Feb. 21, in the final conference game for both teams, it was an easy script to follow. A Northeastern win would secure the outright TEC championship. A Winchester win would open the door for defending champion Centerville to be co-champions.
The Falcons took their assignment seriously, slowing the game’s pace and taking a 29-25 halftime lead. The Northeastern defense buckled down in the second half, holding the Falcons to 13 points, while the Knight offense kicked in and the Knights pulled away to take a 53-42 win.
Sam White recorded a double-double to lead the Knights, scoring 18 points and yanking down 16 rebounds. Tre Vanlandingham added 13 points.
Northeastern (21-1. 8-0 TEC) 11 14 15 13 53
Noah Payne 8, Kaleb Moore 5, Logan Seal 2, Vanlandingham 13, Landon Scarrette 7, Marshall Phillips 0, Matthew Truitt 0, White 18, Cooper Cline 0 – Total 53
Winchester (11-11, 5-3 TEC) 12 17 8 5 42
Individual scoring unavailable.
JV results: Northeastern 57 (Luke Wiley 17), Winchester 27
A version of this article appeared in the February 26 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.