Marcus Baugh showed why he is one of the best two-sport athletes in the state Tuesday evening.
Baugh, who is headed to Ohio State on a football scholarship, brought the toughness from the gridiron on to the basketball court and helped Riverside North earn a thrilling victory.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior came off the bench and scored a season-high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Huskies rallied past Westlake Village Westlake, 58-50, to win in a CIF-State Division 2 regional semifinal game.
?Marcus Baugh played out of his mind tonight,? North coach Mike Bartee said. ?He absolutely changed the game for us.?
Baugh scored 12 points during the second half, helping the Huskies erase an 11-point deficit. North battled back and outscored Westlake 29-10 over the final 10 minutes.
?When we came into the locker room at halftime, our energy was extremely low,? Baugh said. ?I?m usually the guy who brings that to the team by flying around and stuff. That?s what I was looking to do in the second half, and it worked out well.?
The Huskies (31-3) equaled the school record for wins and advanced to the regional finals for the second time in program history (1995). North will face Redondo in the championship at noon Saturday at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario.