Taylor passes milestone in huge win

One of the most surprising results of the high school season came over the weekend when Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln High School beat the then number one ranked team in the country, Columbus Northland by 26 points. Leading the way for Gahanna in the win was their star junior point guard, Stevie Taylor.

In Gahanna's shocking 71-45 win over Northland, the 5-foot-9 and 150 pound, Taylor passed the 1,000 point mark in his career. Now he is the fourth leading scorer in the history of the school, but most important to Taylor was getting the win and advancing to the Ohio High School Final Four.

"I think we played really well," said Taylor of the win over the nation's number one team. "Coming into the game our coaches did a great job of having us prepared. We felt we were going to win the game if went out and played hard. That is what we did from the beginning. When we got them down, we figured let's blow them out now. They were frustrated and yelling at each other, and once that happened we did."

In the game Taylor battled his good friend, and Penn State commitment, Trey Burke. The two will team up this summer for All-Ohio Red on the AAU circuit, but it was all business come game time.

"Everybody was asking me if I was guarding Trey or who was better and stuff," Taylor explained. "It was fun to play against him. I sat down and talked to Trey before the game, and he joked and told me that after they beat us by 30, I could hang out with them after the game. I just laughed and went back in the locker room, and came out and got 19 points."

Recruiting wise Taylor has significant interest from Akron, James Madison, and Ohio University, and also he has heard from Houston, George Mason, Miami-Ohio, and a host of other schools. Beyond that Taylor had an offer and made a visit to Providence, but the Friars just received a commitment from Naadir Tharpe.

"They got their point guard, and he was their number one guy," said Taylor of the situation with Providence. "I knew I wasn't their number one guy. I wasn't putting all of my chips into one basket. They got their guy, and I now have to work harder and see what else comes my way."

Currently Taylor is set to wait things out and see what options he has after the summer. When he does get serious about making a final choice, Taylor knows what he will be looking for in a school.

"I am looking for a school with a good education, their style of play, what their recruiting is like, is it close to home, stuff like that," explained Taylor.

At the moment Taylor is seen as the No 150 player in the nation overall and the No. 35 point guard.