Nix runs show for speedy Niles North bunch

• Reprints

Deerfield Friday, 1/13/12 Niles North's Ali Rafiq (44) during the 1st quarter of Friday evening's game at Deerfield. Niles North won the game 66-48. | Brian O'Mahoney~for Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 20, 2012 8:39AM

Niles North has made it known that it wants to play at top speed.

The Vikings want to run, cause turnovers and score — and they want to do it for 32 minutes.

There’s likely nobody better suited to run the show than 5-foot-6 junior point guard Malachi Nix.

The diminutive speed demon took a backseat to current NIU Huskie Abdel Nader a year ago, but he has assumed the reins this season and hasn’t looked back.

“Last year, we had Nader, and he was going to take a lot of shots, but Malachi was getting better,” said North coach Glenn Olson. “He was unselfish enough to know Nader had to score the ball, but now he can go.”

Nix is a terror for opponents on both sides of the floor, shockingly fast in the open court on offense and constantly pestering on defense. He has deep range on his shot, and can get to the hole almost any time he wants, while he can sky for blocks and pick a pocket for a steal.

“There aren’t many things Malachi can’t do on the basketball court,” Olson said. “He’s a (NCAA) Division I player, no doubt about it. Five-foot-six, 5-foot-2, it doesn’t matter, the kid’s unbelievable. And people just see glimpses. I’m with him all year at open gyms, summer league, fall, spring; we see that a lot. You can’t guard him.”

Nix and all of his talents were on display Friday night, when the Vikings (11-5, 3-2) overcame a sluggish start to blast Deerfield 66-48 in CSL North action at Deerfield.

Deerfield (6-9, 2-3) held a one-point lead halfway through the second quarter, before North finally sped up the game to its preferred pace. Nix scored his first nine points of the game in a two-minute span, and then located B.J. Beckford for a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Vikings a 27-18 lead at the break.

Nix started the third quarter with a four-point play; Mycheal Henley converted a three-point play and drilled a three; Beckford scored five points in seven seconds; and Nix hit another trey to turn a battle into a blowout in less than three minutes.

The Vikings turned the one-point deficit on its head with a 29-6 run, and they coasted to the 18-point victory. Nix led all scorers with 21 points, Beckford chipped in 15, and Henley added 14 points and six rebounds.

“I had to keep patient throughout the game with their 3-2 (zone), so I had to keep patient to get my shots,” Nix said. “I did and then I knocked them down. Whether they are playing man or zone, we are just going to keep playing our way, running up and down the court. We’re playing the way we’re supposed to play — the way coach wants us to play, demands us to play — and if we keep doing that, we can keep rolling.”

North has won eight of nine games since mid-December, and is tied for second in the CSL North. The Vikings head to Glenbrook North for a showdown with the first-place Spartans on Friday. In nonconference action, the Vikings were to host Leyden on Tuesday and Mather on Saturday.