WALNUT CREEK, CA - Northgate used swarming pressure defense to defeat Alhambra, 59-39, on Tuesday night, keeping the Broncos unbeaten in Diablo Athletic League-Valley Division play.
The Broncos' aggressive defense led to numerous Alhambra turnovers and created fast break opportunities for Northgate. The Broncos led throughout, jumping to a 16-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and 34-15 at the half.
Northgate head coach Ron Pangilinan rotated all fifteen of his players into the game. The team depth seemed to wear down the Bulldogs, who had only 10 players available. But according to Alhambra head coach Chris Petiti, team depth was not the deciding factor.
“They’re just a really good team, very well coached and they’ve got a lot of talented players, lots of returners," Petiti said. "They’re experienced. They’re just a really good team. My hat’s off to them.”
Northgate got a spark from sophomore Dylan McMahon, who hit four three-point shots in the first half. According to Pangilinan, McMahon was just brought up from the JV team last week.
“We thought we would give him a shot and see what he would do against varsity players and everyone was rooting for him," Pangilinan added. "The boys were super excited to see him do well.”
The victory was the Broncos' second win against the Bulldogs this season, having defeated them 64-53 on January 19 at Alhambra. The win raised Northgate’s overall record to 19-3 on the season and 7-0 in the DAL-Valley. The loss dropped Alhambra to 12-11 overall and 4-3 in league play.
Next up for the Broncos is a home non-league game against College Park High School on Thursday, February 8. Alhambra will play Concord at home on Friday, February 9.
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