CAROLINE WELCH, NORTHGATE
Prep2Prep Student Contributor

February 19, 2018

WALNUT CREEK, CA - On Friday night, the Las Lomas Knights went up early against their cross-town rival Northgate, eventually winning 59-42.

The Knights' top scorer, junior Isabella Thompson, got Las Lomas off to an early lead with 10 points in the first half and 18 points overall. Freshman guard Rose Morse sparked the Knights with 13 second half points, including several sweeping layups. She finished with 15 points. Junior guard Faith Spencer added 11 points for the Knights.

The loss spoiled Senior Night for the Broncos. They fell behind 12-5 at the end of the first quarter and 24-13 at the half. Northgate narrowed the gap with 17 second half points from senior Roxy Abedi, including five 3-point shots. The Broncos also got production from senior Julia Gamez (12 points) and sophomore Eden Broussard (10 points).

Gamez put the season in perspective for the Broncos, who went 0-10 to start the year but finished at 7-21 for the season.

“I think it really showed how our team has progressed throughout the year and we all came together at the end," Gamez said. "I really appreciate the opportunity we had to play together.”

The game marks the Knights' second victory over the Broncos this season. Both coaches acknowledged the cross town rivalry between the schools.

“We’re not going to go into NCS so this was kind of like a playoff game for us.” said Broncos coach Bob John.

“The kids always love this game because the implications of it, so our team gets hyped up for it pretty early," added Las Lomas coach Sean Hisaka. "But it’s just a fun rivalry, it’s not super serious but they always relish the win every time.”

Northgate ends the season in fifth place in the Diablo Athletic League-Valley Division with a record of 3-7. Las Lomas finished in second place with a record of 7-3 in league and 14-12 overall. The Knights open the NCS playoffs on Tuesday at Cardinal Newman.