Prep basketball: Fremont boys show resilience in season-opening victory at Northridge
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- Fremont’s Cam Campbell (12) drives the ball against Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Northridge player Jay Oliver (1) rises for a jump shot over Fremont defenders on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Northridge’s Ethan Christopher (12) boxes out Fremont’s Zach Hancock on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Fremont guard Easton Duft drives the ball against Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Fremont’s Dylan Bruce, right, tries to keep possession against Northridge’s Cael Lake on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Fremont’s Jace Hadley dribbles against Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Northridge players Ethan Christopher, right, and Cael Lake, center left, defend Fremont players Zach Hancock (50) and Dylan Bruce, left, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Northridge player Cael Lake advances the ball against Fremont’s defense on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Fremont’s Ben Calvert, left, and Cam Campbell, right, contest a shot from Northridge’s Daniel Sunkuli on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Northridge’s Daniel Sunkuli handles the basketball against Fremont on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
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- Northridge player Jay Oliver, left, reaches for the ball against Fremont’s Dylan Bruce on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Layton.
LAYTON — The Fremont High boys basketball team had plenty to overcome in its first game of the season but passed the test.
Dealing with the injury of a key starter, a 3-point shooting effort that overall couldn’t even be described as sub-optimal, and the emergence of a Knights shooting threat who could prove to be a significant thorn in the side of many opponents this season, the Silverwolves emerged with a 59-42 victory.
Playing without senior Zach Masters, who suffered an injury during football season, Fremont got 17 points from senior Easton Duft and 11 from senior Dylan Bruce to lead the effort.
The Silverwolves’ offense came alive in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter.
After making just one 3-pointer in the first three quarters, Fremont knocked down three 3s in the fourth to score 18 points total in the period, blowing open what was just a seven-point lead at the end of the third.
“I thought we got a few more paint touches (in the second half),” Silverwolves coach Corey Melaney said. “I thought we threw the ball inside, played through a couple of our guys that were giving us hot hands. We changed up a couple sets there to give our guards a little more space on driving the lane, but the kids finally made shots. There were some nerves, probably — both sides. First game.”
Duft, in particular, surged in the final quarter, scoring eight points in the period.
“I didn’t play good (in the first half) and I came back second half (and) I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s not me. I’m going to come back second half; I’m going to show these guys what I can do,'” Duft said. “I just decided to be more aggressive, get to the bucket. My team needed me to score, so that’s what I did.”
Junior Jay Oliver, who was playing his first varsity game, led the way for Northridge with 22 points, with 13 coming in the first quarter.
“He’s one of those kids that just works hard, shows up to the gym,” first-year Northridge coach Cameron Wood said. “He’s put in a real good summer with us, getting a lot of shots up and developing that confidence throughout.”
Behind Oliver’s heroics, Northridge led 16-10 with 59 seconds left in the first quarter. Then Fremont’s offense got going with four straight points to close out the period. Bruce flashed some defense at the end of the period with a block of a layup with 1.3 seconds left and the Knights couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.
The Silverwolves continued their run into the second quarter, scoring the first four points to take their first lead at 18-16. Fremont didn’t trail for the rest of the game.
The Silverwolves led 26-24 at halftime and extended their advantage to 32-24 with 4:03 left in the third quarter.
Northridge didn’t score its first basket of the third quarter until a Cael Lake 3 with 3:53 remaining. Fremont led 41-34 at the end of the third period.
The Knights pulled within four points with 6:13 left in the fourth quarter, but the Silverwolves responded with a 10-0 run to balloon their lead to 53-39.
With the game seemingly in control, Fremont’s 3-point shooting came alive in the final four minutes. Senior Will Ridgway, Bruce and Duft all knocked down 3s to help Fremont close out strong.
Oliver went down with an injury with 3:14 left in the game and had to head for the bench, but Wood said it was just a cramp.
Only four Knights registered points, compared to seven for the Silverwolves. Lake added 12 points for Northridge.
