Boys basketball: Northridge slams door on Roy during 4th-quarter run
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- Northridge’s Cael Lake, right, rises to the basket as Roy’s Tyrece Holbrook defends during a game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Roy’s Colby Frokjer, left, tries to penetrate against the defense of Northridge’s Jay Oliver on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Northridge’s Daniel Sunkuli, right, tries to drive against Roy’s Tyrece Holbrook on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Roy’s Devin Nelson rises for a shot against Northridge on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Northridge’s Cael Lake, left, tries to cross over against Roy’s Ben Stirland, right, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Roy’s Bryce Goodwin, left, dribbles past Northridge’s Ethan Christopher (12) on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Northridge’s Cael Lake takes the ball up court in a game against Roy on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Roy’s Tripp Randall (22) looks to pass against Northridge’s Luke Bailey (20) on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Northridge’s Canyon Dugger (0) surveys the court against pressure from Roy’s Tyrece Holbrook (4) on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Roy’s Colby Frokjer, left, drives past Northridge’s Jay Oliver on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
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- Roy’s Devin Nelson slaps hands with teammates before a game at Northridge on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Layton.
LAYTON — Every time Roy knocked on the door in a competitive third quarter, Northridge had an answer.
Then the Knights slammed the door shut with a 22-3 run in the fourth stanza.
Northridge remained undefeated in Region 5 play with a 69-55 victory over the Royals in a high school boys basketball battle Friday night.
Trailing by seven at the half, the Royals twice got within five points in the opening minute of the third period and closed the deficit to 44-42 with 41.9 seconds left in the frame.
Cael Lake fought off the two early Royal forays with a layup and a 3-pointer, while Canyon Dugger scored inside and Daniel Sunkuli added a free throw in the last minute as Northridge (4-7, 2-0 Region 5) maintained a five-point margin at 47-42 after three quarters.
“Our coach always talks about winning the two-minute battles. We won a lot of those tonight,” Lake said. “We talk about stringing stops together and we made it hard for them by making them take tough shots. Also getting on the boards. We played great defense and won the rebound and two-minute battles.”
But Roy (2-9, 0-2) wasn’t quite cooked yet as Colby Frokjer made two free throws and the Royals narrowed the gap to 47-44.
That’s when the Knights rode their 22-3 run that mercifully ended on a basket inside by Luke Bailey, making it 69-47 with 2:59 remaining.
Bailey began the blitz when he converted a 3-pointer after receiving a pass from Dugger, who saved a ball from going out of bounds on the end line.
“I haven’t been shooting well this season and have been working on my shot recently. It feels good to not miss one today,” Bailey said.
He scored 19 points on the night, including 12 in the fourth quarter when the Knights put the bout away.
“It all comes down to defense. We kept taking little small steps that led to big steps and eventually pulled it out,” Bailey said. “(Defense) made them kind of desperate. Colby (Frokjer) taking that long 3 showed how desperate they were and how hard they were trying to get back in the game.”
Frokjer led the Royals with 20 points, including a trio of 3s, but was frustrated by the flow of the final frame. Boston Greenhalgh checked in with nine points for the Royals, also hitting three from beyond the arc.
“We couldn’t get a shot to fall. A lot of things weren’t going our way,” Frokjer said. “We’ve had a cold spell recently and haven’t been able to knock down our shots, and they shot really well.”
Lake had a game-high 22 points for the Knights with three 3s and a 5-of-5 mark from the free-throw line. Sunkuli came off the bench for 13 points, also nailing triple 3s for Northridge. Dugger finished with nine points.
“Overall, we played great team offense tonight. My teammates did a great job of helping me get open,” Lake said. “When I get my three-game going, it allows me to drive and create for my teammates.
He likes where the Knights are at this point in the season: “2-0 feels great. We need to keep stringing wins together; we’re playing good team ball … great defense.”
