Published: December 14, 2007 11:38 pm      

Northridge's defense a nightmare for Goshen

Raiders give Redskins their first loss

In what looked like an even high school boys basketball game going in, Northridge had two standout senior players who tipped the scales — as they often have.

Brent Eaton (6-5) and Derrick Troyer (5-10) showed their considerable court savvy Friday as the Raiders socked the Goshen Redskins, 45-31, in a Northern Lakes Conference game at GHS.

The Raiders were super on defense, shutting out Goshen in the second quarter as the Redskins missed a bunch of shots, had too many turnovers and even making short passes was a challenge.

The Redskins got off to a good start, taking a 13-10 lead by the end of the first quarter and it seemed the anticipated barn-burner between two neighboring rivals was in the works.

Instead, the suffocating Northridge defense held Goshen without a field goal for a staggering 13:11. By then, the Raiders’ lead was in double digits.

The Redskins did battle back to within four at 27-23 with 2:10 to go in the third quarter. But, Troyer drove the lane twice to score and it was an eight-point game heading down the homestretch.

NHS coach Jason Ridge said, “I felt like we could pressure the ball a little and force Goshen to handle it some difficult situations. I think we were successful in disrupting their offense.

“We got the lead and were able to spread the floor. There may be no better guard in the area to have the ball at that point than Derrick Troyer and he’s a good free-throw shooter too.”

Goshen coach Brian Bechtel said, “Northridge played great defense the entire night. I was disappointed in the fact our team allowed their momentum to affect us mentally.

“They put great pressure on the ball and we had trouble even maneuvering. When we did get some good looks, we couldn’t knock the shots down.”

While Troyer scored 14 points and Eaton 13, Northridge had substantial contribution from other starting role players and a few more coming off the bench.

Elliot Smith, 6-0 junior, scored six points and so did 6-2 junior Landon Miller who came off the bench to bury a couple timely 3-pointers.

Jordan Hoffman, 6-6 junior, had five rebounds as a reserve to share team honors with Eaton.

Scoring two points apiece were 6-3 senior Austin Doberenz and 6-0 junior Luke Hofsommer. Brandon Wingard, 6-0 senior, also helped with his ball-handling and defense while juniors Tony Bontrager and Jake Frey also saw action.

Goshen was led in scoring by 6-2 junior Ethan Hussey with 11 points.

Nathan Stegelmann, 6-6 senior, had his best all-around game of the season to date with nine points and seven rebounds. Cam Snyder, 6-1 senior, had six points and six rebounds. (Box Score on Page B-4)

Ridge said, “We figured Goshen would come out with a lot of energy early. We just wanted our kids to settle down by the second quarter and execute the game plan.

“Landon Miller coming in and hitting a couple big ‘3s’ was huge for us. We anticipate seeing a lot of zone this season, so he gives us a weapon coming off the bench. He and all the other guys contributed to this win.

“To win the NLC, you have to take some on the road. Goshen is a tough place to play and it’s a big rivalry, but our guys don’t care who they are playing. They just want to win the conference.”

Bechtel said, “Eaton and Troyer really stepped up once they got the lead. Northridge kept the ball mostly in their hands and the role players did a nice job, not forcing things.

“We had way too many turnovers (14) to win in this conference.

“Maybe we can turn this outcome into a positive. We are definitely not as talented as most teams on our schedule, so we must be very good as a team to have a chance to win.

“Stegelmann had his best all-around game of the season for us. We probably didn’t get him the ball enough, but Northridge pressured our guards so much they weren’t comfortable with the ball.

“At halftime we talked about cutting into the lead and we got it down to four. But, Northridge executed and regained control.”

Goshen, 5-1 overall, hosts non-league neighboring foe Fairfield tonight. Northridge, 5-1, hosts Concord, Garrett and NorthWood in a holiday tournament next weekend.

Junior Varsity

The Redskin JV remained unbeaten with a 46-28 victory. Sophomore Taylor Kolbus led the way with 12 points while junior Alex Aguilar and sophomore Jon Good both scored seven.

The Raiders, 2-4, were led by freshman Kolin Adams with 10 and sophomore A.J. Miller seven.