Photos by Devan Sughiarto
Northgate’s basketball season saw both boys and girls varsity teams advance to the league and NCS playoffs. The boys team ended with a record of 19-11, while the girls ended at 23-11 with a deep playoff run into the NCS Final.
However, Northgate basketball did not end with the final buzzers for those two teams.
Northgate’s newly formed tradition of a March Madness-themed basketball tournament during lunch kicked off on Feb. 21, drawing hundreds of players and spectators to the gym for more than two weeks. With the inaugural tournament being a huge success last year, an even more exciting one was expected in the 2024 school year with 25 teams of students spanning all four grades entered into the tournament. Many had awaited the event for months, and in late February the chaos and excitement began.
The bleachers almost completely filled up in the first slates of games, with additional spectators circling around the court. With over 120 total players in the tournament, other students were eager to come out and support their friends playing. The games were fast paced and entertaining, with classic pickup basketball rules and scoring. Outstanding performances and unbelievable upsets kept people coming back to watch throughout the whole tournament. The half court, five-on-five style play made the games electric. Constant big shots, physical defense, and loose balls allowed the crowd to feed into the action and for players to compete.
Classic basketball trash talk ensued and friendly rivalries formed, with every round being more exhilarating than the last. The referees, commentators, and fans combined with the elusiveness of the game turned the gym into a dynamic environment.
Player Andrew Dinh, a junior, commented on the energy of the games: “When I got onto the court I felt energized and excited to play … It had a very different feel from a regular pickup game.”
The tournament concluded with a students versus teachers game, with the two-week tournament winners-a group of multi-sport athletes facing up March 8 against. They included juniors Nico Martin and Grayson Boustead and seniors James Alexander, Jason Olvera and Jackson Huffman. Staff members barely edged them out by a score of 8 baskets to 7; they included Vice Principal Tyler Rosecrans, PE teacher Ben Ballard, history teacher Mitchell Woerner, Lauren Lahey, who teaches PE and history, English teacher Daniel Horne and several others.
This game brought a massive crowd, possibly the biggest of the whole tournament, as many teachers came out to watch as well, a fun and enjoyable conclusion to the tournament, and the teachers ended up coming through with the win.
Senior James Alexander’s team won five games against other students teams to clinch the March Madness championship, and then play in the students versus staff game. “I loved it – I did this last year, too,” Alexander said.
With Northgate’s ASB Leadership class behind hosting the event, main commissioner and organizer Brandon Johnson explained the organizational goals.
“I wanted a fun way to bring the school together and for people to be competitive,” said Johnson, a junior. Johnson has been in leadership for three years and organized many events, but he thinks March Madness especially can have an impact on the school community.
“I hope that this will make other students more open to planning their own events and getting others to participate,” Johnson added.
Although this is one of the largest school events of the year, Johnson is not stopping there. He also plans to organize a dodgeball tournament with a similar process later in the year, which should kick off in April.
