NILES, Illinois — It was a crosstown showdown in "The Dungeon" Saturday afternoon at Northridge that concluded with a heart-stopping 41-40 win for the Knights over the visiting Notre Dame (Niles) Dons.

The Knights were led in scoring by senior TJ Gorman, who dropped 13 points in a game highlighted by defensive intensity on both sides. Evan Kataoka '25 (10 points), Javi Christoffel '24 (7 points) and Nelson Goodrich '25 (5 points) all contributed to a balanced scoring effort for the maroon and gold. The win moved Northridge to 14-6 on the season.

Each team came into Saturday having played gritty conference games the night prior, with the Knights outlasting Parker 68-54 and the Dons falling 57-51 to #5 ranked Benet. Tired legs were evident early on as both teams struggled to fall into a rhythm, though the Dons jumped out to an early 9-4 lead with a breakaway dunk from Brady Sehlhorst midway through the opening frame. The Knights would get a bucket back to end the opening quarter down 9-6.

The Dons came out firing to begin the 2nd quarter, nailing a pair of threes to quickly bump their lead to 15-7 at the 7:10 mark. Gorman responded with a three of his own on the following Knights possession. From there, Northridge forced either a turnover or missed shot on every Notre Dame possession the rest of the quarter while going on an 8-0 run, heading into halftime with an 18-15 lead.

The back-and-forth pace continued well into the 3rd, as both teams traded three pointers while the Knights maintained a five point lead heading into the final quarter.

Notre Dame's Ryder Raya nailed a three-pointer to begin the final frame, pulling the Dons within two at 34-32. The game would be played within a 2-point window the rest of the way. After trailing the entire half, the Dons hit another three to take a one point lead with 5:00 to go. It would take nearly two more minutes for another point to be scored, before Gorman hit an elbow jumper to give the lead back to the Knights, 36-35.

As the clock ticked below 2:00, each team traded trips to the free throw line in a fiery final stretch. A pair of Notre Dame free throws gave the Dons a 39-38 lead with 58.0 to go. On the ensuing possession, Evan Kataoka drove to his left and scooped the ball up with his right hand to give the Knights a 40-39 lead with 43.0 remaining.

In a hectic ending, Northridge immediately regained possession after forcing a Dons turnover. Within seconds, a Northridge turnover quickly gave it right back to Notre Dame, who called timeout. With 10.0 remaining, a Dons three to take the lead rimmed out, and TJ Gorman was sent to the free throw line after being fouled on the rebound. After making the first to stretch the lead to 41-39, Gorman missed the second. After calling timeout with 4.9 remaining, the Dons were called for an inbound violation after making a pass out of bounds on a dead ball.

After getting fouled on the next play, the Knights missed both free throws before fouling the Dons with 3.1 left. With a chance to send the game to overtime, Notre Dame's Ryder Raya sunk the first shot, but hit the back iron on the game-tying attempt. Both teams swarmed the ball on the ground as time expired, sealing the win for the maroon and gold.

"Although Notre Dame and we play very different styles of defense, we both value a tough, gritty, and stingy approach on that end of the court. And that's precisely what this game was, a hard-fought defensive battle," Knights head coach Will Rey said after the win. "I am happy for our players because they didn't let mistakes derail them from our overarching purpose. We stayed the course and remained united as a team. In and of themselves, those are the types of victories we value in our program. The win on the scoreboard is a bonus."

The varsity win capped off a Northridge sweep of the Dons on Saturday after the sophomore Knights won 43-40 earlier in the afternoon. The sophomore team moved to 15-4 with the win.

Saturday marked the first of a long stretch of home games for Northridge, who host five of their next six games in "The Dungeon." Next up is an ISL matchup with Lake Forest Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is set for 6:00pm.