NILES, Illinois — At the midway point of the 2024 campaign, the Knights varsity basketball team sits at 11-4, and undefeated in ISL play at 3-0. With a Battle at the Ridge tournament title under their belt, surely it's been an impressive start for the Knights. But with several conference games ahead the rest of the season, the most important stretch of the year still lies in front of the Knights.
Immediately following their Thanksgiving tournament championship, the Knights continued their winning ways in a big, 27-point home conference win over rival Francis Parker. The Knights then dropped a close matchup with Northside Prep for the team's first loss of the year. After splitting a pair of games against talented Elgin Academy and Rockford Lutheran teams, the Knights then rattled off two straight victories to move to 8-2 ahead of the Plano Christmas Classic Tournament.
Seeded #4 in the 16-team tournament field, the Knights jumped out to a quick lead in their first matchup with Newark High School in Plano. Led by senior Javi Christoffel, who had a 19 point, 11 rebound double-double, the Knights knocked off the Vikings 61-34 to advance to the 2nd round.
In the quarterfinals, the Knights met a talented Streator team, and it showed. A slow start for the maroon and gold allowed the Bulldogs to jump out to a quick advantage, and the Knights were never able to recover as they fell to 1-1 in the tournament.
The experienced Knights team, to their credit, was able to regroup and come out strong from the whistle in a dominating effort against a tough Hinckley-Big Rock team. In a gutsy effort, junior G Evan Kataoka led the way, scoring 16 points while grabbing 5 boards and 4 steals. Javi Christoffel added 15 points, and fellow senior TJ Gorman put forth a solid double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The win put the Knights in a position to compete for 5th place against the reigning 2022 Plano Classic champion, Burlington Central. From the jump, it was clear the Knights were up for the challenge, leading consistently and holding a 10-point lead heading into the 4th quarter. However, the lead didn't hold, and the Knights allowed the Rockets to roar back late, dropping the final game of the tournament in a heartbreaker, 54-52.
The tournament was highlighted by a terrific individual effort from Javi Christoffel, who was named to the All-Tournament team. The senior averaged 14 PPG and 6 RPG over the Knights four-games.
With a long break following the tournament, the Knights were back with fresh legs and rejuvenated spirits as they continued conference play against perennial rival U-High in enemy territory. Northridge jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead and never looked back. On this night, it was senior TJ Gorman who led the way in the scorebook, pouring in 22 points to go along with 5 rebounds. Junior Jacob Klatt added 10 points of his own as the maroon and gold walked out of Hyde Park with a huge 59-22 win, moving to 3-0 in ISL play.
As the second half of the season kicks into gear, the Knights will look to continue their winning ways in preparation for the state tournament. While 9 conference games remain, a number of intriguing non-conference matchups still linger in the second half. Featured games include a matchup with Westinghouse High School at Timothy Christian's MLK Classic (Jan. 13), a cross-town matchup with Notre Dame College Prep (Jan. 20), and a showdown with Camanche High School (Iowa) at the Eric Ottens Shootout at Fulton High School (Jan. 27).
The Knights return to the floor next on Wednesday, Jan. 10, taking on North Shore Country Day on the road in ISL play.
