NILES, Illinois — After four straight hard-nosed efforts to begin the 2024-25 season, the Knights varsity basketball team knocked off Wheeling High School 52-36 on Saturday to claim their second consecutive "Battle at the Ridge" Thanksgiving tournament title. Northridge is now 4-0 on the young season.

The experienced Knights shined under the bright lights of Alumni Night on Tuesday as a jam-packed "Dungeon" gathered for what was a down-to-the wire opening game thriller against Vernon Hills. On a night in which the cross country program raised the school's first-ever IHSA state championship banner at halftime, on the court the Knights were led by Jacob Klatt, who poured in 21 points on the evening. Evan Kataoka (14 points) and Bo Arnold (11 points) also led the offensive charge as 200+ Northridge alumni watched the Knights walk away with a clutch 58-53 win over the Cougars. Northridge overcame an 8-point deficit with 5 minutes remaining to pull out the victory.

On Wednesday, Klatt continued his offensive outburst to start the season in a big 66-34 Northridge victory over Schurz. The senior wing poured in 30 points in the second game of the year, while Kataoka tacked on 12 points of his own. A strong defensive effort against an athletic Bulldogs team was key in the Knights resounding win.

Following the Thanksgiving holiday, Northridge returned to "The Dungeon" on Friday full of energy, showing no signs of a sluggish return after spending the previous day with friends and family. Klatt was clearly eager to return to the floor, as he scored another team-high 17 points on the day. Fellow senior Linus Coleman joined in on the action, scoring 8 points of his own as the Knights took down South Shore 66-31.

After a 3-0 start, the Knights took the floor Saturday with an opportunity to take home the tournament championship against Wheeling. After starting the game on a quick 5-0 run, Northridge never looked back in front of a loud and raucous environment. Poise and patience were key for the Knights as they took a 23-17 lead into halftime. As play resumed, Northridge steadily built their lead as the second half progressed, as a Billy Arnold three-pointer gave the Knights a 13-point lead in the 4th quarter. Northridge would eventually build its lead to as many as 16-points en route to a big 52-36 victory over the Wildcats.

Once again, Jacob Klatt led the way for the Knights on the offensive end, scoring 20 points in the championship effort. Evan Kataoka and Bo Arnold followed suit, scoring 11 points and 10 points, respectively. It was an incredible individual tournament effort for Klatt, who scored 88 points over the 4-game stretch.

"We're very happy for our players, especially our seniors. We're big into senior leadership, so it's good to see how they're building the team and integrating the underclassmen into the mix," head coach Will Rey said after the win. "I realize it's early in the season and we have a lot of work ahead of us to continue establishing our defense, polishing our offense and finalizing our playing rotations. Although we're never going to apologize for winning a championship at any point in the season, we still have a lot of work to do."

Saturday's win marked Northridge's fourth "Battle at the Ridge" tournament championship since the event began in 2005 and the first time the Knights have won the tournament in back-to-back years.

"I felt our players played hard and competed with passion — that's one of our key takeaways from this tournament," Rey continued. "I know how hard we work daily in practice as well as in the off-season, so it's good to see our team reap the benefits of their commitment and effort."

The Knights sophomore basketball team also took home some hardware this weekend, winning the sophomore tournament. The young squad, which plays several freshmen in the rotation, went 3-1 to start the season.

The varsity Knights will now take a short break before returning to the hardwood on Fri, Dec. 6th to open ISL play against North Shore Country Day. Tip-off is set for 6:00pm.