Basketball Game Preview: Northgate Broncos vs. Lincoln Trojans

The Northgate Broncos will challenge the Lincoln Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Northgate's tournament run continued when they took on Fairfield on Monday. Northgate was the clear victor by a 43-23 margin over Fairfield. The Broncos have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 20 points or more this season.

Northgate's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Maddison Sardelich, who posted seven points along with 11 rebounds and five steals. Sardelich is crushing it when it comes to boards: she's pulled down at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Samantha Myhr, who earned 12 points and five rebounds.

Northgate smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lincoln, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They greeted the New Year with with a 68-52 win over St. Francis. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 69th, while the Troubadours are ranked 276th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lincoln's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-4. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points per game. As for Northgate, their win bumped their record up to 10-3.

Northgate took a serious blow against Lincoln when the teams last played back in March of 2022, falling 64-30. Can Northgate avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.