By Nicholas J. Pappas

Special to the Tribune

Northridge turnaround is the story of the season

The Knights’ season has been remarkable. Northridge has had close wins, few losses, and are just one game away from locking up the region title. Since beginning region play, the Knights have kept all their games within 10 points, including three wins by four points or less. This is all coming off a season in which the team won three games total and also lost one of its leading scorers in Kade Petersen to Layton. Preston Christensen has stepped up significantly as a junior. The guard has now reached double digits in five of his last six games.

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Weber sets up battle with Northridge for title

Weber has put itself in position to grab at least a share of the region title if it can beat Northridge on Friday. The Warriors have roared back from a buzzer-beater loss to the Knights earlier this season with four straight wins, including their most recent 68-58 victory over Syracuse to set up the showdown. Hayden Schenck was back in full force, scoring 22 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out eight assists. Junior center Jordan Jones also came up big, picking up 10 points, his second highest total of the season. Weber will travel to Northridge this Friday and play on a hostile court with its title hopes on the line.

Preseason favorite Fremont is in a freefall

Fremont entered region play with huge expectations and lived up to them early, winning its first four region games easily. Since the hot start, though, the Silver Wolves have lost three of their last five and have fallen to the third seed, with Davis hanging on behind them. Fremont lost to Northridge in a close game on Feb. 10, as the Knights made seven straight free throws down the stretch. Fremont only went to the line three times. With a matchup against Davis this week, the outcome may come down to which team can play up to its talent and break through.

Davis loses three of four to fall to fourth

The Darts are having trouble on the defensive end, allowing Layton to win their first region game of the year while scoring 69 points back on Feb. 10. Davis allowed three Lancers to score in double digits, while the Darts shot a paltry 45 percent from the free-throw line in the loss. Davis may have still been reeling from an loss earlier in the week, a 56-42 blowout on its home floor against Weber. Still, Davis still has a shot at getting back to as high as a two-seed if it can beat Fremont this week and take down region leader Northridge on Feb. 21.

Layton gets first region win against Davis

The Lancers broke into the win column for the first time since region play began with a 69-61 victory over Davis on their home floor. It was the first time Layton has beat Davis in eight years, and was a great moral victory in an otherwise forgettable year. Marcus Kemp was the bright spot, scoring a career-high 21 points. The junior forward was lights out, hitting two 3-pointers in the win. Layton faces Syracuse on Friday in a battle out of the bottom. The Titans’ only region win of the season came against the Lancers on Jan. 27, a 55-50 victory.

Syracuse loses four straight, faces Layton on Friday

The Titans lost both of their games last week, though it wasn’t without a little intrigue. The Titans nearly defeated region leader Northridge on Feb. 7, mounting a strong comeback in the fourth quarter. Syracuse outscored Northridge by six points in the final period and saw six players record a basket from behind the arc, but the team ultimately fell at home, 46-44. The losses knock the Titans out of playoff contention, marking the second straight year Syracuse will not make the postseason.