Taylorsville • Making the state basketball tournament and actually winning a game or two is an annual tradition for some schools.
Then there are teams like the girls’ basketball squad at Northridge, where wins and even appearances are rare occurrences.
That’s why there was plenty of celebration Tuesday when the lower-seeded Knights dominated Cyprus 50-28 in the first round of the Class 6A state tournament.
This was just Northridge’s second girls’ basketball tournament win since the late 1990s, but that is about the extent of their tradition.
“This is our year, though,” said guard Brooklyn Perkins, who scored 12 points. “Last year, we barely made it. This is our year to win the whole thing.”
The Knights might have gotten a hint of how this game would go when they banked in two 3-pointers during a first-quarter where they hit four of them to take an 18-3 lead.
They never were threatened after that.
“It’s a good day when you are banking 3s,” said Northridge coach Chris Smith, whose team was a factor all season in tough Region 1. “We didn’t want to settle. … We were ranked first in the state and had some good games. We are deep and playing together.”
Smith also was able to rest some players, which could be valuable later in the tournament where a team needs to win four games in five days to take home a title.
The Knights just dominated Cyprus, the second place team from Region 2, from the outset. Only Ashley Flater, who played a great game, managed to hit double figures for the Pirates. She scored 13 points and had eight rebounds.
Northridge held Cyprus to just 18.9 percent shooting from the field. The Knights came out firing and never stopped.
That is fitting for a team that has experienced much success in the past but is looking to set a bit of history later in the week by trying to advance to the second round.
NORTHRIDGE 50, CYPRUS 28 <br>• Abigail Neff and Brooklyn Perkins lead Northridge to only its second girls’ basketball state tournament win in school history. <br>• Northridge gets four 3-pointers in the first quarter, including two that banked in, to dominate from the start. <br>• Ashley Flater leads Cyprus with 13 points and eight rebounds.