The Horizon Honors JV boys’ basketball team took on the Northland Preparatory Academy Spartans on Jan. 20 at 5:30 p.m., and picked up a big 41-30 victory. After a close first quarter, the Eagles began to pull away and continued to extend their lead over the course of the game. The Eagles worked well as a team in this game and capitalized on Northland Prep’s mistakes.

The first quarter of the game started off with solid defense, and scoring for both teams was kept to a minimum. Both teams turned the ball over early on, but Horizon Honors quickly found their rhythm and were able to gain an early lead. Northland Prep stayed right with the Eagles early on, but began to slip, and the quarter ended with the Eagles on top 11-5.

The second quarter brought little offense with it, and the score didn’t change very much before halftime. A fair amount of shots were missed by both teams, and this looked to continue to be a low-scoring game. The Eagles only added six more points to their total, and the Spartans added four more points. Horizon Honors remained in the lead, 17-9.

After halftime, both teams realized that they needed to pick things up offensively, and the Eagles did just that. Horizon Honors began to heat up, with sophomore Max Allen shooting a three-pointer, and freshman Gabe Knippers making multiple shots in the paint. The Eagles now had control, going up 32-18 heading into the final quarter.

Horizon Honors went into the fourth quarter with a commanding lead, and the Eagles weren’t going to lose it. While Northland Prep began to hit some three-point shots and come closer, it was too little, too late. Horizon Honors added eight more points to put the contest even further out of reach. The Eagles won by a safe 11-point margin, 41-30.

Horizon Honors played a solid game, and were able to keep Northland Prep’s offense at bay the entire game, and was able to score when it counted to gain a secure lead. The victory improves the team to 8-5 on the season. Be sure to support your Eagles on Friday, Jan. 22 in their Homecoming Game against Tempe Prep.