North Tahoe High School basketball team beats Incline High School for first time in nearly a decade
Provided
TAHOE CITY, Calif. – Assistant coach Jonathan “JJ” Jansen describes the moment the North Tahoe High School boys varsity basketball team beat Incline High as an emotional occasion. It was the first time in eight plus years the Lakers had beat the cross town rival.
The game took place at NTHS on Dec. 17, 2024 and was a close and competitive game with a score of 55-52.
“Many of our seniors were emotional,” Jansen reports, “since they’d never seen a defeat of Incline.”
The coach attributes sound defensive execution to limiting Incline’s offense.
Seth Hendricks (#20) provided what Jansen describes as a break-out performance with 20 points in the biggest moments of the game, including the fourth quarter.
Cormac Springsteel (#13) provided leadership on the court as one of the team’s captains.
What also makes the win so significant is it was essentially one of the last opportunities for North Tahoe to redeem itself, since Incline is moving to a new league this year. Both teams are currently in the Nevada 2A division. The Incline boys basketball program will move to the 3A West division for the 2025-2026 year.
Future seasons with Incline in a new league doesn’t entirely eliminate the chance of meeting the rival team on the court. Regional playoffs could present the opportunity.
This season, the Lakers had their first two league games against easier opponents cancelled due to weather. This meant the team started its league season against Incline, not only their rival, but also their toughest opponent.
The coach reports their victory had the Incline team in quite the uproar after.
“That was the last time they’d play in the North Tahoe gym,” he says.
But that wasn’t the last time the teams would meet this season. The team takes on their rival again for the last time in league play on Tuesday, Jan. 14. at Incline High.
The North Tahoe Lakers currently stand fourth in the league with a 4-2 record and 7-5 overall record and have over ten games remaining, according to MaxPreps latest update on Jan. 6.
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