Flames sputter against tough Aliquippa

&emsp;&emsp;The Northgate boys' basketball team had redemption in mind when they hosted 3A's top-ranked Aliquippa Quips last Friday. Hoping to make up for a 55-50 section loss last month, a win would keep their hopes alive for a section title as the regular season winds down.&emsp;&emsp;Unfortunately, that would not be the case, as the Flames were not able to overcome a nightmarish start and fell 58-39.&emsp;&emsp;"We weren't shooting the ball well in the first quarter," said Northgate coach Cam Williams. "We had a lot of unforced turnovers, and they [Aliquippa] scored a lot of points off of that."&emsp;&emsp;Des Williams scored on a drive to the hoop to open up the scoring for Northgate, but Aliquippa broke loose, mostly in transition on their way to a 16-2 lead.Ty Daniels hit on a pair of free throws, but that was it offensively, as the Flames shot 1-11 from the floor to trail 18-4 when the first period ended.&emsp;&emsp;Northgate found some offense with Josh Williams registering six points in the second quarter, while the Quips, who were 8-11 from the floor in the opening frame, connected on 2 of 14 attempts.&emsp;&emsp;Des Williams added a pair of free throws, and Kaden Kemp converted on one of two from the line, as the Flames claimed a 9-6 point advantage to trail 24-13 at halftime.&emsp;&emsp;Josh Williams carried the offense with 10 points in the third quarter, but Aliquippa maintained their double-digit lead, as they out scored Northgate 14-10 to lead 38-23 at the end of the period.&emsp;&emsp;Josh Williams knocked down a three-pointer, and followed with a transition basket that cut the Flames' deficit to nine points at 46-37 with 3:23 remaining in the game, but that was as close as they would come to the lead.&emsp;&emsp;The Quips closed out the game on a 12-2 tear to complete their 58-39 victory.&emsp;&emsp;"I told them [the players] that you can't lose possessions to this team, that they play great man-to- man defense," said coach Williams. "No matter what, I'm still proud of you, and we still have a mission to get to the WPIAL championship game."&emsp;&emsp;Josh Williams finished with 25 points, followed by Des Williams with 8 points.&emsp;&emsp;Northgate bounced back when they went on the road to beat South Side Beaver in a section contest 69-56 this past Tuesday.&emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;