Northridge Defeats South Bend St. Joseph 73-67, Wins Class 4A Regional Title

Northridge's first regional championship in program history came the hard way: a six-point win over a defending state champion that arrived in Class 4A with a chip on its shoulder. The Raiders turned back South Bend Saint Joseph 73-67 Saturday night at Plymouth High School, extending their winning streak to 20 games and moving their record to 26-1.

The victory was everything Scott Radeker's program had been building toward. Entering the night ranked No. 6 in the final USA boys basketball poll, Northridge had spent the regular season as the stingiest defense in Class 4A, surrendering just 44.4 points per game. South Bend Saint Joseph brought the No. 1 scoring offense in the entire state of Indiana, regardless of class, so Radeker knew exactly what the equation looked like heading in. "You know our defense is one of the tops in the state in 4A. They are one of the top offensives in the state, so something gotta give there," Radeker said before the game.

The defense held. The Raiders survived.

For Saint Joseph, the loss snapped a 14-game winning streak and dropped the Huskies to 21-5. That stings even more given the program's trajectory: the Huskies are the defending Class 3A state champions and were the Class 3A runner-up two years ago, a run so dominant it pushed them up into 4A this season. Their sectional path was no pushover either, requiring an overtime win over No. 13 South Bend Riley, 62-53, at Mishawaka High School just to reach Plymouth.

Radeker had genuine respect for what Saint Joseph coach Eric Gaff built. "They're a really good basketball team," Radeker said. "Coach Gaff has done an amazing job there. You always want to play the best, you know they are one of the best teams obviously in the north. And you know they got athleticism, strength, and they can shoot it. They get after you defensively and make you play 84 feet. You know we are going to need to do a better job taking care of the basketball."

Northridge's engine all season has been 6-foot-7 junior Brady Scholl, who came in averaging 24.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game. Saint Joseph figured to throw extra attention at Scholl inside, but Radeker has praised his star's ability to process that kind of defensive focus without forcing the issue. "He's so unselfish and the guys love him. He shares the ball and doesn't force things when he's double-teamed. When your best players are your hardest workers and the most coachable kids, that carries over to the other guys on the team," Radeker said.

The road to Plymouth started with a sectional championship, Northridge's first since 2020, earned by beating Warsaw 48-37 at North Side Gym. After that win, Radeker gave his players the weekend to celebrate before refocusing Monday on the Huskies. The preparation paid off in full Saturday night.

The Raiders now advance in the IHSAA state tournament, carrying a 20-game winning streak and a regional title that had never previously appeared on the Northridge program's résumé.