This week was very eventful for Quartz Hill High School’s boy’s basketball team, with their senior night game on Monday. By winning against Eastside High School, the team would proceed to gain their fourteenth win making their league record 9-2 (second in league), and ending their three-game losing streak.
The win that Quartz Hill earned was not the only accomplishment of the night, however. Starting point guard Jaidyn Norman would surpass 1000 career points with only 3 years in the varsity program. Averaging 20 points a game and 6 rebounds a game, Norman would play a large role in this team’s success for the past few seasons. Similar to his past nights, at Eastside he would get 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists dropping a triple-double. This feat wasn’t done alone though, with starting shooting guard Jerimiah Willams scoring 13 points and getting two steals and blocks.
The night overall was exhilarating as students and families packed out the bleachers to watch the players experience their last game at home. Student Jordan January stated “I find it nice how everyone showed up to support even if they had no personal connection to the team or game. Hopefully, when I am a senior it will be the same.” Players before the game were gifted a rose and a gift basket by their coaches to show appreciation for the hard work they had put in throughout the season. Accompanied by this, Coach Nate Forte gave a short speech for each senior and their aspirations and hobbies outside of the sport. The players were also grateful for being able to end on such a high note as starting small forward Jalen Ignacio said “I’m glad to be able to play the game that I love with the people that I care about the most watching.”
This isn’t the end of the road for Quartz Hill’s basketball team though. They still have a few more games in their season and are projected to go to the CIF playoffs. This Friday, January 26, 2024, they are scheduled to play on the road against Antelope Valley High School at 6:30 p.m. This win would add a boost to their school rankings as they had a rough start earlier in the season and are currently ranked 409th. Similar to their last game, the team would greatly appreciate it if more students showed up to support them on their journey.
