Despite 23 turnovers, the Northgate boys' varsity basketball ball team opened up its season with a win against Avonworth last Friday, at the 'Lopes tip-off tournament.

The Flames followed that win, however, with a loss to Quaker Valley in the championship game on Dec. 12, a game that featured a head coaching match-up between a former master and apprentice.

Northgate head coach Perry Harrop said that the Flames shot the ball well during the Avonworth game, sinking 70 percent of their shots. He noted that the boys ran the floor well and were taking good shots.

Junior forward Josh Douglass led Northgate with 12 points. Senior forward Josh Heaney followed with 10 points.

The Flames lost to Quaker Valley, 62-37.

"They are a really good team," Harrop said of Quaker Valley. He noted that the Quakers are a more experienced team.

The Quaker Valley team is coached by Mike Mastroianni, for whom Harrop was an assistant coach at a number of different schools, including Quaker Valley, for seven years.

Harrop described the match-up against Mastroianni as "not fun."

"It was hard," Harrop said of coaching opposite one of his friends.

Heaney led the Flames in scoring against Quaker Valley with 12 points. He also was named to the all-tournament team. Douglass finished with nine.

Avonworth’s struggles in the tournament did not stop there. The ‘Lopes followed the loss to Northgate, with another to Career Connection, 65-54, in the consolation game.