The Whitney Wildcats defeated the Rocklin Thunder 69-56 Saturday to move to 4-1 on the season and finish the third annual NorCal Tip Off Tournament in third place. This was the first time NorCal co-hosts Whitney and Rocklin have played each other in the event since its conception in 2017. The Thunder got off to a 22-17 lead after the first quarter led by senior guard Darrius Kendall, who had eight points and two rebounds. “He’s kind of the engine that runs the train,” said Thunder coach Steve Taylor. Kendall has been on varsity all four years at Rocklin. The Wildcats responded defensively in the second quarter holding the Thunder to 12 points and taking a 38-34 lead into halftime. Dom Spence, Carsten Schulz and Ryan King combined for 21 second-quarter points for Whitney. Spence finished the game with 21 points. Rocklin got back in the game in the third quarter, but a late 10-0 fourth-quarter run by Whitney sealed the deal as the Wildcats' defense held the Thunder to only five fourth-quarter points. King had eight points in the final quarter en route to a 19-point, 12-rebound performance. “I got my right hook shot going and was able to crash the glass and be aggressive,” King said. “Our defense had a lot of energy and we stayed steady throughout the game.” Whitney qualified for the final four of the tournament by defeating El Camino and Yuba City, but a loss to St. Francis of Los Angeles sent them to the third-place game. “There’s been close games all week and the competition has been really good, but I wish Rocklin and Whitney were playing in the championship game,” said Whitney coach Nick French. Rocklin made the final four by taking down Bear River and Roseville before losing to Clovis West in the semifinal matchup. Taylor attended Roseville and coached for four years at Clovis West, which is also French's alma mater. “Those were two really good games for us and I think we learned a lot about our team through those tough games, and it should make us better down the road,” Taylor said. The loss brings Rocklin to 5-2 on the season ahead of a date with Pleasant Grove on the road on Tuesday. Whitney plays at home against Pleasant Valley of Chico Tuesday before playing in the “Battle in the Foothills” tournament at Ponderosa starting Thursday.