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Palo Alto rallied from a 20-19 halftime deficit as Aubrey Dawkins tallied 26 points to lead the Vikings to a 55-42 victory over visiting Milpitas in a SCVAL De Anza Division boys' basketball opener on Wednesday.

For the Vikings, it was their eighth straight victory.

The Trojans, considered among the contenders in the division, held Paly in check for the first half until Dawkins and Keller Chryst (12 points) took over. Chryst added seven rebounds, five on the offensive boards, and Dawkins had three steals.

Paly battled through a cold shooting night (18 of 51) from the floor, but made 14 of 19 free throws and turned the ball over just seven times.

Paly is 10-1 overall and was coming off a title at the Windsor Holiday Shootout on Saturday. Dawkins and Aldis Petriceks both were named to the all-tournament team.

The Vikings will be tested again on Friday in a showdown at Mountain View at 7:45 p.m.

In Sunnyvale, Gunn sophomore Chris Russell knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, but the Titans (0-1, 3-8) fell behind by 14 after the third quarter and dropped a 65-48 decision to host Fremont in a SCVAL El Camino Division opener on Wednesday. Patrick Skelly added 14 points for the Titans.

Girls' basketball
Palo Alto snapped a three-game losing streak by holding visiting Milpitas to single-digit scoring in each quarter and forced 36 turnovers on the way to a 39-19 victory to open the SCVAL De Anza Division season on Wednesday. Freshman Maddie Atwater led the Vikings (1-0, 5-7) with 11 points.

Paly shot less than 25 percent from the floor through the first three quarters while pulling ahead to a 20-15 lead. The Vikings warmed up and made 61 percent of their shots in the fourth quarter while tallying 19 points.

Paly's vaunted defense did its job, holding Milpitas to just eight points in the second half.

Girls' soccer
Palo Alto grabbed an early lead on a goal by Jess Branson in the ninth minute, but the Vikings couldn't make that stand up and wound up with a 1-1 deadlock with visiting Santa Clara in a SCVAL El Camino Division soccer opener on Wednesday.

Branson scored when the Bruins tried a pass back from a defender to the goalie, but Branson intercepted and tapped it in for the 1-0 lead for the Vikings (0-0-1, 1-4-2). Santa Clara equalized with eight minutes remaining in the half.

Palo Alto had numerous scoring opportunities in the second half, with Heidi Moeser firing a shot off the legs of the Santa Clara keeper and Branson missing a header on a corner kick some six minutes later.

Boys' soccer
Gunn opened play in the SCVAL De Anza Division with a scoreless deadlock against host Santa Clara on Wednesday. The Titans (0-1-1) moved to 1-4-2 overall and next will host Homestead on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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