Paly boys set for hoop showdown Paly boys set for hoop showdown (January 28, 2004)with Milpitas after defensing Gunn

by Keith Peters

Peter Diepenbrock has every reason to be confident heading into Friday night's SCVAL De Anza Division boys' basketball showdown with Milpitas.

"We gave them over 20 turnovers," Diepenbrock said of Paly's 48-42 loss to the Trojans in the first round of the division season. "They had 19 free throws to our three."

That first loss to Milpitas is the only blemish on Palo Alto's league record. The Vikings (5-1, 16-3) hope to hand the Trojans (5-0) their first loss when the teams tangle at 7:30 p.m.

"I thought we were better than they were the first time," Diepenbrock said. "I still think we're better than they are."

With both teams being as dominant as they have been this season, Friday's game will either give Milpitas a huge step toward the outright championship or Paly a share of it.

Diepenbrock said his squad just needs to take care of business, which means keeping mistakes to a minimum. While the Vikings are averaging only 51.5 points a game in league play, they are allowing only 37.5.

"We're continuing to get better defensively," Diepenbrock said. "We put a lot of time into team defense."

The Vikings proved it has been time well spent with their 52-33 triumph over host Gunn (3-2, 12-8) last Friday. It was the fewest points the Titans have scored this season. Their previous low was 43 (twice).

Gunn was held to .258 shooting (11 of 43) from the field and was forced into 25 turnovers.

Titans' coach Jeff Klenow acknowledged that his team had trouble with Paly's defense, which turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter as the Vikings outscored their hosts, 22-7.

Lorenzo Garcia, Robert Anderson and Cooper Miller all were defensive standouts in that final period while sparking Palo Alto, which had allowed Gunn to scramble to within 26-25 in the third quarter.

Following a three-pointer by Steven Brown and a layin by Garcia, Paly took a 35-26 lead into the final period. After the Vikings' fullcourt pressure forced Gunn into back-to-back 10-second violations, Garcia hit a pair of free throws. He then made a steal and fed it to Oystein Aukland for a layin before knocking down a three-pointer for a 42-26 lead.

Doug Campbell's basket gave Gunn its first points after nearly a four-minute drought and 12-0 Paly run, but Vikings' sophomore Jeremy Lin made four free throws and later fed Aukland and Brian Baskauskas for layins to finish off the Titans.

Garcia and Anderson excelled in Paly's fullcourt press while Miller and Ben Schwartz took care of Gunn scoring leaders Peter Jordan and Chris Mugler. Jordan, a freshman, came into the game averaging 15.7 points (19 in league) while Mugler was averaging 15.4 (16 in league). Miller, who led the Vikings with nine rebounds, blanked Jordan in the fourth quarter - he finished with 13 -- while Schwartz and his teammates limited Mugler to just six points.

If Diepenbrock has any concerns at this point, it's with his offense.

"I'm not sure where the the offense is going to come from," he admitted.

Last year, Diepenbrock looked to senior Ryan Symes, who averaged nearly 25 points a game. Now, any number of Paly players have led the team offensively. Against Gunn, Aukland worked his way inside for 14 points while Garcia contributed 10 off the bench and Baskauskas tallied nine.

While it would be nice to have one player scoring consistently, the Vikings' current situation makes it impossible - and unnecessary -- to focus on just one player.

While the Vikings have had some offensive lapses, they have been consistent with solid fourth-quarter efforts and their defense. Paly has allowed 50 points or more in only three games this season while registering a low of 28 points allowed in a season-opening win over Leland.

The real test, however, comes Friday night against Milpitas. The Vikings just need to hit their averages to pull out a victory.

Elsewhere in boys' basketball:

Menlo-Atherton (5-1, 16-3) fell into second place in the PAL South Division following a 63-62 overtime loss to visiting Woodside on Thursday.

Carson Finkle led the Bears with 17 points while Dan Trautman added 15, including a dramatic layin on an inbounds play from sidecourt to tie the game at 53 and send it into overtime. The lead changed hands five times in the extra period before Kenneth Walker's free throw with 19 seconds wrapped up the victory for Woodside (6-0).

The Bears host Capuchino (3-3) on Wednesday at 3:15 p.m., and visit Carlmont on Friday. Both are winnable games. In fact, Menlo-Atherton should win its remaining games heading into the all-important rematch with Woodside on Feb. 13.

In the Private Schools Athletic League, Sacred Heart Prep (8-0, 15-2) stretched its winning streak to 14 games with a 63-40 win over visiting Fremont Christian last week. Spencer Lucian continued his improved offensive contribution by leading the Gators with 19 points. Tyler Holland added 17 and senior center Jamie Greene, believed to be gone for the remainder of the month with a foot injury, returned to score seven points.

The Gators, who haven't been tested much this season, will play a key PSAL game Friday when they host Redwood Christian at 5 p.m.

In the Christian Private Schools Athletic League, Eastside Prep (3-0, 18-1) and Mid-Peninsula (6-0, 12-4) remained on a collision course for their meeting on Feb. 5 as both produced lopsided victories.

Freshman Marquise Pickrom tallied 14 points to pace Eastside, which played its starters for barely a quarter during a 72-20 win at Liberty Baptist. Jason Stergion and Da'Ron Maxie, meanwhile, scored 19 points each to lead Mid-Peninsula to an 80-35 romp over Downtown College Prep.

Girls' basketball

Palo Alto concluded the first half of the De Anza Division season with a 61-47 win over host Monta Vista last Thursday night. The Vikings (6-0, 17-4) got 15 points from seniors Jossy Tseng and Sara Schulte. Eleven players scored for Paly, which is off until this Friday when the Vikings play host to Milpitas to start the second round of league play.

Menlo-Atherton snapped a five-game losing streak by romping to a 56-46 win over visiting Woodside on Thursday in PAL South Division action. Karley Marty led the Bears (1-5, 4-13) with 12 points while Lauren Stockman added 11 and Meredith Pressfield 10.

In the West Bay Athletic League, Rachel Dwan made two free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining to lift Castilleja (6-0, 15-3) to a 47-45 win over visiting Mercy-San Francisco on Friday. The Gators had to rally from a 19-11 halftime deficit.

Junior Nikki Perlman sparked the comeback by scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for her third straight double-double performance. In her past four games, Perlman has scored 82 points and grabbed 54 rebounds.

In the West Catholic Athletic League, Emma Hoffacker scored 20 points to pace Sacred Heart Prep (2-5, 8-10) to a 53-39 win over visiting St. Francis.

In the Christian Private Schools League, Eastside Prep (3-0) rolled over Liberty Baptist, 91-13, as Brijitti Crum (16 points), Sade Johnson (15), Chantelle Brown (14) and Torey Walker (14) paced the Panthers. The following night, Eastside Prep improved to 14-3 overall with a 67-43 nonleague win over host San Rafael. Crum made five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points to lead five starters in double figures. Sharissa McDaniel added 16 points.
Wrestling

Palo Alto senior James McCluskey won all four of his matches by pin and carted off the 275-pound title at the annual Overfelt Wrestling Classic on Saturday in San Jose.

McCluskey, who was coming off an injury, won three of the four matches with first-round pins - including in the championship. That effort helped Palo Alto score 94 1/2 points and finish 11th out of 3o teams.

Fellow senior Adam Dexter brought home bronze medal for finishing third at 163 pounds. Dexter compiled a fine 4-1 record in arguably the meet's toughest weight division.

Paly senior Max Pinto was seeded second at 173 pounds and finished fourth. He might have placed higher, but was upset in the second round. He came back to pin his next three opponents and had to quit with a 4-1 mark - due to the five-match-per-day rule.

At 115 pounds, Paly's Fernando Shahpouri finished a solid fifth with a 3-2 record with each of the five matches going the entire six minutes.

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