Their final Their final (December 31, 2004)shots before league play

Palo Alto, Eastside Prep boys use tourney finales as tuneups

by Keith Peters

It was perhaps appropriate that the Palo Alto and Eastside Prep boys' basketball teams struggled as they ended 2004, because 2005 offers much of the same.

Palo Alto opens SCVAL De Anza Division play on Tuesday against visiting Los Gatos, then travels on Jan. 6 to face fellow division-contender Fremont.

"It's a tough way to open the season," said Paly coach Peter Diepenbrock.

Eastside Prep, meanwhile, opens defense of its Christian Private Schools Athletic League crown on Tuesday with a road game at North Valley Baptist. The CPSAL season used to be a breeze, but the Panthers have no returning starters and their youngest lineup since the school played only freshmen and sophomores its first season in 1997.

"We don't have the offensive firepower as in previous years," said Eastside Prep coach Chris Bischof. "We have to manufacture every basket that we can get. Every game is going to be a tough one."

Both teams played for tournament championships on Thursday night after struggling through semifinal victories.

Palo Alto put a 13-0 record on the line against Santa Cruz (13-1) in the finals of the St. Francis Holiday Basketball Tournament. Both teams are considered among the best in the Central Coast Section this season. The Vikings advanced with a 48-47 nail-biter over St. Francis.

Eastside Prep (9-4) faced NorCal Division V power Branson in the finals of the Head Royce Classic in Oakland. The Panthers advanced with a 39-34 victory over Head Royce.

Paly raced to a 28-10 halftime lead and held a 30-10 advantage early in the third quarter until St. Francis swung the momentum in its direction by hitting three straight three-pointers to cut a 15-point deficit to six.

"We're up by 20 and it's ho-hum," said Diepenbrock. "St. Francis starting hitting shots, got their fans behind them and all the momentum. We were basically fighting for our lives."

Paly led by only two in the fourth quarter when St. Francis went to the line for two free throws. The Lancers made the first for a 48-47 game with 10 seconds left but missed the second with 10 seconds. Both teams had scoring opportunities in the final seconds, but failed to convert. The Vikings missed the front end of three one-and-one situations in the final four minutes while the Lancers missed six free throws in the fourth quarter.

"We definitely have some things to work on," Diepenbrock said.

Paly lost leading scorer Brian Baskauskas (13 points) to fouls with 2 1/2 minutes to play, but senior guard Nathan Ford scored five of Paly's nine points in the fourth quarter to help keep his team's winning streak alive. Junior guard Jeremy Lin contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Paly turned the ball over 17 times after having just three turnovers in Tuesday's 71-50 opening-round win over San Ramon Valley that saw Baskauskas (18), Greg Walder (14), Lin (12) and Steven Brown (10) lead the way.

Eastside Prep, meanwhile, scratched and clawed its way to another close win in Oakland. On Tuesday, the Panthers found themselves in a slowdown with Crystal Springs and held on for a 30-28 win. On Wednesday, Eastside Prep was patient again and held Head Royce to single-digit scoring in all four quarters.

"This was a really good team effort," Bischof said. "The guys are feeling really good to get to the championship game."

Marquis Pickrom led the Panthers with 21 points while Tim Johnson added eight points and four steals.

Elsewhere in tournament play:

Menlo-Atherton (5-4) fell to host St. Ignatius in the semifinals of the Sand Dune Classic in San Francisco. Carson Finkle's 15 points led the Bears. Dan Trautman added 12 after scoring 21 in a 64-54 opening-round win over defending champion Amador Valley on Tuesday.

At the Marin Catholic tournament, Sacred Heart Prep (6-5) lost its third straight game while falling to River City (Sacramento) 65-51. Mike McMahon led the Gators with 13 points.

In nonleague action, Menlo (6-2) defeated host Pinewood in a makeup game, 45-37, as Beau Heidrich (10 points) and Zac Lagod (nine) led the Knights and helped spark a tough defensive effort. Mid-Peninsula (6-5) fell to visiting South San Francisco, 59-30.
Girls basketball

Daniela Roark scored 24 points and was named to the all-tournament team, the the effort by Pinewood's standout senior guard couldn't prevent a 64-61 loss to Soquel in the third-place game of the Mitty New Year's Classic. Roark made five three-pointers and freshman Aly Geppert added 11 points for the Panthers (7-5).

Sacred Heart Prep (10-2) dropped a 45-35 decision to Burlingame in the semifinals of the Seaside Sweet 16 tournament in Monterey. Freshman guard Hannah Stephens led the Gators with 19 points. In a consolation-bracket semifinal, Eastside Prep (8-6) got 30 points from Brijitti Crum and 20 from Sharissa McDaniel, but the Panthers still dropped a 69-68 decision to St. Francis.

At the West Coast Jamboree, Palo Alto (9-4) lost the third-place game in the Opal Division to McClatchy (Sacramento), 44-36.

In nonleague action, Menlo-Atherton (7-4) overcame a 16-0 deficit to start the game and overhauled host Menlo, 44-40. The Bears didn't score until only 50 seconds remained in the first quarter. M-A held the Knights to just 14 points in the second half while finishing off the big comeback. Mia Sanchez scored six of her team-high 10 points in the third quarter as the Bears closed to 32-31. Brittany Wilson's basket with 49 seconds to play gave M-A a 42-40 lead and Marike Wolters' two free throws with 12 seconds remaining capped the victory.

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