Menlo boys looking like title contenders Menlo boys looking like title contenders (January 14, 2005)

Knights grab sole possession of PAL North Division

by Keith Peters

The next two games will determine whether the Menlo School boys' basketball team is a contender or pretender for the PAL North Division title.

The Knights (4-0, 10-2), who currently own sole possession of first place following Tuesday's 59-51 win over Oceana in Pacifica, will host El Camino (3-1) tonight at 7:45 p.m. Following that will be a home game Tuesday against Terra Nova, also 3-1 and sharing second place.

Should Menlo get past Oceana and Terra Nova, the Knights will take a two-game lead over both squads into the second half of the division season. That begins Jan. 27 against visiting Westmoor.

Menlo, under first-year head coach Kris Weems, won its sixth-straight game much in the same fashion as those before - good shooting, good defense and all-around team play. Junior Blake Schultz led the way with 22 points, one off his season high, while sophomore Beau Heidrich added 13 and senior Matt Curtis had 10. Brandy Bassett had eight points and nine rebounds while Kirk Lacob dished out six assists.

The Knights showed their resiliency after Oceana went on a 17-0 run to take a 21-15 lead after one quarter. The Sharks built that into a double-digit lead before Menlo chipped away and took a one-point lead at halftime behind Heidrich. Schultz scored 10 points in the third quarter as Menlo pulled away.

Menlo was able to take sole possession of first place thanks to El Camino's 50-46 win over previously unbeaten Terra Nova.

In the PAL South Division, Menlo-Atherton held Burlingame's Drew Shiller to just six points in the first half and no three-pointers in the game. Shiller, who made nine treys and scored 45 points against Woodside last week, warmed up in the second half when it counted and finished with 23 points to help shut down the Bears, 54-49.

Menlo-Atherton, which needed a victory to keep pace with the division leaders, overcame a 14-7 first-quarter deficit and eventually led by 40-34 when senior Dan Trautman hit a second straight three-pointer with 6:32 left in the game.

Trautman equaled Shiller's game-high 23 points and Finkle added 10 for the Bears (2-2, 7-7), who bounced back from Tuesday's loss to post a 50-40 win over host Capuchino on Wednesday. Trautman's 17 points kept the Bears alive in the division race.

In Private Schools Athletic League play, Sacred Heart Prep (6-0, 10-5) got 22 points from junior guard Pat Coffey in a 49-39 win at the King's Academy. Eric Cowell added 11 points for the Gators, who won their 52nd straight league game since losing the second game of the 2001-02 season.

Pinewood (2-2, 5-5) got a career-high 26 points from senior guard Vishal Nataranjan, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 56-44 loss to host St. Lawrence.

In the Christian Private Schools League, Mid-Peninsula (3-0, 10-5) got 13 points from Walter Washington, 12 from Marcus Thomas and 11 from Jamar Williams in a 65-31 win over visiting Latino College Prep. Eastside Prep (3-0, 12-6) remained tied for first place with a 56-23 romp over visiting Bridgemont. Marquis Pickrom led the way with 13 points and Tim Johnson added 11 for the Panthers, who have won 88 straight league games since 1997.

Girls

Castilleja (3-0, 8-4) remained atop the West Bay Athletic League standings with a 56-19 romp over host Woodside Priory on Tuesday night. Senior guard Mika Peterman led the Gators with 15 points while senior Nikki Perlman had eight points and eight rebounds.

In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Gunn's Jill Klausner tied her season high of 18 points to pace the Titans to a 52-40 win over Lynbrook. The Titans visit Palo Alto tonight at 6 p.m.

Karley Marty scored a season-high 17 points in Menlo-Atherton's 56-43 PAL South Division loss to host Burlingame. Menlo-Atherton bounced back from Tuesday's loss and posted a 50-40 win over visiting Capuchino. Sophomore Sigourney Jellins led the Bears (2-2, 9-6) with 12 points.

Sacred Heart Prep (2-1, 12-4) got its first West Catholic Athletic League victory, 33-22 over host Notre Dame-Belmont on Wednesday. Senior forward Jessica Pecota scored 18 points to lead the Gators.

In nonleague action, Eastside Prep (10-5) routed host Palo Alto, 46-29. Freshman Samantha Bunch, the school's first 6-footer, led the Panthers with 12 points. Sophomore Torey Walker added 11 points and senior Sharissa McDaniel scored 10. Paly (11-6) hurt itself by making just seven of 20 free throws and once again missed guard Bre Clay, who suffered a knee injury against Los Gatos on Jan. 5 and hasn't played since.

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