Publication Date: Friday, February 11, 2005
PREP BASKETBALL
Another showdown coming up
Another showdown coming up
(February 11, 2005) Eastside Prep, Mid-Pen boys on course to meet in CPSAL playoff finals
by Keith Peters
The Eastside Prep boys' basketball team won the Christian Private Schools Athletic League title on Tuesday, stretching its winning streak in league play to 95 straight since 1997.
While the Panthers' 57-39 triumph over visiting Mountain View Academy ended another perfect league season, coach Chris Bischof and his players know their work is only half over.
The CPSAL tournament got under way Thursday night and continues Saturday, with No. 1 seed Eastside Prep (21-6) playing at 2:30 p.m. and No. 2 Mid-Peninsula opening at 5:30 p.m. Both games are at Mid-Peninsula High.
Those two top-seeded teams are on a collision course and expected to meet in the tourney finals on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The last time the teams met, sophomore Marquis Pickrom made a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds to play to lift the Panthers to an improbable 49-46 victory.
Mid-Peninsula is pointing for a rematch and revenge, and senior Walter Washington is ready for both. The Dragons' formidable 6-4 center scored a career-high 39 points on Tuesday during a 78-38 romp over host St. Thomas More.
"It just happened," said Mid-Peninsula coach Curtis Haggins. "We definitely wanted to give him the ball, but all of a sudden he had 11 points in the first quarter and 21 at halftime. He just kept it going."
Washington made just about every shot he took, from mid-range jumpers to layups. He even got his first dunk of the season.
Washington added 12 points in the third quarter, taking 33 points into the final period. At that point, Haggins told his scoring leader: "I'm going to let you get 40, then you're coming out."
When Washington hit 39, Haggins pulled his standout.
"He could have easily gotten 50," Haggins said.
Eastside Prep, which gave up 20 points to Washington in their first meeting, will have to find a way to stop the Mid-Peninsula post player in order to take the league's No. 1 seed into the Central Coast Section playoffs. The Dragons can earn an automatic berth by just reaching the CPSAL finals.
For Haggins, that first loss to Eastside Prep was a tough one. He knows his team will play smarter and take care of the ball better should the teams meet again.
"We're ready for the playoffs," Haggins said. "I know he (Washington) is looking forward to them."
While Eastside Prep and Mid-Peninsula prepare to knock heads, a handful of other local boys' teams will be out to lock up league titles and CCS berths.
Menlo School can do that tonight with a victory at Half Moon Bay. The Knights (10-3, 15-5) clinched no worse than a tie for the PAL North Division crown on Tuesday with a 71-46 romp over host Terra Nova as Blake Schultz scored 24 points.
Menlo holds a one-game lead over El Camino and Oceana, both at 9-4. Should the Knights falter tonight (Menlo did lose to Half Moon Bay in the first round), there could be a three-way tie for the division lead. No matter what happens, Menlo has earned one of four berths from its division for the PAL playoffs that begin Feb. 16.
Menlo-Atherton (8-5, 13-10) locked up the fourth and final playoff berth in the PAL South Division with a big 64-47 win at Aragon. The win marked the return of scoring leader Dan Trautman, who scored 18 points. Trautman missed five games due to a sprained ankle and the Bears dropped three of them.
Carson Finkle, who picked up the scoring slack while Trautman was out, continued his hot hand with a team-high 22 points to knock Aragon into fifth and out of the league playoffs.
In the Private Schools Athletic League, Sacred Heart Prep (13-0, 17-5) can wrap up yet another league title tonight with a victory over visiting King's Academy (11-2) at 7 p.m. The Gators have won 59 straight league games after knocking off visiting Pinewood on Tuesday, 61-40, as Eric Cowell led the way with 14 points. That win clinched no worse than a tie for the PSAL for Sacred Heart Prep.
In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Palo Alto (9-0, 22-1) moved closer to securing the league title with a 63-47 win over visiting Homestead. The Vikings can clinch no worse than a tie for the crown by beating host Milpitas (6-4) tonight, then win the division outright on Tuesday against visiting Mountain View.
Brian Baskauskas led the Vikings against Homestead with 20 points and five rebounds while junior point guard Jeremy Lin contributed nine points, eight assists, seven steals and six rebounds.
Girls basketball
Palo Alto (6-4, 16-9) has clinched a CCS playoff berth, but the Vikings are setting their sights on second place in the SCVAL De Anza Division. They can take a big step toward that goal with a win over host Milpitas tonight at 6 p.m.
Paly is coming off a big 75-52 win over visiting Homestead on Tuesday.
"This was definitely one of our best games of the year," said Paly coach Amy Stock. "We played as a TEAM. We kept our turnovers down and everyone contributed."
Junior Melody Gaal produced a career-high 26 points to lead the way while junior Megan Grant added 14 points and sophomore Ranecia Fields had 13. The addition of sophomore Gabby Hanson, a transfer from Washington state, has helped the Vikings make up for the loss of three starters - Bre Clay (knee), Amber Jones (ankle) and Dami Wusu (grades). All three are sidelined for the remainder of the season.
In the PAL North Division, Menlo (9-4, 14-9) wrapped up second place, a PAL playoff berth and spot in the CCS playoffs with a 47-32 win over visiting Terra Nova on Tuesday.
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