Palo Alto’s basketball teams are both in the SCVAL’s top division, the De Anza, while Gunn’s are in the weaker El Camino Division. But the matchup between the two public schools from Palo Alto and district rivals is a must-see event for many local residents.
Witness the packed house Saturday night at Gunn.
“Even if we’re not in the same division this is a game that should be played every year,’’ Palo Alto boys coach Jeff LaMere said. “It’s wonderful for the community. How often do you see both sides of the bleachers pulled out at a high school game? It’s wonderful for the players to play in front of that kind of environment.’’
As expected, Palo Alto came out on top of both games, 50-35 in the boys game and 58-19 in the girls game. But on this occasion a higher cause was served as the games also functioned as a fundraiser -- put on by the Gunn Foundation and Rise Together Education -- for students from lower-income families in the Palo Alto Unified School District.
The Palo Alto boys won their fifth in a row and improved to 12-4 on the season. Matthew Marzano led the Vikings in scoring, as he has often done this season, with 16 points. Four of his five field goals came from 3-point range. LaMere was also happy with the contributions made by some less frequently used players.
“I brought in five guys off the bench in the middle of the first quarter, something I hadn’t done before, and it wasn’t just a gimmick,’’ LaMere said. “It was a testament to how hard they’ve been working in practice. Elijah Steiner gave us a spark.’’
Paly needed some new guys to contribute with Conner Lusk, the team’s second-leading scorer, out with an arm injury suffered Friday against Homestead.
Lusk, dressed in street clothes with his arm in a sling, said he would find out on Monday whether or not he had suffered a fracture.
Luke McFaul led Gunn with nine points.
In the girls game, Palo Alto only led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter, but extended the lead to 33-17 at halftime and 53-17 after a 20-0 third quarter.
Kaella Peters led Paly with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Ilayda Turgut scored 10 points. Mollie Kuelker paced the Titans with 11 points.
Palo Alto (10-4, 4-0) hosts Lynbrook (12-2, 4-0) in a key De Anza Division matchup on Tuesday.
Comments
Fairmeadow
on Jan 19, 2020 at 10:30 am
on Jan 19, 2020 at 10:30 am
Great night for City of Palo Alto Sports!
All the girls and boys played hard for a great cause.
I observed 3 games, Boys F/S and Varsity Boys and Girls Varsity and both schools competed hard.
Varsity games were good and well fought but Paly just had to much talent in both of those contest.
F/S boys was closest game of the night and was very entertaining with Paly coming out on top by 11 but Gunn and it's guards played very hard. Gunn has some real good young talent coming up and Paly kids played real hard and as usual are talented kids. Paly coach was fun to watch, quite entertaining at times.
Great night of basketball for only couple of bucks and for a GREAT CAUSE ALSO.
Downtown North
on Jan 19, 2020 at 10:31 am
on Jan 19, 2020 at 10:31 am
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Downtown North
on Jan 19, 2020 at 10:49 am
on Jan 19, 2020 at 10:49 am
How many all league athletes for Palo alto high school were from East Palo alto part of the Tinsley volunteer transfer program,
That I misidentified above.—?
Web Link
As of 2009 for example when Gunn beat Paly and won league for the first time in 28 years, they were the only two public schools in the top 10 in CCS. Gunn’s star Perricone was the son of a former Paly player. Guns current courage Brandon Williams is a former Paly and Diepenbrock protégé. Football legend Paly coach Earl Hanson was a Cubberley grad — He actually also coached JV basketball at Paly.
My point is that the relationships between both programs are deep in normally and generally the rivalry is pretty healthy — But was due respect LaMere Should stick to X’s and O’s For a while, if he even stays.
Downtown North
on Jan 19, 2020 at 11:13 am
on Jan 19, 2020 at 11:13 am
And1:
Paly grad and seven time NBA champion Jim Loscutoff’s birthday is next month (he was born in 1930 and died in 2015). Paly could honor his 90th anniversary with a cake and ceremony at the February 7 homegame vs Homestead.
It is sometimes said the top three basketball players in city history are “The Three L’s” — Lin, Loscutoff and my Gunn teammate Kent Lockhart ( Who played for Don Haskins at UTEP, and Phil Jackson of the CBA and later became all Australia for the Melbourne dragons, and later coached Andrew Bogut).
The Celtics retired the uniform symbol “LOSCY”.
Web Link
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jan 19, 2020 at 1:39 pm
on Jan 19, 2020 at 1:39 pm
Thanks Glenn for your coverage of the games and of the two Scholarship Fund organizations, Paly’s Rise Together Education and the Gunn Foundation. When you’re a low-income student in a higher-income city, it’s energizing to know the community has your back. I wanted to thank the Gunn, Paly and PAUSD administrations, teams and communities for their tremendous unity, support and sportsmanship last night. – Sky
Downtown North
on Jan 19, 2020 at 9:25 pm
on Jan 19, 2020 at 9:25 pm
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Gunn started 4 sophomores and will likely beat Paly the in a future meeting.
In 1981, when Gunn played St Ignatius in the CCS championship at Maples pavilion, many Paly students were there and rooting for Gunn.
Michael McFaul the former ambassador and current professor, said on KQED radio last week that we should be able to agree on what the facts are and argue on what they mean rather than the current trend of one side claiming an entirely different set of facts ; Look it up about the residency of so many Pali football and basketball players don’t just delete my comment
Downtown North
on Jan 19, 2020 at 9:57 pm
on Jan 19, 2020 at 9:57 pm
I re-read my article on this, from five years ago: in February 2015 Paly defeated Gunn 71-54 and the four Viking seniors were all white — sophomore Miles Tention was also on the team.
But the Paly rooters did chant “USA!” and sing “Star Spangled Banner” as a fight song. Gunn Alex Gil-Fernandez, who later in a feature told The Merc that he wanted to study the 1970s Chicano movement in college — and in fact later played for Foothill College, was the high scorer, in defeat with 21.
The Paly riooters, as the visiting team, were impressive and not terribly unsportsmanlike Saturday. Paly is a better team. But LaMere’s comment above, about continuing the series was gratuitous and patronizing.
And it’s an open question whether “Vikings” and the Nordic narrative is appropriate today.
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