The Pinewood girls already have had one showdown for first place in the West Bay Athletic League (Foothill Division) basketball race. Now, another is on the horizon.
That arrives Tuesday when the Panthers (4-0, 13-2) visit Menlo School (4-0, 14-3) in a battle between the remaining undefeated teams. Tip off is 6 p.m.
Pinewood will tune up for that showdown by playing in the Corner Bakery Showcase at Bentley School on Saturday. At stake will be the Panthers’ 11-game win streak.
The Panthers are coming off a 76-45 romp over visiting Sacred Heart Prep on Friday night. Pinewood blew open a three-point game with a 27-point second quarter, extending its lead to 61-27 after three periods.
Freshman Hannah Jump poured in 23 points for Pinewood and sophomore Brianna Claros added 19. Senior Riley Hemm led the Gators (0-3, 12-4) with 24 points, sparked by six 3-pointers.
Menlo School, meanwhile, is coming off a 70-33 romp over host Castilleja on Friday to remain as a co-leader. The Knights opened a 37-10 halftime lead and cruised from there. Menlo was led in scoring by Sam Erisman and Mallory North, who had 20 and 17 points respectively. Erisman also led the team in rebounds with eight.
Junior Cate Alder led the Gators (0-3, 7-7) with 20 points and five blocks. Freshman Claire Pisani had a career-high 14 rebounds, with four points and three blocks. Castilleja hosts Urban School of San Francisco on Saturday afternoon.
In East Palo Alto, freshman Zion Gabriel scored 18 points and dished out five assists as host Eastside Prep defeated Notre Dame-San Jose, 62-24, in WBAL Foothill Division action. Sophomore Kayla Tahaafe added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Panthers (2-2 and 9-8).
In WBAL Skyline Division action, sophomore guard Tatiana Reese exploded for a season-high 39 points as Priory rolled to a 76-66 basketball victory over visiting Harker in Portola Valley. Reese also grabbed 17 rebounds as the Panthers moved to 3-1 in league and 9-5 overall. Reese made 16 of 28 field goals while keeping Priory in the running for the division title.
Reese, however, had to share the spotlight with 6-foot-3 freshman Ila Lane, who tallied 29 points with 18 rebounds. She made 11 of 24 shots from the field in the best one-two scoring effort of any local basketball team this season. Priory also got nine rebounds from Sam McCabe, who added four points.
In the PAL South Division, Menlo-Atherton remained tied for first place with Hillsdale following a 51-23 romp over visiting Woodside. It was the Bears’ 13th straight victory.
M-A (6-0, 16-2) jumped out to a 20-5 first-quarter lead on 10 points from Ofa Sili and Greer Hoyem. Sili finished with 14 points and seven rebounds while Hoyem had 12 points and three assists.
The Wildcats rallied in the second quarter as LeAndra Quijano and Emily Borion both hit 3-pointers. In the third quarter, the Bears’ defense stepped up and held the Wildcats scoreless while Megan Sparrow added five points.
In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Saratoga (3-3, 12-6) posted a 54-41 victory over host Gunn (1-4, 10-6).
Boys basketball
Menlo-Atherton held on to its one-game lead over Burlingame following a 61-38 romp over visiting Woodside in PAL South Division action on Friday night.
The Bears (6-0, 15-2) raced out to a 20-6 lead after one quarter by using strong defense and a fast-paced offense. Blake Henry led the Bears with eight first-quarter points, finishing with 18 points and six rebounds. The Bears extended their lead to 36-12, paced by Christian Fioretti’s six second-quarter points. Both teams played evenly in the second half, but Woodside couldn’t chip away at M-A’s lead.
In addition to Henry’s game-high effort, Eric Norton had 10 points and six steals while Fioretti had eight points and three assists. Gabe Devitis had 14 points for the Wildcats (3-3, 7-5) with Drew Healy chipping in 11 points and Jamie Kruger adding 10 points.
In the WBAL, Sacred Heart Prep held on to its one-game lead with a 65-42 victory over visiting Eastside Prep. Panthers (1-5, 8-6) actually grabbed a 29-25 halftime lead, but the Gators (6-0, 8-7) roared back with a 28-2 outburst in the third quarter to take the lead for good.
Andrew Daschbach led a balanced SHP attack with 12 points with Connor Moses adding 11. Aaron Cason had 17 points for Eastside Prep with Isaish Saams-Hoy adding 10.
In Portola Valley, senior Scott Harris tossed in 28 points to pace Priory to a 60-33 victory over King’s Academy. The Panthers (4-2, 8-3) grabbed a 23-4 first-quarter lead and moved into sole possession of third place in the WBAL. Harris had five 3-pointers with the Panthers finishing with 12.
In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Gunn (4-1, 11-1) took over sole possession of first place with a 63-49 victory over visiting Milpitas. Previous co-leader Fremont was upended by Wilcox, creating a three-way tie for second place.
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports