Fresh from a big win over arch-rival Los Gatos High School on Wednesday, the Palo Alto High School Girls’ basketball team (13-3, 6-0) is looking to maintain its undefeated season in its second and final matchup against a solid Gunn High School Titans squad on at 6 p.m. on Friday at Gunn.
The last time the teams met, Paly came out victorious, defeating Gunn, 72-63. The Vikings struggled to maintain possession during the first half, they outscored the Titans, 25-14, in the second half, capitalizing on turnovers forced by playing stiff defense.
The Vikings are ranked first in the De Anza League, according to Maxpreps. Gunn sits in third place, tied with two other teams.
“Being ranked first in league hasn’t changed our mindset that much,” senior forward Maya Lathi said. “We can’t take any game for granted and understand that we need to continue improving if we want to continue on this trajectory.”
The Titans are coming off a, 60-50, loss against Mountain View High School (11-6, 3-3), whom the Vikings beat handily, 61-47.
The Paly students are going to be sporting white for the “Whiteout” theme, chosen by the Paly Sixth Man Club.
“It will be great to see all the Paly fans in white in the stands, especially since Gunn plans on wearing black,” senior David Tayeri said.
This will be the final “Quad Night” for seniors Lathi, Skylar Burris, Lauren Koyama, Julie Chandler and Nora Danie, who are excited to experience the electric atmosphere one last time.
“It’s definitely surreal to imagine that four years on varsity have lead to my last game against Gunn”, Burris said. “They’re always the most fun games of the year and it’s the best to see everyone there to support you and the team. We just have to go in and leave it all on the court. If we aren’t exhausted by the end of the night, we didn’t work hard enough.”