The Paly girls’ basketball team clinched the league title Friday, defeating Los Gatos, 43-38. The game was close, and Los Gatos’s defense was strong. However, the team’s depth helped in the end.
As soon as the Vikes scored, the Wildcats put just as many points on the board. Los Gatos’s defense was very tough, but not tough enough.
"Los Gatos was playing intense defense," senior and small forward Sara Schulte said,"but that was no excuse for how many turnovers we had."
Even against their defense, Paly ended the second quarter ahead, 19-15.
The second half was just as close. With thirty seconds remaining in the game, the score stood at 41-38. The Wildcats had one last chance to score a three-pointer to tie up the game. However, senior guard Jossy Tseng was fouled and had two free-throws. She made both of them and clinched the win for Paly.
The final score was 43-38, a Paly victory. Tseng said that the win was due to the team’s depth.
"Everyone contributed last night," Tseng said. "The points were spread pretty evenly, which shows the depth of our team."
Despite officially being league champions, the Lady Vikes are involved in a three way tie between Palo Alto, Homestead, and Saratoga, which all finished the season with a 9-2 record. On Friday, February 13, the girls played Monta Vista at home on Senior Night. All five seniors on the team started and were honored before the game. They won, 69-47.
Paly played Homestead on Wednesday, February 11, and lost, 47-67. Had they won, the girls would have won the league title, and Homestead and Saratoga would have placed second. Homestead was a tough team to beat, however.
"We beat them before, but they were missing their star player," Tseng said. "They were able to rebound almost every time, and it killed us."
The girls must get over the loss, as they hope to win the Central Coast Section.
"That would be awesome, to win CCS," senior post Savannah Hayes said. "It’s a lot of our last chances, so we are really hoping to go far."
Hopefully the team’s depth will help in the Sectional CCS games. The girls are seeded fifth.