The last time the Palo Alto Vikings played in the quarterfinals of a playoff series, they did not take the lead until late in the third quarter.

That scare against Woodside in the CCS playoffs almost two weeks ago was still in the backs of the minds of the Vikings, who came out tonight with enthusiasm and determination from the tip-off.

The undermanned Richmond Oilers (20-9) had little chance against the experienced Vikings (29-1) who put on an offensive clinic. A final score of 85-51 indicated Paly’s dominance, but the Vikings might have won by a greater margin had head coach Peter Diepenbrock not pulled his starters after three quarters.

Richmond lost to Montgomery in the NCS finals last Friday, but the Oilers suffered an even bigger loss when star Wendell McKines was called for his second technical foul of the game late in the fourth quarter. With the outcome decided, McKines was automatically ejected and suspended for one game. McKines averages 32.5 points per game, over 40 percent of the Oilers’ points. Even with McKines on the bench, the Vikings stayed true to their game plan.

“Him [McKines] being on the bench doesn’t change our approach,” Diepenbrock said. “We have to execute our game the way we know how to.”

The Vikings had 20 straight wins coming in, but they are often prone to sluggish first quarters allowing opponents to stick around making the game more dramatic than the Vikings would like. That did not happen in this game.

Paly hit its first four shots and scored 15 points before the Oilers made their first basket with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. Shooting 10-17 from the field the Vikings jumped out to a 22-6 first quarter lead. Senior Steven Brown had eight points in the quarter outscoring the entire Richmond team.

“We focused on coming out strong,” said senior guard Jeremy Lin. “We definitely need that in the next rounds.”

The Oilers would not go down easily shooting 6-10 in the second quarter after an abysmal 3-14 in the first. The Vikings cooled off in the second quarter, but managed to keep pace with the Oilers thanks to Lin. Lin had never played in a NorCal game, prior to this one, because a broken fibula sidelined him for the tournament last year. Lin scored eight of his 10 first half points in the second quarter.

The Oilers continued a late first half run and eventually cut the lead to 12, but it would never be that close again. At one point tje Vikings, shooting 11-13 including 3-3 from beyond the arc, the piled on 25 points while the Oilers could muster only three points.

The Vikings completely dominated the third quarter, putting the game out of reach. Senior forward Cooper Miller had six of his 10 points in the third, including a steal and a lay-up at the buzzer. Lin stayed hot, scoring 10 more points, and with five minutes left in the quarter, Lin stole the ball and dunked it. The impressive and unexpected play added to the enthusiasm of the already pumped crowd, who remained standing from start to finish.

"Once I got the steal, I just wanted to go up for the dunk," Lin said. "I saw the opportunity and I took it."

With the game apparently in hand, Diepenbrock pulled the starters for the fourth quarter. The Oilers responded with an 11-0 run prompting Diepenbrock to reinsert a couple of starters just to be safe. The Vikings bench that normally sees very little playing time played exceptional during the final quarter. Junior guard Jonny Palmer had four points and recent call-up Connor Baskauskas had five points.

"When I was on the bench, it was just exciting to see some of my teammates who usually don’t get to play, play," Senior forward Kheaton Scott said. "They got to play, and they played well."

This 31 point win was not the largest margin of victory for the Vikings, but the 85 points was the most scored by Paly in this or last season. The Vikings shot an impressive 63 percent while the Oilers shot only 39 percent. Richmond made just one three-pointer and shot 4-15 from the free throw line.

The Vikings, like always, are lead by a stellar defense. Paly forced many turnovers and had numerous steals. The loss of McKines, whose average point total would have cut the lead to just one, allowed the Vikings to focus on other players.

“Him [McKines] not being there made it a lot easier for our defense,” Miller said. “His presence attracts a lot of energy and focus, so his absence certainly boosted our confidence.”

Miller, credited by his teammates as being the best defender in CCS, had four steals to go with his 10 points and six rebounds. Brown finished with 12 points and Scott worked his usual magic by adding 15 points and eight rebounds. Senior Brad Lehman helped with 10 points and six assists.

“I had a lot of energy,” Lehman said. “But I had to stay within myself and not get distracted.”

Lin had seven steals, six assists and four rebounds to go with his game high 20 points. All of those came in only three quarters. In his first NorCal game, Lin did not disappoint the home fans who began chanting his name in the third quarter.

“It was a real good crowd tonight,” Lin said. “I’ve wanted this for a while and I came out to play.”

Last year in NorCal, Lehman took over as the starting point guard after Lin’s injury. Lehman and the Vikings reached the NorCal finals but fell short to Oak Ridge. With Lin back and healthy, the Vikings know they have their leader behind them.

“Brad [Lehman] did a fine job last year,” Miller said. “But Lin brings leadership, production and intensity.”

“The scoreboard tells it all,” Lehman said. "He [Lin] knows how to win."

The Vikings have now played two straight excellent games and hope to carry the momentum into the second round where they will face Laguna Creek. In the quarterfinals, Laguna Creek beat Chico 61-53. The game will be at 7 p.m. on March 9 in the Palo Alto High School big gym.