The undersized and undermanned Palo Alto Vikings were not expected to win or even contend for the state title, but the experienced and gutsy squad won it all by upsetting SoCal powerhouse Mater Dei, 51-47, in the Division II CIF state basketball championship at Arco Arena on Friday.

It was a mismatch on paper, but literally right from the tip-off, the Vikings outhustled, outsmarted, and simply outplayed the Monarchs to pull off the stunning upset.

After last yearÂ’s crushing loss to eventual state champion Oak Ridge in the NorCal finals, the Vikings set high goals for this year. The Vikings compiled a 24-1 record in the regular season, but even as the top seed, Palo Alto, a public school, was expected to fall to the private schools in the CCS, NorCal and state playoffs.

Earlier in the year, few thought the Vikings could beat San JoseÂ’s Archbishop Mitty and their star sophomore Drew Gordon. The Vikings beat the Monarchs not once, but twice in a span of only eight days. Even after going a near-peferct 31-1 to reach Friday’s game, Paly entered the state championship as an overwhelming underdog to the Mater Dei Monarchs (33-3). The Vikings’ only loss came in a preseason tournament to defending Division V state champion Price High School. The Monarchs’ two previous losses came to teams from the east coast.

Gary McKnight, who has over 700 career wins, coaches the two-time defending SoCal champs and has coached the Monarchs in a state record nine state championship games. The private school has the reputation of attracting players from across the state and turning them into Division-I collegiate athletes. This year, Arizona-bound junior center Alex Jacobson and Duke-bound junior Taylor King led the Monarchs. King averages 26 points and 12 rebounds per game. Jacobson averages close to a double-double while patrolling the key on defense.

The Vikings, whose tallest player is 6Â’6”, faced their toughest challenge yet in the biggest game of their high school careers. On St. Patrick’s Day, the green-clad Vikings hoped for a little luck of the Irish.

”It’s our biggest game, but we still just need to go out and get the win,” said senior guard Jeremy Lin, who missed most of last year’s playoffs with an ankle injury. ”We need to focus on the fundamentals and we need to have 100 percent intensity from the tip-off.”

The Vikings showed that intensity from the very start of the game when 6’1” senior forward Kheaton Scott jumped against 7’1” Jacobson. Scott won the tip, proving that determination and heart can overcome raw talent and size, and the Vikings carried that attitude throughout the game.

The VikingsÂ’ early momentum was stopped when King had a breakaway dunk to take a 4-2 lead. The first quarter was one of aggressive defense and poor shooting. The Monarchs shot only 4-15 while the Vikings shot only 3-13. Paly managed to take an 8-6 lead, but King tied the game, giving him six points for the quarter. For such a close game, it is hard to believe that this was the closest the Monarchs would get to regaining the lead. The Monarchs narrowed the lead to one multiple times, but never hit the go-ahead shot.

The Vikings took control in the second quarter going on a 7-0 run, but the Monarchs quickly cut the lead to three points. In the last three minutes of the second quarter, the teams exchanged three-pointers with team captain Lin knocking down the final one to give Paly a six point lead. A late tip-in by the Monarchs cut the VikingsÂ’ halftime lead to 24-20.

Lin led the Vikings with eight points in the quarter while King had 14 points along with 9 rebounds for the Monarchs. KingÂ’s range made him a major challenge to guard, but senior forward Steven Brown kept King from completely taking over. The Vikings managed to hold the Monarchs, who average close to 80 points per game, to just 20 in the first half on 8-30 shooting, but the Monarchs looked like they could get hot at any point and run away with it. The third quarter was gut-check time for the Vikings.

The Monarchs came out in the second half looking to put some reality into the VikingsÂ’ dream season, but even when King drained a fade away three from NBA range, the Vikings stayed tough.

”They [Monarchs] had a lot of momentum in the third quarter,” said head coach Peter Diepenbrock. ”I was a little concerned, but our guys surprised me.”

The VikingsÂ’ lead was cut to one when junior guard Arnet Blake knocked down a huge three-pointer. The Vikings could not respond in the final minute and entered the final quarter in a virtual tie.

The Vikings expanded the lead to 40-35 with six minutes left in the game. Both teams played gritty defense, limiting the scoring. The Vikings spread the ball around, while the Monarchs continued to rely on King and junior guard Kamyron Brown. Brown had multiple lay-ups after weaving through the Paly defense and King continued to drain difficult outside shots. With 3:08 left in the game, Jacobson elbowed a Viking defender to pick up his fifth foul. Jacobson finished with only four points, but 11 rebounds.

With the MonarchsÂ’ most dominant inside presence gone, Lin recognized the opportunity and drove to the key and made a lay-up. After yet another fade away three from King, the Vikings were in danger of a shot-clock violation that would have given the Monarchs the ball and the momentum. Lin had the ball with just a couple of seconds left on the shot clock so he sent up a 25 foot prayer with Brown right in his face. The basketball gods answered the prayer as the shot banked off the glass and fell through the net.

With only two minutes left, the Monarchs needed a big shot and senior guard Danny Campbell answered with a three of his own to bring the score to 47-45. The Vikings were a minute away from a state championship and Lin appropriately would be the one to clinch it. His lay-up with 30 seconds left gave the Vikings a four point lead. The Monarchs could only muster two points from King as the Vikings made just enough free throws to seal up the title.

The Vikings shot only 37 percent for the game, but held the Monarchs to under 30 percent. King played exceptionally well with 23 points and 11 rebounds, but had little support from anyone except Brown, who scored 10 and had six rebounds. Lin finished with 17 points and eight rebounds despite foul trouble. Seniors Brad Lehman and Cooper Miller had 10 and six points respectively. Steven Brown had seven points and pulled down eight boards.

They didn’t have the size, the athleticism or the six D-I players, but the Vikings pulled off the upset over the 11th ranked team in the country. The Monarchs appeared too confident and were content with perimeter shots despite the overwhelming height advantage inside. The Vikings took advantage playing tough interior defense limiting the Monarchs’ second chance opportunities. The normally explosive Monarchs not only failed to take advantage of their size, but also had 17 turnovers, leading to 14 Viking points. Without raw talent like Mater Dei, Paly had to play smart, precise basketball in order to win. They did, pulling off the greatest surprise of the year.

The Monarchs were visibly stunned after failing to win the state title as the favorite for the second straight year. However,
with only two seniors on this year’s team, the Monarchs should be a contender for the title next year. Next year, the Monarchs will look to reach the finals for the tenth time as they play in a brand new $18 million gymnasium.

After four months of conditioning, practices, and emotionally draining victories, the Vikings still had enough left to play their best game of the year. The state title was the first for Paly since the 1992-1993 team upset Morningside to win it all. David Jefferson, who coaches the JV boys team, played on that 92-93 championship squad, and was on the bench as an assistant coach for Friday’s game.

”Nobody would have ever dreamed that we could come out on top in the
state,” Lin said. ”But it was reality tonight.”

Seeing how stacked the odds were against the Vikings before the game, a victory seemed just out of reach even after the incredible and improbable journey to get to this point.

The Vikings play for an academically oriented public school
and are led by a Harvard-bound point guard in Lin. The Monarchs are a nationally ranked perenial contender for the state title and as a private school, they have far more resources at their disposal.

Even when the Vikings maintained their slight advantage, most figured the Monarchs would simply overpower the Vikings with their sheer athleticism and size. The Monarchs came close, but could never retake the lead, giving the Vikings their 24th straight win and the illustrious state title.

The Vikings may have made uncharacteristic mistakes and they may not have had great statistics, but in the end, the Vikings have the state championship when few expected they could even contend for it.

”We kept battling all game,” Diepenbrock said. ”We always find a way to win, no matter who it is.”

”We played our best game because it was our last game,” said Scott, who finished with 11 points and four rebounds. ”We left it all on the court.”

Indeed, the current Vikings team will never step foot on the court again for a game, but they could not have picked a better way to end their high school careers.

”It feels awesome to go out like this,” said senior sixth man Kevin Trimble. ”I love my friends, my family and my team. I love everybody.”

For over a year, Lin has been forced to relive the day in which he broke his fibula in a pick-up game a day before last year’s CCS finals. After losing to Oak Ridge 55-35 in the NorCal finals last year, Lin made it his personal goal to make up for his mistake by leading his team to a state title. After willing his team to victory, Lin can play in as many pick-up games as he wishes.

None could be happier with Lin’s performance than his coach. Diepenbrock, who earlier this year became a father, could not have asked for a sweeter ending to the season.

”It’s hard to describe how good it feels to have a child and then to win the state championship makes it all the better,” Diepenbrock said. ”The best part is that I get to be reminded of both everyday for the rest of my life.”

Last year, the Vikings, including an injured Lin, were forced to wonder what might have been. At the beginning of this year, they decided that a state title was a reachable goal. The team knew the challenge that lay ahead of them, but the six seniors wanted to end their high school careers on top. Four months later, the 2005-2006 Vikings celebrated their state title with fans, friends and family. So whatÂ’s next for the state champs?

”We’re all going to Disneyland,” Trimble joked. ”And the program is paying for it.”

Click the following link for an exclusive online photo essay of the Vikings’ NorCal and State championship games: http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=4035