It has been eight months since the boys’ varsity basketball team played its most recent home game. On Tuesday night, the revamped team felt right at home, defeating the Woodside Wildcats, 44-30, in a non-league match-up.

With none of last year’s starters still on the team, the Vikings are still developing the chemistry that carried last year’s squad to the state title. The Vikings (5-2) played in two preseason tournaments and went 2-1 in each. The Vikings lost, 61-51 to Bellarmine on Dec. 1 in the finals of the James Lick tournament and, 47-42, to Lowell in the Half Moon Bay tourney semifinals on Dec. 8. Paly won its next game, salvaging third place.

Despite already losing more games this year than in all of last year, head coach Peter Diepenbrock isn’t too worried.

"We are so young right now," Diepenbrock said. "A couple of plays here and there made the differences in those losses."

For senior Christian Bakken and junior Dom Powell, Tuesday was their first game at home, having both moved to Palo Alto this summer.

"You have no idea how nervous I was," Bakken said. "Once I got into the flow of the game, I felt better."

The Wildcats (3-5) lost twice to the Vikings last year and had no better luck on Tuesday.

The game began beyond sluggishly, with the Vikings not scoring until four minutes in and not getting their first field goal until Bakken’s lay-up in the final seconds of the quarter. The Wildcats looked stronger, but turnovers and the aggressive Viking defense held Woodside to nine points in the quarter.

After an early Wildcats field goal, the Vikings caught fire, going on a 10-0 run. The 17-11 lead was finally shortened with a Wildcat three-pointer and the Vikings went into halftime leading, 19-14.

Neither team shot well at all. The Wildcats were 5 of 14 from the field and the Vikings were 6 of 21, including 1 for 12 in the first quarter. Of the 21 shots, Bakken and Powell took 17 of those shots, making only six. Bakken led all scorers at halftime with 14 points.

In the third quarter, the Viking defense came up big, holding the Wildcats to just six points. Meanwhile, Powell hits three straight shots, helping the Vikings build a 12-point lead.

The fourth quarter saw the scoring spread around a bit more with senior Paul Reamey and sophomore Nick Robinson each scoring two points. In the end, though, it was the Bakken and Powell show. The Wildcats attempted a comeback, but simply could not get going on offense.

Powell finished with a double-double, 15 points and 11 boards. Bakken led all scorers with 21 points, hitting all 11 free-throws. Robinson finished with four points and Reamey added three more. Junior Brian Karvelas hit one free-throw off the bench.

As a team, the Vikings shot under 40 percent from the field, but did hit 14 of 18 free-throws. The Vikings also had more turnovers than assists, which Paly cannot afford to do against tougher competition.

"Anyway we get it, it’s important for us to get that first win at home," Powell said.

The Vikings have not lost at home in more than two years and will look for their second home win this season on Friday, Jan. 5. Before then, the Vikings play one more non-league game, and then play in the St. Francis tournament before beginning the league season at Fremont on Jan. 2. The Vikings host Cupertino at 7:45 p.m. on Jan. 5.