You wouldn’t know from the final score of 54-45, but the boys’ basketball Vikings turned in one of their most impressive quarters this season to open the game against the Los Gatos Wildcats.

The statistics for the first quarter are mind-boggling. The Vikings scored 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting, with junior center Dom Powell hitting all five attempts for 10 points. The Wildcats shot 1 of 6 for a meager two points and committed 10 turnovers. The Vikings jumped out to a 16-0 run that lasted five and a half minutes, in which time the Wildcats amassed only four shot attempts.

The Wildcats got back into the game, but never got within nine points of the Vikings, losing by that margin, 54-45. The Vikings desperately needed this win after a disheartening loss to Cupertino last Friday.

In that game, the Vikings fell behind early to the Pioneers. A memorable comeback fell just short as junior Mike Scott’s potential game tying three-point attempt clanked off the rim. The 44-41 lost put the Vikings (13-7, 6-2 league) into a three-way tie for first place in the De Anza division with the Pioneers and rival Gunn, but the late rally gave the team something to be proud of.

“We held them [Cupertino] scoreless for so long,” head coach Peter Diepenbrock said. “We need to have confidence in out defense and hopefully that will breed composure in our offense.”

The Vikings needed to rebound Tuesday night against the only other team to beat them in league play, the Los Gatos Wildcats (8-13, 1-6). After their 46-37 win over the Vikings, the Wildcats have lost five straight, falling into last place in the division.

At the end of the first quarter, Powell put an exclamation point on the spectacular effort with a block that could be described as a volleyball spike. The ball went about a foot, before being redirected into the wall for an embarrassing block. In the second quarter, the Vikings began making uncharacteristic mistakes, allowing the Wildcats back into the game. A couple of three-pointers kept the Vikings lead manageable, but Paly still went into the half up by 15.

The second half featured tough defense by both sides. The Vikings held strong anytime the Wildcats seemed poised for a run, and Los Gatos kept the game within reach. The lead fluctuated between 9 and 15 points throughout the half, but time became a factor and Paly’s always stringent defense pulled through. The offense in the fourth quarter came from the foul line where the Vikings hit six free throws, something they could not do against Cupertino. When the buzzer sounded, the once 18-point lead had been cut in half, but a win is a win.

Though not outstanding, the Vikings offense performed well enough and was balanced enough to win. Powell had all 12 of his points in the first half. Senior forward Christian Bakken finished with 11 points and Scott led the Vikings with 13 points to go with 4 assists and 9 steals.

“I got into foul trouble, so I had to play smart,” said Scott, who picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter and fouled out with a few minutes left in the game.

The Vikings allowed only one less point in their loss last week, proving that their defense is consistent even away from home. The offense, however, fed off the energy of the crowd and did enough to win, despite not hitting a three-pointer all game, just as in their loss to Cupertino.

“We were at home and we had the fans behind us,” sophomore guard Nick Robinson said. “We just performed better offensively.”

The Vikings next face Saratoga on the road at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, before coming back to Paly for possibly the biggest game of the year. With first place in league most likely on the line again, cross-town rival Gunn comes to Paly and hopes to avenge their earlier 56-46 loss at home on Jan. 19. The match up will be the final game of the four-game quad night and tip-off starts at 7:45 p.m.