In a critical Central Coast Section playoff game, the Palo Alto High School Vikings boys’ basketball team (21-4) defeated the Evergreen Valley Cougars (21-5), 58-40, in Tuesday’s Division 1 quarterfinals at home.
According to Viking head coach Jeff LaMere, the team emphasized having a lot of intensity during the game.
“It’s playoff basketball so every team we’re going to face is a really good team and very well coached,” LaMere said. “I was really happy with how the intensity with which we came out to play was really outstanding and I thought our defense was very good.”
The game began with the Vikings gaining control of the ball, and then with a hook shoot from Viking senior Jai Wadhwani bringing the score to 2-0. However, the Cougars quickly caught up, tying the score to 4-4 after a 3-pointer from Cougar junior Donovan Truong and a layup from Cougar junior Yann Nichet.
As the game progressed, the Vikings fought to maintain their momentum. A layup and block by Wadhwani followed by a jump shot by Viking senior Nicholas Feitzinger brought the score to 8-6. This momentum continued for the Vikings with two more layups from Viking senior Jorell Clark ending the first quarter 17-11.
The second quarter started off with a hook shot from Viking senior Shreyas Shashi, followed by a three-pointer from Viking sophomore Justin Fung, stretching the Vikings lead to 22-11.
According to Shashi, preparation was key to their offensive success.
“It’s CCS, so you don’t know what happens,” Shashi said. “Loser goes home, so we came in well prepared. Everything went accordingly.”
Leveraging their surge, Clark delivered a powerful dunk, igniting the crowd.
According to Viking Assistant Coach Jim Bitler the Vikings were building momentum and taking control of the game.
“[We were] playing our game, bringing effort, bringing teamwork, bringing fight [and] bringing a little edge,” Bitler said. “Every time we take the court, that’s what we want to do.”
The second quarter ended with a three-pointer from Viking senior Hudson Mar and multiple blocks from Wadhwani.
According to Wadhwani, blocking was an advantage for the Vikings.
“It [blocking] was easier this game because they [Cougars] were shorter than me, so I didn’t have to jump that high,” Wadhwani said.
Cougar junior Truong led the offense in the third quarter scoring multiple three pointers and layups bringing the score 37-21. Truong continued to challenge the Vikings with a steal and a three pointer. According to Wadhwani, the team played a solid defense, however, they could have done better preventing the Cougars from scoring many 2-pointer and 3-pointer shots.
“Offensively we need to play at our pace,” Wadhwani said. “We let them speed us up a little bit, especially when the game got a little closer. We let them [Cougars] shoot a bunch of 2s and 3s and let them get in the motion.”
According to Cougar sophomore Jacob Narkiewicz, the Cougars’ success in evading the Vikings defense was a different lineup.
“Offensively in the second round we changed the lineup a bit and we were able to get more movement and shots off that,” Narkiewicz said.
Continuing their momentum during a turnover Cougar junior Yann Nichet brought the score to 41-29 with a turnaround jumper. The third quarter ended with a lay-up from Viking senior Augustus Soedarmono and a hook shot from Cougar sophomore Ananth Kothapalli bringing the score to 47-36.
The fourth quarter proceeded with free throws from Wadhwani, followed by Cougar sophomore Anath Kothapalli, scoring two jump shots consecutively. However, the Cougars’ momentum was cut short when Clark slammed a powerful dunk, causing the stands and bench to erupt in cheer, pulling the Vikings ahead to 54-40. Continuing his run, Clark made two consecutive shots, ending the match 58-40.
According to Clark, the gap in the score could have been wider if the Vikings communicated more.
“We weren’t communicating as much as we should have. We just gave up too many open threes, so that’s an area of improvement,” Clark said.
Viking assistant coach Tony Real, said with another win under their belt, the Vikings move onto the next round of CCS with the seniors that have devoted so much to the program.
“This game is a special game because it is a part of our journey,” Real said. “We hoped for a long playoff run,” Tony said. “We’ve got more than a couple of seniors that we’re very fond of and have given us a lot over the last four years. And so, we want to see them play as long as possible and get all the wins and the accolades that they deserve because they worked for it.”
CCS is a special time for everyone, especially the seniors and according to LaMere a key factor in their success this season is the team’s commitment and sacrifices.
“You have a number of seniors who have invested so much into the program,” LaMere said. “You practice three hours a day during the season and in the off-season and summers you’re training. You sacrifice and you have to make choices … and so to be able to have success like this, I’m really happy for our team.
The Vikings are set to play in the next round of CCS against the Leigh Longhorns (16-9) 7 p.m. Thursday at Palo Alto High School.
