Exactly three weeks after Palo Alto beat Menlo-Atherton 14-7 on the football field, the Vikings and Bears were at it again on a different kind of playing surface: the hardwood court.
Paly (7-2-0) weathered an early Menlo-Atherton (8-4-0) offensive barrage in addition to a desperate late rally to turn back the Bears’ 61-55 early Friday night.
Menlo-Atherton’s leading scorer Richard Branning drained five three-pointers in his eighth straight double-digit points game, but could do nothing except stare as Paly’s senior sensation Dom Powell dominated inside the paint and on the boards. While Branning was left open early, he became a non-factor as senior guard Mike Scott and the Vikings locked down on defense late.
“We knew what they had and so we tried to stop that perimeter shooting,” senior forward Jordan Jefferson said. “Their main players were Branning and DePhilips and we just looked to get the ball out of their hands as much as possible.”
Out of the hands of the Bears’ perimeter and into the hands of the Vikings’ rough inside players is exactly what head coach Peter Diepenbrock wanted. With quick junior guard Nick Robinson and senior guard Scott running the points, getting the ball into Powell’s hands was not a problem.
“We handled the ball really well, we executed on offense, got it down low to Dom,” Diepenbrock said. “Mike did a good job keeping the offense going and we didn’t turn the ball over.”
A year after Menlo-Atherton graduated eight players, five of which were 6’6″ or taller, the Bears lacked an inside presence that could stop Powell’s relentless energy. Menlo-Atherton also had trouble containing 6’5″ sophomore forward Kevin Brown and 6’6″ senior Ed Hall as Paly exposed the Bears smaller lineup.
Powell finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, while junior Brown finished with six points, six rebounds and three blocks to help the Vikings win their second straight after losing to Del Oro (8-3-0) last Friday.
In the rare instance that Powell or Brown could not work themselves into an easy lay-up, shooting guards Scott and Robinson upped Paly’s score with excellent perimeter shooting. Scott finished with 11 points and six assists on 5-of-12 shooting, while Robinson shot 75 percent from the field, scoring 11 points in addition to dishing out five assists.
“I thought we played really well and controlled the game for the most part,” Diepenbrock said. “Mike and Nick did good jobs with the offense.”
With the Bears leading late in the first quarter, Scott forced a steal and initiated the ensuing fast break. Scott connected with Powell down the floor on a one-handed highlight-reel jam that ignited the Paly crowd and silenced Menlo-Atherton’s “6th man section.”
With the crimson and red of the Bears’ crowd looking awfully docile, Scott added insult to injury on the next Paly possession by slicing through two Menlo-Atherton defenders and drawing the foul in addition to dropping in the basket. Scott converted the free-throw giving Paly what would turn out to be a permanent lead at 26-25.
“Those two plays gave us a lot of momentum and got everyone pumped up,” Jefferson said. “It really let us get a hold on the game. It was a very close game, but we were able to get a lead going into half. That was big.”
With Paly comfortably up 34-25 at the end of two quarters, Menlo-Atherton came out in the second half looking to make an offensive run. However, Paly quickly dug in on defense and used a three-point play by Robinson to regain momentum.
“We were able to fend off their comeback attempt, so it was a solid win,” Jefferson said. “We definitely need to work on sustaining our leads late in the games and not letting teams come back and having a chance.”
Nevertheless, a few frantic three’s and many missed free throws later, the Bears were knocking on Paly’s door. The Vikings had made 9-of-24 free throws for an abysmal 37.5 percent until Robinson took on the challenge late in the game and sunk enough to give Paly the 61-55 win.
“We just need to work on late game situations by controlling the ball,” Diepenbrock said. “They made a couple desperation three’s towards the end that were frustrating. We also need to make more free throws.”
Though Paly’s win against Menlo-Atherton solidified the Vikings dominance over the Bears, the Vikings will face a challenge Thursday at the St. Francis Invitational. For the Vikings, wining the St. Francis tournament would provide a valuable boost going into league play.
The Vikings will meet a formidable opponent in Saratoga in their first league game, a team that Paly beat twice last year, and has since improved and added depth. Tip-off begins at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 27.