The Viking girls’ basketball team lost 52-37 to cross-town rival Gunn on Friday, faltering after a third-quarter comeback to finish the regular season 5-9 in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and 7-13 overall.

Gunn (10-2, 25-2 overall ) attacked the Viking defense quickly to open the game, stringing together a 7-0 run through several sustained, fast-passing drives that started with rebounds from Paly’s missed shots. The Vikings finally got on the board with two minutes remaining in the first period on a score in the paint from freshman Katerina Peterson, but the Titans limited Paly to just one more basket, taking an 11-4 lead in the quarter.

The situation only worsened as the game continued, with Gunn intercepting a Paly passing and driving it for a score in the first minute of the second quarter. Even as Paly senior Liz Slater blocked several Titan shots, Gunn kept driving through the Vikings defense, hanging 10 more on Paly to go into halftime leading, 23-9.

But Paly charged out for the second half with newfound energy as juniors Olivia Garcia and Madison Hoffacker worked down the court to score with 7:35 left in the third. Paly got two scores from Slater and three-pointers from freshman Mariah Phillips and sophomore Lauren Mah to pull within six of Gunn, 24-30. Phillips then cut the lead to a single basket with a three-pointer from beyond the arc as the third-quarter buzzer blared.

“We just wanted to keep Gunn to the fast break lay-up and outside shots,” Peters said.

But the comeback wasn’t to be, as momentum slipped away in the final period. Though Phillips put up another long score and Slater made a second shot block, Gunn put up two scores in the first minute to maintain a 35-30 advantage. Paly turned the ball over several times as the clock wound down to trail by double digits again late. Gunn held on to the ball in the final seconds, putting up a three-pointer as the final buzzer sounded the end of the Viking season.

“They just started hitting fast break shots in fourth quarter and stretched it out,” Peters said after the game.

In spite of the loss, the game was a celebratory occasion for the Vikings, who recognized the careers of seniors Behr and Slater before the tip-off. That Behr even played in the season’s final game was noteworthy; she spent most of her senior season recovering from an early-season ACL tear. But even when she was not on the floor, Peters noted that she was a key factor to the team’s morale through the tough season.

“She does more than just make the plays,” Peters said. “She brings a sense of calmness and leadership to the team, and that’s important.”

Slater guided the team on the court, in her final season for the Vikings. She dominated opponents as Paly’s leader in points, blocks and rebounds per game, and provided an example for the young squad.

Behind Behr and Slater, the Viking roster featured four juniors and three other underclassmen. The young team struggled throughout the game and the season to attack opponents before falling behind and in maintaining long offensive drives.

According to Peters, the goal of the season, in addition to winning ball games, was to improve the communication among the players and teach them how to be more efficient with their plays, especially on offense. Peters felt the Vikings had improved in those areas, even if their final record was unimpressive.

“Our goal was to play as a team and improve,” Peters said. “I think we did that this year.”