The Palo Alto High School boys’ basketball team (15-11) fell to Menlo-Atherton High School (17-8) last night at Piedmont Hills High School with the final score 43-51.

The team was upset to see their season end so abruptly, according to senior guard Keesean Johnson.

“For me personally I feel like I did the best I could,” Johnson said. “I wish we had come out with a win as a team.”

The Vikings struggled to score due to M-A’s strong defense throughout the game, according to senior co-captain Noah Phillips.

“I struggled a little this game,” Phillips said. “That was credit to M-A defense, they were pretty good.”

The game was close until the very end when M-A scored twice and then added two more points in free-throws. The Vikings had many opportunities to close the gap with M-A in the second half, but they were unable to make all of their free-throws when given the chance. M-A however was accurate in its shots and took advantage of the majority of opportunities.

In the final quarter M-A got four points off of two attempts while Paly got four points out of four attempts.

Despite the loss, the Vikings kept their heads high and took this experience as motivation for next year, according to junior guard Jonathan Rojahn.

“Next year we are looking to win league and win CCS hopefully,” Rojahn said.

 The seniors are also optimistic for next year’s team to carry on the legacy of Paly basketball, according to Johnson.

“I think they’re going to be good with Kevin Mullin coming back and being a starter and a couple other people coming off the bench,  learning the plays and doing the things they know how to do,” Johnson said.

Although the Vikings’ season has come to an end, it was a rewarding season this year and the team’s future looks bright, according to Phillips.

“It was obviously a very fun year playing with these guys and I definitely think they are going to be good next year,” Phillips said.