The varsity boys’ basketball team is preparing for the second round of playoffs after a resounding 64-44 victory over Sobrato of Morgan Hill on Tuesday night at home.

Palo Alto had its offense going early with some solid outside shooting from junior guard Joseph Lin and sophomore shooting sensation Max Schmarzo. Lin finished the game with 23 points and was five for six from the three-point line.

“We just wanted to come out strong, with a lot of intensity and that helped us jump out to a sizeable lead,” Lin said.

Junior point guard Brendon Rider led the Vikings during the second quarter, scoring five points and racking up assists as well. The Vikings led, 37-21, at the end of the quarter and looked to extend their lead going into the second half.

“Our defense tightened up and we were able to get some open shots on offense,” head coach Andrew Slayton said.

The second half was much of the same as the Vikings continued their success from beyond the arc, while the Sobrato Bulldogs’ zone defense was to no avail.

“They [Sobrato] went with a zone defense and that allowed us to get the ball out to Max [Schmarzo] and Joseph [Lin] and get them some open looks,” Slayton said.

The Palo Alto crowd, although small, loudly supported the Vikings and, by the end of the game, was chanting for some game time for the junior varsity call-ups.

“We had a pretty good crowd compared to a normal game,” Lin said.

The Vikings’ next game is against Mills High School at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Mills. If Paly is victorious, it will face cross-town rival Gunn at Foothill College at a time to be determined on Saturday.