The boys’ basketball team (8-1, 15-6) won 62-51 against the Los Altos Eagles in a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League game at home on Wednesday, with a closer score than the Vikings had hoped for after securing an early 26-point lead.
While head coach Bob Roehl was happy with the first three quarters of the game, he found the dip in the end of the game frustrating.
“We can play good, but we can’t sustain,” Roehl said. “It’s very frustrating to watch.”
Although overconfidence may have contributed to the waning energy later in the game, Roehl noted that this has been a persistent problem throughout the season.
“In the first three quarters I was very happy because we were doing the things we practice,” Roehl said. “[Then we began] deviating from practice. It’s because that’s what we’ve done all year.”
These deviations included a lack of hustle on defense, and poor passing whittled the Vikings’ 24-point lead to 11 points at the end of the fourth quarter.
The players also noted this marked difference from the first half of the game, when the Vikings went on a 15-point streak at the beginning of the second quarter.
“We got a little too comfortable with the lead,” junior forward Charlie Jones said. “We took it for granted.”
As the Vikings began tallying fewer shots and rebounds, Los Altos pressured the ball, forcing turnovers.
“They pressed up and they were coming up and getting steals,” senior center Kevin Brown said. “They thought they could get more points like that, and they actually did.”
Junior forward Max Schmarzo believes finishing out games has been a persistent problem for the team.
“As a team we have trouble finishing games,” Schmarzo said. “It’s a whole team effort. We need 100 percent focus, 100 percent energy. Start strong. Finish strong.”
Brown also acknowledged the lagging energy, as he only scored two of his game-high 16 points in the final quarter. Other leading scorers included senior guard Brendan Rider with 13 points, Schmarzo with 12 points, senior guard Joseph Lin with nine points, and junior forward Davante Adams with eight points.
“It’s all mental,” Brown said. “We thought we were going to put it away, and we relaxed.”
Roehl takes every game seriously and expects the same from his team.
The varsity boys will play again at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Feb. 17, against Homestead High School at home.
“They’re the next team on our schedule so they’re going to be a big game,” Roehl said.