Loading ...
Although Chargers took control during the first two minutes with back to back baskets, but the Vikings soon answered. Sophomore forward Josie Butler got the Viking offense going by hitting the team’s first shot with six minutes remaining in the first. This sparked junior shooting guard Shamelia Clay who drove in the lane for consecutive layups. The Chargers did not score in the final three minutes of the quarter and the Vikings led, 10-5 at the end of one.
“We started off slow, but we ramped it up and made it hard to run their offense,” head coach Scott Peters said.
Paly played solid defense and continued Wilcox’s scoreless drought. With six minutes left in the second quarter, Butler rejected an attempted lay up and dished to Clay, for an easy two points. Paly went on a 12-0 run in the last six minutes to pull away from the Chargers. At the end of the half, the Vikings led, 21-10.
The Vikings continued their stellar play with a dominant second half, outscoring the Chargers, 22-8. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings sealed the victory by scoring six points within a minute, three a-piece from senior point guard Sydney Davis and freshman forward Danielle Palmer.
Davis drove in for a layup and drew a foul while making the shot, sending her to the line. She made the free throw and in the next minute, Palmer hit a three pointer from the wing to seal the victory with four minutes left in the game. Paly’s incredible defensive effort completely shut down Wilcox, holding the Chargers to only four points each in the third and fourth quarters.
“Our defense — hard defense — won the game,” Clay said. “We’re playing like a family, like a team.”
Along with the strong defense, Palo Alto boasted a well-rounded offense. Davis led all scorers with nine points, while Clay contributed eight points and junior forward Emilee Osagiede tossed in six points.
With only three league games remaining, the Vikings now have a commanding two game lead in SCVAL.
Despite coming off from a slow start, Peters feels that the girls played extremely well.
“I felt good,” Peters said. “We really had to come out with energy and focus on our defensive pressure to win this game. That was our key to success.”
The Vikings look to protect their undefeated league record when they face crosstown rival Gunn High School in their next game.
“We just have to keep working on our defense,” Peters said. If that is successful, according to Peters, then the team and the audience can “just enjoy a good battle between arch-rivals.”
The Vikings will next play Gunn at 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 11, at Gunn.