Paly’s varsity boys’ basketball team failed to avenge its Jan. 13 loss against Los Altos, falling again to the Eagles, 46-52, at home on Tuesday night.
With the loss, Paly is now two games behind Gunn in the league standings with a 5-3 record. Los Altos, third in the league, is 4-3 with two victories against the Vikings.
The Eagles rode on the scoring of the team’s Wells twins, Spencer and Sean, who combined for 31 points.
Senior point guard Nick Robinson kept the Vikings in the first quarter, scoring four of his 11 total points. Paly only trailed 10-13 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was a different story, as junior Los Altos guard Spencer Wells scored 12 of his 19 total points. Wells’ offensive outburst gave the Eagles a 31-24 lead heading into halftime.
“Their [Los Altos’] guards got penetration and hurt us in transition,” Paly head coach Andrew Slayton said. “They got some looks and knocked some down. Basically, our defense was hurting us, particularly in transition.”
However, the Vikings came out shooting in the third, outscoring Los Altos 16 to 10 and, at the end of the quarter, only trailed by one point.
“We got the ball to [junior] Joseph [Lin] and he got hot and that caught us up,” Slayton said.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings took the lead but could not hold it. With a minute left and the Vikings trailing only by three, junior Los Altos guard Sean Wells put the dagger in the heart of the Vikings, sinking two free throws and clinching the game for the Eagles.
“We slacked on the defensive side,” junior guard Joc Pederson said. “We played too offensively.”
Paly could not take advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line, going an abysmal six for 13.
“That was embarrassing,” junior forward Steve Kerr said. “I’m tired of losing.”
With the loss to Los Altos, the Vikings have lost two straight league games and face an uphill battle for the league crown.
“We just have to try and clean up our own issues and go forward and be the best team we can be,” Slayton said.
For Paly to win the league, the team has to win its remaining four games and rival Gunn must lose two games. This makes the Vikings’ Feb. 13 rematch at Gunn a crucial game for Paly, if the team wants to have any fighting chance at the league title.
The Vikings’ next game is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Cupertino High School.