The Paly boys varsity basketball team had a decisive victory over Cupertino High School with a final score of 53-34 on Wednesday night.

Coming off of a hard fought victory against Saratoga High School, Paly boys varsity easily defeated Cupertino by double digits, giving Paly their fourth win in a row and their fourteenth win of the season.

Paly and Cupertino have played twice this season prior to today’s matchup, with Paly winning both of those two games. Today was no different with the Vikings immediately jumping to a decisive lead due to efficient offense and aggressive defense.

“I think that the team played great overall,” senior captain Mert Yanar (‘23) said. “We brought energy from the jump, and kept our foot on the gas the whole game.”

The team had an outstanding performance on both the offensive and defensive side of the game. The two prior match-ups allowed for Paly to run their offense effectively from the start.

“This was our third time playing them this year, so offensively we knew what we had to do,”  Yanar (‘23) said. “We were able to find gaps and run in transition.” 

Even more impressive than their offensive success was the stellar defense played by Paly. The Vikings put extensive pressure on Cupertino from the start and the result was seen in the score. The team held Cupertino to single digits in scoring during both the first and second quarter, with the Pioneers ending the first half with a mere ten points.

“On the other side, we had one of our best defensive performances of the year, and they had a lot of trouble scoring against us,” Yanar (‘23) said. “We did a great job putting pressure on them with our press.”

The decisive win over Cupertino gives the Vikings an overall record of 14-5 heading into Friday’s game against school rival Gunn. While Paly came out with the win during the first matchup against Gunn this season, the team looks to prepare for what will most likely be an exciting game.