On Tuesday, the boy’s varsity basketball team played against Wilcox in their first CCS game. The teams were neck and neck throughout the game, but Paly took the lead in the last minute and won 56-55. 

Going into the game, the team knew that Wilcox was an aggressive team who specialized in offense and that this game would be extremely close. 

This was apparent as the first quarter ended 13-12 with Wilcox in the lead. After a quick huddle, the Paly team bounced back in the second quarter and took the lead 28-22. However, it soon turned into a game of endurance.

“In the first three quarters of the game, we kind of just played with the mentality to keep up with them and play at their pace instead of playing our game,” Jackson Martin (‘23) said. 

With a series of layups and free throws, Paly maintained the lead in the third quarter and held it into the fourth quarter. However, Wilcox wasn’t far behind Paly as they quickly took the lead in the fourth quarter. 

“We’re up at the beginning of the last quarter, and we were looking really good. They hit three threes in a row, and it was just a really bad momentum shift for us.” Nair (‘24) said. 

Despite the entire game being neck to neck so far, the last minute of the fourth quarter kept fans at the edge of their seats. After Jackson Martin missed two free throws, the importance of a team showed at this point in the game. 

“I was really upset that I didn’t make those free throws, but my teammate Sean told me, ‘Hey, keep your head up. We’re gonna need you to go back in there and make a three’ …  I think that my teammates really helped rally me and get me in that confident spot to make that shot. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Martin (‘23) said. 

Martin went on to score a three-pointer, followed by a free throw. Despite Martin missing his second free throw, Jorell Clark (‘25) caught the rebound and hit a layup which tied the game. With only three seconds left, Clark was fouled and scored his free throw. 

“We were ecstatic. The locker room was electric after the game. We just want to keep this energy going into the semifinals,” Martin (‘23) said.