The Paly Boys varsity basketball team pulled out ahead of Carlmont High School 59-52 in their first CCS playoff game. Being neck to neck throughout the entire game, Paly was able to hold the lead in the fourth quarter and pull off the win to advance to the semi-finals against Menlo Atherton. 

Throughout the first half of the game, Carlmont and Paly traded leads; however, Paly came out on top after scoring back-to-back to close off the half. Paly got a run at the end of the third quarter and got a lead on Carlmont. By maintaining the lead throughout the fourth quarter, Paly came out on top of Carlmont and won their first CCS game of the season.

“It was overall a great game on both sides. There were plenty of lead switches, but our intensity on defense and shooting allowed us to pull away at the end of the 4th quarter,” said Senior Captain Alaap Nair. “We knew this game would be a grind, and we came ready for it.”

In the semi-finals, the Paly team fell against Mento Atheron, 54-49, after a hard-fought game. After a rough start with multiple fumbles, Paly took the lead at the half, 30-25, after scoring multiple 3s. However, Menlo was able to retake the lead going into the fourth quarter. Despite Paly’s best attempts, Menlo came out on top and advanced to the CCS finals. 

“We are hopeful to come out with a winning mindset because we think we can really make a deep run,” Senior Tyler Frick said. 

Paly is learning from their mistakes and practicing their hardest to prepare for their upcoming first round of the division four state championship game against Ripon.