Boys’ basketball defeated the Los Altos Eagles 72-61. The team dominated the court by scoring a total of 10 three-pointers and maintaining the lead for the entire game.

Early in the first quarter, Paly earned the lead following layups by both Justin Hull (‘16) and Oliver Svirsky (‘16). Momentum built as lead-scorer Kevin Mullin (‘15) made three consecutive three-pointers, pushing the Vikings into a comfortable lead over the Eagles. The Vikings continued to dominate the first quarter with additional points put up by Mikey Grandy (‘16) and Alex Dees (‘15).

Heading into the second quarter, Paly was ahead of Los Altos with a score of 20-11. After the Eagles promptly earned a three-pointer, the Vikings battled back to extend their lead to 25-14 with Johnny Rojahn (‘15) scoring from the top of the arch followed by a layup by Svirsky. Los Altos, however, responded by scoring another four points and narrowing the Vikings’ lead. Ultimately, Paly maintained its supremacy on the court and completed the half comfortably ahead of the Eagles, 35-27.

The third quarter began at a fast pace after Los Altos put up the first points of the half yet the Vikings’ swiftly added to their lead following a three-point shot by Mullin. Next, Svirsky rebounded the ball on defense and passed to Rojahn who scored from a jump shot. During the third quarter, Los Altos contended with the Vikings by earning a total of twelve points to Paly’s total of sixteen points. Five of the points scored by the Eagles, however, were made from the free-throw line.

As the buzzer rang at the start of the fourth quarter, the team had secured a 51-42 lead and carried its strong momentum into this final quarter. Within the first several minutes, Mullin swished the ball into the net for a three-pointer and scored again from the top of the key. Nearing the end of the quarter, the Eagles had diminished the Vikings’ lead to a mere five points, 66-61. Yet, in the final seconds of the game, Los Altos chose to foul and sent both Mullin and Rojahn to the line. The Vikings, therefore, put up a total of six points with a time of 23 seconds on the clock and walked off of the court victorious over the Eagles.

Head coach Adam Sax was pleased with the team’s performance.

“We were incredible,” Sax said. “The key to this game was our defense…The ball movement has also been really nice and when we moved the ball, we got a good chance to get a good shot.”

Mullin also believed that the team was successful on the court.

“I thought we played pretty well,” said Mullin. “We moved the ball well.”

Tomorrow night, the Vikings will battle crosstown rival Gunn, who hold a record of 14-2 this season. The game will be especially challenging as the Titans have a high advantage with four starting players towering 6’4” and above while the Vikings’ stand at 6’2” or lower.

“We’re pretty small,” Sax said. “We’re gonna have to block out much better than we did tonight. We’re really gonna have to stay with those box outs—they’ve got some guys that can really get to the hole so we’re gonna have to help provide a lot of support there.”