Photo credits to Bob Dahlberg
On Saturday afternoon, the boys’ basketball team secured an easy victory against the Palo Alto (Paly) Vikings, with a final score of 61-42.
While M-A held a short lead for the majority of the game, at times the score was neck and neck. After eight minutes in, the teams were tied at 12-12. However after Paly missed a three-pointer, sophomore Jacob Sutton got possession of the ball and drove it down the court for a swift layup.
Senior Justin Moore added to the momentum by putting up three points as the quarter came to a close. After a last-second foul on the Bears, Paly made one out of two free throws bringing the score to 24-17.
The second quarter saw stronger defense from the Bears, highlighted by an impressive block from Moore. M-A entered halftime with a five-point lead, 24-19.
The intensity picked up drastically in the second half, with Paly eager to even the score. While the Vikings managed to get a quick layup and three-pointer. Senior Jack Anderson grabbed multiple defensive rebounds for M-A to help regain control of the game.
M-A also saw excellent teamwork from senior Jonah Missan and junior Trevor Cadigan. Missan stole possession of the ball and quickly passed to Cadigan who wasted no time securing a three-pointer to extend the Bears’ lead going into the final quarter
The third quarter ended at 39-30, with M-A still in the lead.
The final stretch of the game saw extensive fouls. Ferocity from both the Vikings and Bears was apparent and the intensity was high. Still, Anderson and Cadigan managed to bring the Bears success by knocking down their free throws.
Cadigan said, “As a team, we had great ball movement, we were able to attack the basket really well and create many open looks.”
He continued, “I’m excited to see how good our team can become. We could definitely work on bringing the same energy to every game. We should not worry about who we are playing, and think that a team will be an easy or tough win.”
Despite Paly making a free throw with 15 seconds left on the clock, the game still ended in defeat for the Vikings, with a final score of 61-52.
After the game, senior Ben Timm said, “The team is like a perfectly orchestrated symphony, where each player’s unique notes harmonize to create a winning melody on the court, and that’s exactly what happened today.”
The team will look to stay unbeaten against the Menlo Knights this Thursday at 6 pm.
