TOP STORYLINE: 11TH SEED STILL STANDING
Leland is more than halfway to what would be a stunning Central Coast Section boys basketball championship. Seeded 11th in Division II, the Chargers continued their run – or maybe a walk – through the bracket, upsetting third-seeded Woodside 34-33 on Tuesday night. It was the third-fewest points Leland has scored all season and the fewest it has scored in a victory. The Chargers opened the playoffs on Friday with a 72-55 win over Rancho San Juan. They followed with a 53-50 triumph at sixth-seeded Gunn on Saturday. Now having defeated Woodside, Leland will take aim at second-seeded Christopher for the second time this season. When the teams played in late November, Leland managed just 33 points as Christopher prevailed by 20. The Chargers will probably need more than 33 to advance Thursday. Or maybe not. Thirty-four got it done in the quarterfinals.
SURPRISES
Besides No 11 Leland, only one team beyond a fifth seed snuck into the semifinals in Divisions I through V – seventh-seeded Burlingame in boys Division III. The Panthers went on the road and upset second-seeded Aptos 47-43. They will play third-seeded Sacred Heart Cathedral on Thursday.
GAME DETAILS
Division I boys
No. 1 Menlo-Atherton 52, No. 9 Cupertino 35: Menlo-Atherton brought a heavy dose of defense to its quarterfinal at home against Cupertino as the Bears rolled on their home court. Cupertino, which finished 25-2, scored two points in the first quarter and just seven in the second as M-A built a 26-9 halftime lead. John Anderson had 25 points to lead M-A. Soham Nighojkar (21 points) and Max Feldan (12 points, 11 rebounds) led Cupertino. M-A advances to play Palo Alto on Thursday.
No. 2 Los Gatos 76, No. 7 Leigh 66: A packed house at Los Gatos greeted these teams for their quarterfinal on Tuesday. Scotty Brennan, son of former San Jose State football coach Brent Brennan, scored 20 points to lead Los Gatos (19-6) into the semifinals Thursday against third-seeded Santa Teresa. The Wildcats also got 16 points from Nolan Koch. Caleb Asante had 26 points for Leigh, which finished 16-9.
No. 3 Santa Teresa 92, No. 11 Alvarez 74: Adam Nakai scored 15 points in the first quarter and 16 in the third on his way to a 39-point game that lifted the Saints into the semifinals on Thursday against Los Gatos. The 6-3 senior wing made eight 3-pointers as Santa Teresa improved to 19-6. Casey Tran (16 points), Kenny Zuniga (14 points) and Evan Guillermo (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Saints. Alisal finished 16-11.
No. 4 Palo Alto 59, No. 5 Carlmont 52: In a game that was tight through three quarters, Palo Alto got the separation it needed in the final period to advance to the title game on Thursday against Menlo-Atherton. Jorell Clark (14 points), Riley Yuen (13 points) and Gavin Haase (12 points) were Palo Alto’s top scorers. Carlmont finished 18-8.
Division I girls
No. 1 Evergreen Valley 68, No. 8 Los Altos 48: Evergreen Valley had three players hit double-figures as the Cougars advanced to the CCS Division I semifinals, where they will play host to Carlmont in a rematch of last season’s title game. Ryka Aprameyan scored a game-high 20, Tina Malicad put in 15 points, and Xuan-Mai Nguyen had 14 for Evergreen Valley (20-5). Ella McFarlane and Macy Watson scored 14 apiece to lead Los Altos (12-13) in scoring.
No. 2 Branham 37, No. 7 Menlo-Atherton 30: In a low-scoring game, it was the Bruins who got it done late. Rebecca Sung scored nine points to lead Branham past Menlo-Atherton at home to advance to the semifinals where the Bruins will face No. 3 seed Alisal. Menlo-Atherton’s Molly Gray had nine points in the loss.
Division II boys
No. 11 Leland 34, No. 3 Woodside 33: Trevor Cosgrove put the Leland offense on his back and scored 18 points to help lead Leland to another stunner. No other player scored more than seven points for the Chargers, who beat No. 6 Gunn on Saturday. Leland improved to 20-7 and will play at No. 2 Christopher on Thursday. Kevin Perez scored a team-high 13 points for Woodside, which finished its season 17-7.
Division III girls
No. 2 Mills 62, No. 10 Burlingame 38: The Vikings romped over Burlingame in a rare easy victory. Five of Mills’ last seven games had been decided by one possession or in overtime. Michelle Tang led Mills (18-7) with 15 points, Layla Wong had 10 and Chloe Lee also threw in 10 points. Mills will play host to No. 2 Aptos on Thursday.
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Division IV boys
No. 2 Menlo 56, No. 7 Soquel 39: Menlo used an 11-2 run in the second quarter to help build its lead and eventually beat Soquel. Senior Adam Karr had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Sam Reznik also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Ethan Zhao had 11 points and junior Tate Cohen had an efficient game with seven points and seven assists. The Knights will play King’s Academy on Thursday in the semifinals.
Division IV girls
No. 1 Menlo School 60, No. 8 Monte Vista 20: Menlo School set up a championship matchup with next door rival Sacred Heart Prep after it routed Monte Vista Christian. Ruiqi Liu led the way with 19 points, and Aarthi Abhyanker scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Karen Xin scored 13 points and Summer Young had six rebounds.
ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY
Open Division pool play wraps up with the third and final round. Riordan, Mitty, St. Ignatius and Serra will advance to the boys final on Friday if they win Wednesday. Mitty, Pinewood, St. Ignatius and Los Gatos are in contention for a spot in the girls final.