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Published on 02/02/1998 All articles from this issue

Late rally leads St. Francis over Serra

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By Pete Borello / Town Crier Staff Writer

Boys hoops roundup

Eagles eliminated

Los Altos' 67-50 setback at Wilcox last Friday officially knocked the Eagles out of playoff contention.

Los Altos needed to win its last four games to finish .500 in the SCVAL De Anza Division, thus earning a post-season bid. The loss to the Chargers dropped the Eagles to 2-7 in league with only three games remaining.

David Nesby led Los Altos with 16 points and Eian Burton scored 13.

On Feb. 4, host Los Altos clobbered Santa Clara 76-57. The Eagles controlled the game throughout and led 49-22 at half. Four Los Altos players finished in double figures: Dino Quintero (16 points), Jeremaine Racela (16), Pete Bjorklund (14) and Burton (11).

Spartans subdue Falcons

Mountain View went to 5-3 in the SCVAL El Camino Division with a 42-30 home win against Saratoga Feb. 4. The Spartans trailed by two at intermission, but out-scored the Falcons 30-16 in the second half. Seth Greenstein poured in 20 points for Mountain View and Brian Cordero scored eight. The Spartans had a bye last Friday and entered the week with a 9-12 overall record.

Homestead humbled

Host Monta Vista went on a 20-8 run in the fourth quarter to surprise Homestead 60-58 last Friday.

Brian Holm led the Mustangs (4-5 league) with 14 points and Los Altos resident Pat Cabell added six.

On Feb. 4, host Homestead beat Fremont 46-39. Cabell led the Mustangs with 15 points and Dat Lai contributed 12.

Homestead entered this week with a 4-5 record in the SCVAL El Camino Division.

Titans triumph

The St. Francis High boys basketball team walked off the court fatigued and floor-burned, but feeling good just the same.

A come-from-behind victory based on hustle and heart tends to do that to a team.

The Lancers rallied from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Serra 61-54 last Friday night in Mountain View.

St. Francis battled back with a furious full-court press and a flurry of free throws in the final quarter. The Lancers forced nine turnovers - four on 10-second violations - and scored 15 of their 29 points from the foul line.

"We used a lot of people and played our butts off," said St. Francis coach Steve Filios. "We pressured them all we could and rotated fresh guys onto the floor."

The turn around began soon after Pat Kennedy's three-pointer put the Padres ahead 48-36 with 5:39 to play.

St. Francis, which struggled from the perimeter all evening, started attacking the basket every chance it got. Serra countered with fouls, putting the Lancers on the line and stopping the clock. And this is exactly what St. Francis needed to get back in the game.

The Lancers rattled off nine straight points to close within 48-45. The first seven points were due to made free throws or follow-ups of missed ones. Chase Lyman capped the run with a layup in traffic that ignited the crowd.

Kennedy responded with two successful drives of his own, giving Serra a seven-point lead with 3:13 remaining.

But the St. Francis defense clamped down from there.

Serra seemed almost helpless against the St. Francis press, which created five turnovers in the final three minutes. And it wasn't just starters like Senque Carey (three steals) that came up with them. Reserves like Matt Lemos and Jason Jackson were all over the floor, diving for loose balls and making terrific sideline saves.

Adam Buck benefited from two of these turnovers, scoring back-to-back buckets in the paint. This closed the gap to 52-50 with 1:57 left.

A minute later, Ryan Hensel hit a mid-range jumper to put St. Francis up 53-52 - its first lead since early in the second quarter.

The Lancers put the game away by sinking eight consectutive free throws and limiting Serra to just two more points.

Carey, who is a candidate for the McDonald's High School All-America Team, led St. Francis with 22 points. Lyman and Matt Maguire scored 11 each.

On Feb. 4, St. Ignatius walloped visiting St. Francis 81-65. Carey scored 27 points. Pat Yaeger added 12 points and Lyman had 11.

The Lancers are now 6-4 in the West Catholic Athletic League and 18-5 overall.

Gunn Improved to 5-4 in the SCVAL El Camino Division with a 56-50 win at Saratoga last Friday.

Three Titans scored in double figures: Jamar Barnett (12 points), Tom Sikic (11) and Los Altos Hills resident Fred Shepard (10).

On Feb. 4, host Gunn edged Monta Vista 55-49. The Titans trailed 23-17 at the break, then went on a 37-26 run in the second half. Johnnie Gray scored a team-high 15 points for Gunn and Barnett added 13. Shepard was held to six points.