Steve Margheim/Special to the Town Crier
Los Altos' Geoff Patterson, right, takes a shot vs. San Luis Obispo.
Town Crier Staff Writer
Prep Boys Hoop Scoop
SF wins own tourney
For the third year in a row, the host team won the St. Francis Holiday Tournament.
St. Francis came away with the crown by mauling Miramonte 63-47 in the Dec. 30 championship game. The Lancers took control in the second quarter, putting together at 10-0 run before halftime.
Chase Lyman scored 18 points to pace St. Francis. Jermel Gilliard added 15 points and Adam Buck had 10.
The Lancers won their three tournament games by an average of 29 points. They spanked Mills 71-26 in the opening round and a day later blasted Mountain View 57-31. Buck was named tournament MVP, Lyman made the all-tourney team and Mike Juco won the Mr. Hustle award.
St. Francis played in the WCAL/PAL Challenge Saturday at Serra, defeating Woodside 70-67 in overtime. The Lancers (12-0) had four players in double digits: Troy Bienemann (24 points), Gilliard (12), Lyman (10) and Steve Hensel (10).
MV 4th at SF tourney
Mountain View took fourth in the St. Francis Holiday Tournament after falling 43-18 to San Ramon Valley on Dec. 30.
The Spartans only trailed 13-8 after the first quarter, but their offense sputtered after that. Mountain View scored three points in the next quarter and just seven the entire second half. Seth Greenstein and Nic Lustig led the Spartans (9-5) with eight points apiece.
Mountain View opened the tourney with a 45-40 win over Mt. Eden, as Lustig poured in 23 points. A day later, the Spartans succumbed to St. Francis 57-31.
Panthers tamed
Pinewood may want to invite some weaker teams to next year's Pinewood Classic after what transpired at this year's event. The host Panthers (2-7) failed to win a game at the tournament, held Dec. 28-30.
A 60-47 second-round loss to Hillsdale denied Pinewood a chance to even play on the final day. Three Panthers scored in double digits in the game: Marco Gardner (15), Brian Amanatullah (11) and David Bebb (11).
Homestead humbled
Los Altos High didn't wow anyone with its play last week at the St. Francis Holiday Basketball Tournament, finishing seventh out of eight teams.
However, boys coach Bryan Beasley said his Eagles did show some positive signs over the three-day competition.
"I think we definitely learned something," said the second-year coach. "We played some tough teams, which is good for us. You don't want a bunch of cupcakes on your schedule."
Los Altos (5-7) opened the tourney Dec. 28 with a 63-48 loss to Miramonte, a team that in no way resembles a snack food. Beasley said he was pleased with how tough his team played eventual runner-up Miramonte.
The next day, the Eagles dropped a 78-62 decision to San Luis Obispo. But the game proved to be a coming out party for 6-foot-7 sophomore Geoff Patterson, who scored a season-high 34 points.
"He just didn't miss," Beasley said. "Sometimes you don't remember he's only 15."
The Eagles rounded out the tournament Dec. 30 by eking out a 49-47 win over Mills to capture seventh place.
Los Altos led by as many as 12 early in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings refused to go away. Of course, the Eagles didn't help themselves any by committing seven turnovers in the period.
Streaky Mills closed the gap to 46-44 with 40 seconds left on a three-pointer by Shawn Capilitan. Los Altos then pushed the lead to five with free throws - two from Patterson and another by guard Ryan Brown. Mills' Ross Hiroshima cut the lead to two in the final seconds, but it proved too little too late.
Brown wound up with 24 points to lead the Eagles. The senior nailed a trio of three-pointers, made eight of his 16 field goal attempts and went five-of-six from the foul line. Patterson chipped in 11 points and blocked three shots.
Homestead lost both its games last week at the Overfelt Tournament. The Mustangs opened the tourney Dec. 28 with a 61-51 setback to Mt. Pleasant and the next day fell 41-29 to Fremont.
Homestead coach Matt Zehner said his team played its best game of the year against Mt. Pleasant. The teams were tied going into the fourth quarter, but missed lay-ins and free throws hurt the Mustangs down the stretch. Max McKay and A.J. Peper scored 11 points each to lead Homestead (3-9).