The Los Altos and Mountain View boys tennis teams extended their pandemic-shortened seasons by making the Central Coast Section playoffs, with both squads advancing beyond the first round last week.
The Eagles edged Los Gatos and Mitty by 4-3 scores to reach the quarterfinals, where they were overwhelmed by top-seeded Menlo Friday. The undefeated Knights prevailed 7-0. Los Altos finished the season 12-1.
The Spartans got past San Mateo 4-3 in the opening round, but they fell to Saratoga 5-2 the next day. Mountain View played San Mateo shorthanded, according to coach Frank Smyth, who had to replace a player at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
The Spartans went 7-4 this year.
Girls basketball
Pinewood has yet to be tested, entering this last week of the regular season having beaten all 12 of its opponents by at least 20 points. The Panthers last week won their four games by a combined 286-156.
Pinewood had a different leading scorer in every game. Annika Decker went 7-for-11 from the field and finished with 17 points in the 69-49 win at Woodside Priory May 18. In the Panthers’ two other West Bay Athletic League games, Courtni Thompson totaled 20 points in the 81-18 rout of Notre Dame-Belmont Thursday and Chance Bucher put up 19 in Friday’s 75-51 victory over Menlo. In Saturday’s 61-38 non-league win over Bishop O’Dowd, Una Jovanovic scored 22 points.
Depleted Los Altos split its two games with Homestead last week to go to 7-3 in the SCVAL De Anza Division. The Eagles – down to six players due to injuries before calling up two members of the junior varsity team last week – beat the Mustangs 50-43 May 18 and fell to them 44-37 Friday.
“We’re patching ourselves together, as they say, with Band-Aids and baling wire,” coach Erik Stuart said.
In last week’s home win, senior guards Jamie Baum and Mone Sekiguchi played the entire game, finishing with 23 and 12 points, respectively.
“They do not want to come out,” Stuart said of his team captains, adding that Sekiguchi was just getting over an upper-leg injury. “They want to be on the floor every minute they can.”
Sekiguchi capped the second quarter with a 3-pointer and opened the third with another that extended Los Altos’ lead to 31-20. The Eagles twice pushed that advantage to 17 points – on a long jumper by Tara Davari (in her first varsity game) midway through the third and then on Baum’s top-of-the-key 3 with just more than a minute left in the quarter.
Los Altos didn’t hit a 3 in Friday’s road loss (0-14), and shot just 25% from the field. Sekiguchi tallied 14 points and Baum had 11.
Boys basketball
Mountain View dropped out of first place in the De Anza Division with Saturday’s 55-44 loss at Santa Clara.
The Spartans slipped to 8-2 in league and the Bruins, who also beat Mountain View May 15, improved to 8-1. Each team has only two games left before CCS.
Baseball
Down eight runs in the third, Los Altos rallied to defeat Wilcox 12-11 in extra innings Friday.
After Nick Teng tripled to score Colby Cook in the seventh, Cole Rafferty walked with the bases loaded to put the Eagles up 11-10, only to see the Chargers tie the game in the bottom of the frame.
In the eighth, Teng came through again by hitting an infield single with the bases loaded to score pinch runner Gareth Cartier. Los Altos’ one-run lead held up this time, as reliever Aaron Parker pitched a 1-2-3 inning to earn the win. The senior also contributed at the plate Friday, driving in five runs with a homer and double.
The Eagles, who earlier in the week lost 8-6 to the Chargers and 4-1 to Los Gatos, went to 4-7 in the De Anza Division. Los Altos’ overall record dipped to 10-10 with Saturday’s 9-7 non-league loss at Leigh. Parker slugged two homers and Rafferty hit one.
Track and field
Los Altos split last week’s De Anza Division dual meet at Lynbrook, with the boys prevailing 75-51 and the girls falling 73-54.
The boys, undefeated at 5-0, won 11 events May 19.
John Zhai claimed the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches) and triple jump (41-10.5), and finished second in the long jump (20-09.5), which teammate Joshua Kung won (21-03.75).
Jimmy Dessouki took top honors in the 300-meter hurdles (40.50 seconds), ran on the Eagles’ victorious 4×100 (44.36) and 4×400 (3:34.56) relay teams. The senior also placed second in the 110 hurdles (15.80), an event won by teammate Shawn Toney (15.47).
Los Altos dominated the distance races, with Kevin Andrews winning the 1,600 run (4:31.70) and Hans Holst the 3,200 (9:58.31). The Eagles also received wins from Reece Enthoven in the 400 dash (54.42) and Charlie Atkins in the 200 (23.13).
Megan MacKenzie led the Los Altos girls (3-2 in league), winning every event she entered. The sophomore finished first in the long jump (16-03.5), triple jump (38-0) and 200 dash (26.49), and she also ran on the Eagles’ winning 4×400 relay team (4:16.92).
Maddy Randall, also part of the relay, won the 800 run (2:21.31) and Maura Kelleher captured the high jump (4-10).
Soccer
The St. Francis boys and girls lost their CCS playoff openers in similar fashion Saturday, both falling by 2-1 scores in overtime.
The sixth-seeded St. Francis girls fell to No. 3 Leigh in the Open Division quarterfinals, while the No. 6 St. Francis boys lost to No. 3 Menlo-Atherton in the Division I quarters.
The Los Altos boys, the third seed in Division II, dropped a 1-0 decision at home to No. 6 Monta Vista in Saturday’s quarters.
Boys lacrosse
Bailey Lunn and Remy Briens each scored a goal in Mountain View’s 13-2 loss at Palo Alto last week. The Spartans conclude their season at 4 p.m. Friday against visiting Los Altos.
