A 64-31 home loss to Monta Vista Wednesday saw the Los Altos girls basketball team unable to keep up with the defensive energy of the high-pressure Matadors.
Los Altos (9-10) endured a rough first half where the Matadors (14-3) outscored the Eagles 19-4 in the first quarter and 17-6 in the second, with the 26-point deficit too much to overcome. Los Altos head coach Brittany Taylor felt the team didn’t bring enough intensity early on and credited the Matadors for upsetting the rhythm of the Eagles.
“They came out really swinging,” Taylor said of the start. “I thought we had some good moments, but I think the pressure got to us a little bit. Their defensive pressure got to us a little bit, and it was hard to get on a roll.”
The Eagles stabilized in the second half after a player-led talk at halftime about improving the energy. Monta Vista outscored Los Altos 19-11 in the third quarter but had a 10-9 advantage in the fourth quarter. Taylor praised Monte Vista for getting lots of pressure and creating easy transition buckets on 18 Los Altos turnovers, something Los Altos was able to do in its two-game winning streak previously.
“They’re super disciplined and well coached,” Taylor said. “They definitely executed their game plan well and played with a lot of pace. It’s hard to keep up with that pace if you’re not used to it. So that is the kind of pace we would like to get to.”
Despite the loss, Taylor is encouraged by what she has seen from the team and some of the younger players who have been getting playing time.
“We definitely played much better together in our Homestead and Fremont games,” Taylor said. “Their cohesiveness, collectiveness, and energy down the bench have been great, so I think we are definitely making that stride where we want to get to. Today was a little up and down, but when we are locked in together, we are a very scary team.”
The team has juniors Kaya O’Reilly, Natalie Barton and Karla Araracap getting significant minutes, while sophomore guards Ella McFarlane and Carissa Lai are starters and lead the offense. While some are getting used to the different game experiences and pace, Taylor believes they will be critical to making a strong playoff push to end the season.
“I think Ella [McFarlane] and our younger players are going to be those difference makers,” Taylor said.
McFarlane led the Eagles with 10 points, while senior forward Natalie Holm finished with nine and Macy Watson seven. McFarlane is the primary focus of the offense, but Taylor thinks the team’s role players are also stepping up big.
“Natalie Barton had a great game last week, two really good games, so I’m looking more for our role players to come up and make more impact as well, too,” Taylor said. “I think we are slowly starting to chip away at that.”
The Eagles are looking to make the Central Coast Section playoffs but need at least a couple more wins to ensure a berth after a losing record in nonconference play. Taylor noted a victory against Lynbrook Tuesday (after the Town Crier print deadline) would help Los Altos be in a better position as they aim to finish in the top three in the SCVAL De Anza Division. The Eagles are 4-4 in league play and in fourth place behind Lynbrook (14-6) at 5-3.
“We definitely need to gather a couple of wins here,” Taylor said. “Splitting with Lynbrook definitely put us up there. … We really just have to finish out strong.”
