A dominant second quarter from Mountain View, thanks to a locked-in defense, helped it earn a 53-42 CCS Division I playoff rivalry win over Los Altos Saturday.
A fast start for Los Altos saw it take a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Mountain View went on a 22-8 run in the second quarter, with Mountain View coach Kevin Mack crediting the team’s defense for being the catalyst.
“When we are locked in defensively, and we are doing the right things in the gaps, and we are recovering and active and aggressive, good things happen,” Mack said.
Los Altos went on a 6-0 run to open the second half to bring it to 32-31, but Mountain View responded with an 11-0 run to bring the lead back into double digits at 43-31. Los Altos, playing a day after a play-in game win over Branham the night before, could not overcome a fresh Mountain View, which did not have to play in the first round. Los Altos coach James Reilly noted the team needed a few baskets to keep it close in the second half but could not get them, and the team’s tired legs affected shot selection as the game went on.
“I feel like we settled a little bit in a sense of, we were a little bit tired, so we took the first shot, rather than the best shot,” Reilly said.
Mountain View point guard Roshan Ramachandran was the offensive force for the Spartans in the second half, scoring 11 points in the second half.
“Tonight, he was huge in that third quarter and fourth quarter,” Mack said of Ramachandran. “Not even thinking, just making the right plays and attacking the rim, so it was good to see him do that. I feel like he has been doing that more consistently lately.”
No. 9 seed Mountain View (11-14) will now move on to play No. 2 seed Los Gatos away 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Los Altos’ season is over, but Reilly said the team has made as much improvement over the year as any team in his 17-year coaching career at Los Altos.
“The guys were fantastic, they really improved,” Reilly said of the season. “We had a lot of injuries and illness, everybody has some of that, we had a lot of that, and we really improved, it was a rewarding season.”
