Sports
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coach Donoson FitzGerald, who finished up his 25th season with the Knights. Added SHP coach Ramiro Arrendondo: “Both teams deserve it, right?” Yes, they do. Menlo came into the finale with the most single-season wins (17) as did Sacred Heart Prep (19). The top-seeded Knights exited with a fine 17-3-3 mark while the No. 6-seeded Gators finished 192-3 for the best mark in program history. Clearly, neither team deserved to lose. Sacred Heart Prep found a way to take the lead while Menlo found a way to avert disaster. “SHP played very well,” FitzGerald said. “They challenged
Division I boys Despite holding a 23-15 halftime lead, Menlo-Atherton’s season came to an end in a 53-45 loss to No. 6 Rodriguez of Fairfield
(27-3) in the opening round. The No. 11-seeded Bears finished 1810. M-A played without center Oliver Bucka, who sprained an ankle in a 43-41 loss to Bellarmine in the CCS finals on Saturday. The Bears were outscored by 39-23 in the second half despite the efforts of senior Royce Branning, who finished his career with 18 points. Division IV boys With Corbin Koch tossing in 19 points and Jim McLean adding 13, Sacred Heart Prep advanced in with a 56-52 win over No. 10 seed Colfax (17-14) on Wednesday in Atherton. SHP saw an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter whittled down to just a two-point game (5149) until SHP sophomore Mason Randall hit a 3-pointer for a 54-49 lead. After Colfax answered with its own 3-pointer to make it 54-52 with about 30 seconds left, Randall finished off the visitors with a final hoop. The No. 7-seeded Gators (21-7) next will visit No. 2 Salesian of Richmond (21-14) on Saturday at Albany High at 6 p.m. Salesian, which advanced with a 79-51 win over No. 15 Gridley, eliminated SHP in the NorCal finals two years ago.
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Sam Erisman
Mason Randall
MENLO SCHOOL
SACRED HEART PREP
The freshman guard had a total of 24 points, nine assists and six steals in two CCS Division IV basketball wins, getting 17 points and seven assists in a 49-40 win over Castilleja as the Knights defended their title.
The sophomore guard, who made 12 of 22 field goals, scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in two CCS Division IV basketball wins, getting 15 points and five boards as the Gators beat Harker, 48-37, in the title game.
Honorable mention
Corbin Koch and Andrew Daschbach (33) worked the boards for SHP.
Division V boys With senior Greg Naumann pouring in 21 points, CCS champion Pinewood advanced with a 71-41 romp over No. 10 Forest Lake Christian (25-5) in Los Altos Hills. Aidan Lucero added 16 points for the No. 7-seeded Panthers (24-4), who next will visit No. 2 seed St. Joseph Notre Dame (27-5) on Saturday at 6 p.m. “I thought we played a complete game on both ends of the court,” said Pinewood coach Mani Messy. “There was some urgency in everything we did out there. I was very pleased with the contribution of each player.” Naumann was on target as he made nine of his 14 field-goal attempts. Ryan Brice added nine points plus 10 rebounds and Jordan Riches contributed 11 points to the balanced effort. Pinewood grabbed an early 15-2 lead and cruised from
there while forcing 13 turnovers in the opening quarter. At Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, No. 9 Priory ended its season with a 58-55 loss to No. 8 SFUniversity (25-7). The Panthers finished 16-11 after giving up the lead. Sophomore Scotty Harris
led Priory with 19 points while senior Connor Bonfiglio added 13 and junior Andy Isokpehi finished with 11. University got two free throws with nine seconds left for a three-point lead before a 3-point attempt by Harris clanked off the back rim at the buzzer. N
us. We struggled to find a rhythm offensively, but all the girls made big plays in key moments. Both teams created scoring opportunities and it was an exciting back and forth match.” The Gators grabbed what looked to be the lead for good in the first 10-minute overtime period when freshman Cameron Gordon scored in the 88th minute off a cross from senior Alex Bourdillon. However, Menlo got a saving goal from senior Sienna Stritter in the second overtime — in the 96th minute — to earn a co-title. Stritter had missed from long range just four minutes earlier. “Great scorers find a way to get it done and carry their team to victory,” FitzGerald said. “Sienna is that player. She added an exclamation point to her incredible Menlo soccer career.
“Sienna’s goal was beautiful. She had nearly scored a couple of other times in the game in similar one-on-one situations having beaten a defender on the dribble. We were all so excited when she got that goal to tie it up; happy to get the tie and the championship. Being down a goal with four minutes left makes that goal feel fantastic . . . They always believed in each other all season. That attitude was the key to us coming back. They played their best after we fell behind.” The co-title is the fourth for the Knights, who also shared titles from 1988-90 and won the championship outright in 2012. The Gators won their first and only title in 2009. “We played a great game,” Arrendondo said. “My girls put out all their effort and followed our game plan. We created plenty
of opportunities and I thought we put Menlo on their heels for the majority of the game. Alex (Bourdillon), Tierna (Davidson) and Cameron (Gordon) had an outstanding game.” Arrendondo also liked finishing with a school-record 19 victories. “19-2-3 is a great record and, yes, we are all very proud of our team. The team bonded so well from the beginning of the season and we (coaching staff) had such an amazing time working with them. “We know we had a great season this year and we will miss our senior class, but with such a young team we are also excited for the next few seasons.” The Gators will lose seven seniors — Blair Hamilton, Bourdillon, Maddie Morgan, Brianna Carcione, Meagan Terpening, Maddy Jones and Kate Bechtel —
while the Knights will lose Stritter, Emma LaPorte, Amanda McFarland and Chandler Wickers. Menlo finished the season with a 15-match unbeaten streak, last dropping a match on Jan. 4 to Francis Parker in San Diego. “I am very happy that the girls got it done and earned a CCS championship,” said FitzGerald, who praised sophomore goalie Schuyler Tilney-Volk and junior midfielder Leah Swig for their defensive efforts. “To win the third consecutive league title and another CCS championship is very rewarding and is really special. “These four seniors (Stritter, Wickers, McFarland, LaPorte) are all outstanding players and special girls. I am so proud of what they have accomplished together and so happy to have been their coach.” N
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the Panthers went straight to their press and caused Central Catholic to turn it over eight times in the first quarter. “We’re trying to get used to how we are going to have to play down the road,” said Blythe. “If we continue to win, the competition will get better so we’re going to have to be able to make stops and switch it up on teams defensively.” Panthers junior guard Brije Byers ended the quarter on a fastbreak layup giving her team a 23-4 lead through the first quarter. The junior had a solid game and finished with 21 points, her second-highest point total of the season. With University of San Francisco women’s basketball coach Jennifer Azzi in the stands, Eastside Prep’s 6-foot-2 junior center Destiny Graham sank three jumpers in the fourth quarter to lead her team to the blowout win. She finished with 20 points and seven rebounds while senior Alexus Simon led the way with 22 points and 13 rebounds. “I feel like now since we were all confident today, we’re ready to play for state,” said Byers. “We’re also preparing for harder teams that we’re going to play so we want our defense to be solid.” While Eastside Prep hosts Saturday, No. 2-seeded Pinewood (26-3) will do the same. The Panthers will take on No. 7 Valley Christian-Dublin (27-4) at 6 p.m., following VD-Dublin’s 54-47 win over No. 10 Durham in the first round. In other girls’ action Wednesday: In Division I, Gunn saw its season end following a 47-23 loss to No. 5 McClatchy (26-4) in Sacramento. The Titans finished 10-9 under first-year coach Melanie Murphy, who guided Gunn to the CCS finals last weekend. In Division IV, host Menlo School was eliminated by No. 9 Cardinal Newman, 47-35. The No. 8-seeded Knights finished 18-
12, but did not go without a fight. The teams traded baskets through the second half, and Menlo finished the half ahead 21-20 on Sam Erisman’s 3-pointer and Hannah Paye’s free throws. Cardinal Newman (24-7) came out of the half firing threes and forged ahead in the third. Erisman, a freshman, finished with a team-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and sophomore Mackenzie Duffner added 10 for the two-time defending CCS champion Knights. In Oakland, Castilleja saw its season come to an end following a 48-30 loss to No. 6-seeded Piedmont (20-9). The No. 11-seeded Gators, playing in their first NorCal game since 2010, finished their season at 20-11 — reaching the CCS finals after winning the West Bay Athletic League (Skyline Division) title. Junior Paige Vermeer led Castilleja with 18 points and six rebounds, but was the only Gator in double figures.
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Alex Bourdillon Sacred Heart Prep soccer
Mackenzie Duffner Menlo basketball
Cameron Gordon Sacred Heart Prep soccer
Akayla Hackson Pinewood basketball
Sienna Stritter Menlo soccer
Schuyler Tilney-Volk Menlo soccer
Ryan Brice Pinewood basketball
Andrew Daschbach Sacred Heart Prep basketball
Corbin Koch* Sacred Heart Prep basketball
Andrew Liang Palo Alto swimming
Gunther Matta Menlo tennis
Kyle Murphy Pinewood basketball * previous winner
Watch video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to PASportsOnline.com