Both the boys and girls basketball teams entered their CCS quarterfinal matchups with nothing to lose yesterday, February 23. Both teams blew away expectations this season, topping their respective divisions despite young rosters. When the dust cleared, the boys won against Westmoor High School 75-66, advancing to the CCS semifinals. The girls fell in a nail-biter, losing 42-40 to Mountain View High School (MVHS).

The boys came out strong in the first quarter, rallying behind nine quick points from point guard senior Nate Vieira. Junior Joey Malgesini also came up big for the Eagles in the first quarter, scoring five points. By the end of the first quarter, Los Altos was up 16-13.

“As [they were] the number one seed, we knew they would be very good and it would be a tough game,” junior Steven Garverick said. “They like to play fast-paced and unorganized so we focused on making sure we played our style of game and didn’t buy into theirs.”

That strategy paid off as the Eagles continued to control the floor in the second quarter, and Los Altos was up 34-26 by the end of the half. The team continued to hold strong as the second half progressed. At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles were up 53-41.

As the fourth quarter wound down, Westmoor came within striking distance on several occasions, at one point narrowing the score to 64-69. However, a clutch layup by Nate and solid free throws from Nate, Joey, senior Anthony Otey and sophomore Daniel Rosenbaum helped the Eagles seal the win. The Eagles will play in the CCS semifinals this Tuesday, February 26.

“We had guys step up and hit key free throws to close out the game,” Steven said.

On the girls side, the Lady Eagles took a heartbreaking loss in their quarterfinal game against MVHS. After leading for the entire game, the Lady Eagles couldn’t stop a last minute drive from MVHS that propelled the Spartans to a win.

In the first quarter, the Lady Eagles took an early lead. Key shooting from freshman Meg Enthoven and senior Ideen Seyed helped Los Altos close out the first quarter with a 19-9 lead. Throughout the rest of the half, the Lady Eagles dominated and ended the half leading 30-20.

It wasn’t until late in the third quarter that MVHS began to make a run. Down 24-36, the Spartans took off, scoring 10 unanswered points and bringing the score to 34-36. MVHS kept its momentum going into the fourth quarter, and in the final minutes, crept ahead of the Lady Eagles, taking a 42-40 lead.

For both teams, it’s been a season to remember. After taking down Westmoor, the number one seed, the boys are poised to take the CCS Division II title. For the girls, who will return all but one starter next season, this season’s run set the stage for a breakout season next year.