Plagued by consistent fouls in the fourth quarter, the boys basketball team endured a hard loss to district rival Mountain View. The team fell back from a 36-36 tie in the third quarter to end the tough game at 58-44.

“We played with fight and great energy throughout the whole game, but toward the end we got frantic when Mountain View started to knock down shots,” senior Kenny Hamel said. “We wanted to get quick buckets to get us back in the game but by pushing the tempo players began to force turnovers.”

The Eagles warmed up slowly in the first quarter, giving Mountain View a 4-0 lead within the first three minutes. Even with sophomore Nolan Brennan converting a three-point play with 45 seconds left, the quarter ended with the Eagles trailing the Spartans 13-8.

Although the Spartans scored within the first minute of the second quarter, the Eagles rebounded to seize momentum. Strong defense held Mountain View at bay, while Nolan took matters into his own hands, scoring eight consecutive points in part of a 11-0 run by the Eagles to end the half up 25-23.

The third quarter was back-and-forth, with ties and lead changes on nearly every possession. Buckets from Kenny, junior Tommy Andrews and sophomore Simon Heck pushed the pace, but Mountain View was able to break through the Eagles’ press to keep up, and the teams were tied at the end of the quarter 36-36.

It was during the fourth quarter that the Eagles began to fall back due to consistent fouls and fatigue. The period started off great for the Eagles, with Kenny driving to the basket and completing a three-point play to retake the lead. However, the Spartans pushed hard with their offense, taking back the lead by one point at 4:30. From then on, the Spartans’ extended defense and pressure forced multiple Los Altos turnovers and put the Eagles in a hole too deep to escape.

With 57 seconds left, the Eagles made a valiant effort to close the 11 point gap with a three pointer and a free throw. This only led to four Spartan free throws in a row, each ten seconds apart, to finish off the game at 58-44.