Boys’ basketball in position to win its league

With a win against Mountain View on Feb. 6, the boys’ basketball team, led by star senior point guard Michael Cole, improved its record to 16-5 overall and 8-1 in league play. As of Feb. 6, the team leads the El Camino League.

Although the team easily won its last game against Mountain View 53-34 on Jan. 16, this time the game was a lot closer with the Falcons prevailing 52-49.

The difference was the team’s inability to defend the 3-point shot. In fact, Mountain View made 14 3-pointers in the game, which accounted for 42 of their 49 points.

“We executed our offense well, but we didn't get out on their shooters fast enough, which led to them shooting a lot of threes,” senior center Kevin Lee said.

On Feb. 3, the Falcons beat Santa Clara 49-37, holding their opponents to 19 points through three quarters.  

Cole said the team played well on defense and offense.

“We came out with a lot of energy and intensity from the very beginning and executed our offense and won,” Cole said.

The team also beat Cupertino 51-49 on Jan. 30. The Falcons lost to Cupertino earlier in the season, giving them extra motivation for this game.

“Cupertino played really well and they put up a good fight, but our guys were not ready to lose,” junior power forward Jatin Mohanty said.

The first time the two teams faced off, the Falcons lost 53-45. Mohanty said that the Falcons came to this game with a different mentality.

“The first game we were sluggish and played uninspired, but the second game we never really got discouraged and made runs to win the game,” Mohanty said.   

The Falcons started off poorly and found themselves down 28-21 at halftime. However, by the end of the third quarter, the team closed the deficit to two points.

During the fourth quarter, the Falcons took a 51-49 lead with less than a minute left in the game. Junior shooting guard Joe Eschen was fouled and went to the free throw line to shoot a one-and-one free throw with seven seconds remaining.

Eschen missed the free throw and Cupertino was able to come up with the rebound. With time winding down, Cupertino freshman guard George Ellegood hurried to drive in for a layup; however, Mohanty contested the shot and forced a miss for the win.

Entering the season, the team set a goal to win the El Camino League and move back up to the De Anza League. With over half of league play finished, the Falcons are in a prime position to achieve this goal, with the team tied with Gunn High School for first in Leagues.

Since the team beat Gunn previously, it holds the tiebreaker over Gunn. Because of this, Mohanty said that the team needs to play every single game like its their last if they want to make CCS.

Cole said that he is excited about what the team has accomplished so far.

“We need to continue improving, and play each game as though it's a championship game,” Cole said. “I believe we are looking very good, and I'm confident that we will reach our goal.”

An aspect of the offense that the team has been focusing on is getting the ball near the basket to the big men and getting to the free throw line.

In the last five games, the Falcons have shot over 20 free throws a game, winning all of them as a result.

However, Cole believes the team can still improve on the defensive end.

“We need to stick to shooters, close out with high hands to prevent easy shots and make sure we double-team when the other team enters the ball into the post,” Cole said.

Cole said that the team is looking forward to the league game against Gunn that is happening today, who shares their position at the top of the league, making it an important game in determining who will win the league.   

Due to printing deadlines, the Falcon was not able to cover the Feb. 10 game against Lynbrook. The Falcons have an away game against Gunn today and their final league game against Monta Vista on Feb. 17.