The boys’ basketball team has gone on a three-game winning streak, defeating Gunn in a 74-71 overtime nail-biter on Jan. 30, Santa Clara 58-49 on Feb. 1 and Monta Vista 72-50 on Feb. 5.
The Falcons are looking to win out their last three games of their regular season against league-leading Wilcox on Feb. 12, Lynbrook on their senior night on Feb. 14 and Fremont on Feb. 18. Currently positioned in third place in the El Camino league with a league record of 5-4 and an overall record of 11-10, the Falcons are hoping to finish second and have an outside shot at first if they win all the rest of their games.
Seniors forward Leo Cao and guard Siva Sambasivm alongside junior guard Cameron King continue to lead the team in scoring; the three shot a combined 40.9, 42.9 and 41.7 percent from 3-point range against Gunn, Santa Clara and Monta Vista, respectively, with scoring totals of 50, 36 and 48 points. Junior point guard Tyler Chu has played a pivotal role in controlling the pace of the game, averaging four assists per game.
“We’ve really come together as a team,” said sophomore Som Teymouri, a first-year guard. “Our chemistry has really improved since the beginning of the season.”
Several first-year players are stepping into their roles better. In addition to Teymouri, sophomore guard Christian Li and freshman center Mason Wang have been new key contributors.
The guard-oriented team focuses on quick ball movement and getting out early in transition. King noted that Li and Wang have adjusted quickly.
“We thrive on driving and kicking out to the 3-point shot. Christian and Mason really fit into that dynamic because they’re athletic and quick,” King said. “They bring depth to the team.”
One key to the team’s recent win streak has been their ability to compensate for their lack of height with hot shooting and diligent defense. In their last three games, hot 3-point shooting has enabled the Falcons’ offense to hum.
Against bigger teams, coach Patrick Judge emphasizes quick ball movement on offense and implements a choking technique to limit the impact of other teams’ prominent bigs by doubling them in the post and scattering out to shooters on the perimeter; the Falcons successfully held Santa Clara’s 6-foot-5 center to just eight points on Feb. 1 by trapping him and denying him the ball.
“When we play bigger guys and we actually follow the game plan, we play well,” junior forward Ashwin Sarathy said. “Santa Clara has the biggest guy in the league and we beat them at their place because we knocked down shots and locked their big man down.”
Even through their success, the team is looking to patch up their flaws, specifically by staying consistent throughout the game.
“We’ll play well for the first three quarters, but then we’ll fall apart in the fourth,” King said. “It’s just those lapses that cause us to lose games.”
But despite their early-season troubles, the team is confident they can do well and make a lengthy CCS run.
“We started picking it up, and we became a team,” Teymouri said. “Now that we’re playing together, we might even win the league.”
Due to printing deadlines, the Falcon was unable to cover the games against Wilcox on Feb. 12 and Lynbrook on Feb. 14.