SAN MATEO — The effects of a tough non-league schedule were evident from the get-go on Wednesday, as Menlo-Atherton raced out to a 15-point lead lead after one quarter and cruised to a 57-32 win over a Hillsdale team that had gone 11-1 in non-league play but looked overwhelmed in the PAL South opener for both teams.
The Fighting Knights simply couldn’t handle the defensive pressure and rebounding strength that Menlo-Atherton (7-4, 1-0) presented, as the Bears went on a 14-0 run that encapsulated most of the first quarter. After the hosts finally got their first field goal on a Zack Dwyer putback, Nick Tripaldi hit a three at the buzzer, a fitting end to an opening eight minutes that were dominated by the much more prepared M-A team.
“It helps us significantly come league play,” said Bears head coach Mike Molieri. “We come in knowing that we play with competitive teams and a high level of athleticism. A lot of teams in our league don’t see the level of intensity we play on the defensive side.”
Even though the 11th-ranked Bears started to cool off from the field in the second, they grabbed nine offensive rebounds and went into the break with a 34-15 advantage and led by as much as 23 midway through the second quarter when a Will Beasley 3-pointer stretched the lead to 32-9.
Hillsdale (11-2, 0-1) did play a solid third quarter after acclimating to the competition, outscoring the Bears 12-8 in the period and offering a glimpse of what might have been had the Fighting Knights could have done had they entered the game with more experience against the quality of competition that Menlo-Atherton had been familiar with.
The hosts scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 14, the closest it had been since the end of the first quarter, but Menlo-Atherton went on an 8-2 run, with Beasley starting the stretch and Dean Fratt scoring the final four of the stretch as M-A restored a 20-point advantage.
A 15-5 fourth quarter capped off a night that Brett Stevenson’s team will want to forget altogether. The Fighting Knights (they added the “Fighting” to the name in 2014) made just one 3-pointer and shot 15-of-26 at the line. Eric Bower’s 8-for-10 performance was the only bright spot for Hillsdale free-throw shooters, as the rest of his team shot under 50%. Bower led the team with eight points, while Dwyer finished with six points and seven rebounds. As a team, CCS No. 17 Hillsdale got outrebounded 45-33 and surrendered 20 offensive rebounds, which led to 12 second-chance points and a good chunk of Menlo-Atherton’s trips to the line, from which the Bears shot 10-of-13.
Beasley, a broad-shouldered 5-foot-11 junior who weighs 205 pounds of pure muscle, scored 15 points, pulled down eight rebounds and created matchup problems all night.
“I’ve really developed a mid-range shot starting last year,” said Beasley. “It’s become a main part of my game.”
James Beckwith scored 14 for Menlo-Atherton, including 10 in the first half.
Around the PAL
CCS No. 15 Mills (10-3, 1-0) outscored host San Mateo 24-11 in the fourth quarter and got a tie-breaking 3-pointer from Nick Brouqua with 50 seconds left for a hard-fought 59-53 victory. Michael Matsuno led the Vikings with 17 points, including five 3-pointers, while Colby Vasquez scored 13. San Mateo (7-6, 0-1) was led by Ryan Miles-Ferguson’s 18 points, and the Bearcats also got 13 from Viraj Chadha.
No. 4 Sequoia (9-4, 1-0) got 20 points and 13 rebounds from Ziggy Lauese to fight off an inspired effort from host Burlingame for a 68-55 win. The Cherokees scored the final four points of the third quarter to take a 47-41 lead and led by double-digits throughout most of the fourth. Sequoia, which used a 14-6 run to take a 34-23 halftime lead, got 11 points apiece from Pedram Attari and Lio Lauese. Cal Spurlock scored 25 for Burlingame (1-11, 0-1). Sequoia won despite an 18-for-30 effort at the line and 18 turnovers.
Woodside (8-5, 1-0) picked up a 61-52 win at Aragon (6-6, 0-1) as Gabe DeVitis scored 26 for the victorious Wildcats. Woodside also got 16 points from Justin Sandoval and 12 each from Mike Yee and Beck Patrone. Tommy Cheang scored 17 for the Dons while Davion Cox finished with 16.
In head coach Ron Ozorio’s PAL debut, Carlmont (7-6, 1-0) outscored Capuchino (6-7, 0-1) 20-14 in the fourth quarter for a 45-41 win after mustering just 25 points through the first three periods.
Ethan Menzies was at it again on Wednesday night for Half Moon Bay (10-3, 2-0 PAL North), scoring 34 points, including a jaw-dropping alley-oop, and pulling down 15 rebounds for a double-double in a 77-54 win over Oceana (3-11, 0-2). Jovani Image scored 17 for the visiting Sharks.
Freshman wing Justin Milch scored 22 points and shot 5-for-5 on 3-pointers Terra Nova (5-8, 1-0) raced out to a 44-27 halftime lead en route to a 74-62 win over visiting El Camino. Jackson Kubal added 19 for the host Tigers and Josh Milch, Justin’s older brother, scored 10. El Camino (2-10, 1-1) got 15 points from Andrew Triunfo and 11 from Ian Dugas.
Westmoor (4-9, 1-1) beat South San Francisco (3-11, 1-1) 51-48 behind 17 points from E.J. Perucho and 13 from Nick Cote.
