BOYS BASKETBALL: Cupertino Falls in CCS Quarters to Palo Alto

Palo Alto 52, Cupertino 42

The Star: Palo Alto sophomore EJ Floreal is the X factor anytime his team squares off  against its Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division rival, Cupertino High. For the second straight time against the Pioneers, Floreal flourished inside and the Vikings won the game. The underclassman made the most of his touches on the inside and took advantage of several fast break chances, finishing nicely down low to tune of a game-high 19 points when all was said and done.

Cupertino guard Terry Chu scored a team-high 17 points, while junior Gokul Natesan added 12 points for the Pioneers in the Central Coast Section Division II Boys Basketball Playoff matchup held Saturday morning at Foothill College.

 The Turning Point: Foul trouble can hinder a team’s aggression level at times, but when Cupertino all-everything junior Gokul Natesan fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, the loss spelled the end for the Pioneers. Only down eight points with five minutes and change left to play, the offensively-limited Pioneers lost their go-to man and couldn’t recover down the stretch. EJ Floreal and lefty-reserve guard Israel Hakim each attacked the glass and converted on second chance opportunities, pushing the Paly lead into double digits deep into the final quarter of play.

The Quotes: “We ran our offense well, we just didn’t hit our 3’s,” Natesan said after the loss. “I think we were 5-for-26 from the 3-point line. If the shots fell, then maybe the game would have turned out differently for us.”

 Palo Alto’s up tempo offense also hurt Cupertino’s chances to be successful on Saturday morning.

 “Our goal is to hold our opponents to under or around 40 points,” Natesan said. “They scored 52 points. That’s just too much.”

 Eight seniors played in their last game for Cupertino on Saturday, including starters Terry Chu, Ryan Prendergast, Sergio Licardie and Taskasi Huynh.

 “It was very fun to play with this group,” Natesan said. “After dropping the first two games in league to finishing in second place, it was a great season for us.”

 What's Next? Cupertino finishes the year with an 18-8 record overall. The Pioneers finished in second place in the De Anza League behind first place Palo Alto. A 45-40 Cupertino win over Palo Alto on Jan. 14 was the lone league loss on Paly’s resume this season.

Palo Alto will have to deal with Division II top seed Archbishop Mitty Prep-San Jose on Tuesday night. Led by super sophomore Aaron Gordon—this year’s West Catholic Athletic League player of the year—Mitty dispatched of Pioneer High 67-45 in the nightcap on Saturday.

Bottom Line: It was a solid victory for a Vikings team that has plenty of scoring options to choose from, but will need to protect the ball much better against a superior Mitty lineup. Floreal shined on the playoff stage as did crafty southpaw Hakim. Crowding the Cupertino shooters all game long—mainly Natesan and point guard Terry Chu—the Vikings will able to force their opponents shooters into the middle and away from the 3-point line.

The diamond-and-one defense used by the Pioneers started off strong—forcing 11 turnovers in the first quarter—but the pace quickened in the second quarter, leading to several easy transition scores by the athletic Vikings lineup.

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Cupertino Scoring

Natesan-12

Chu-17

Prendergast-5

Huynh-5

Chu-1

Bautista-2