Varsity boys basketball falters against Menlo 50-81
Varsity boys basketball lost their first league game to Menlo 50-81 in the Zhang Gymnasium on Tuesday.
Menlo won the tipoff and scored a layup after grabbing an offensive rebound off a miss. But starting from the first possession, the Eagles committed to aggressive defense through communicating and switching matchups.
“Every game, we ask our boys to set the tone early,” assistant coach Cutum Derecho said. “With this being our first league game, we want to hit the floor running. We did that today: the score doesn’t reflect that, but we held the right mindset heading to the game.”
At 7:22 in the first quarter, point guard Caden Ruan (12) drove downhill, drawing a double and finding forward Prithvi Pandey (9) who was fouled and sank both free throws. Throughout the night, the Eagles’ offense centered almost exclusively on hard drives and finding open teammates. A string of Harker turnovers let Menlo take a 2-8 lead, with head coach Alfredo Alves calling a timeout with 6:27 remaining.
“Menlo had quite a few possessions where they kept getting points because we couldn’t get the rebound,” Ethan Lei (12) said. “They’re more active on defense too. We’re doing pretty well on not being afraid to take shots, but we should be more focused on driving. Our players are more reliant on shooting because our team is physically smaller than other teams. This time, they’re guarding our shooters really closely, so they’re basically trying to force us to drive.”
After more Harker turnovers, guard Rishan Thoppay (12) collected an offensive rebound and banked a layup high off the glass to make the score 4-14. With 2:39 remaining, Rishaan and guard Stephen Gao (9) ran a series of handoffs before finding center Vivek Yella in the post for a lay, 6-18. Caden converted off a steal and Stephen hit two free throws for the Eagles to enter the second quarter down 10-21.
“I told myself before the game that I wouldn’t get flustered with their size or their athleticism,” Stephen said. “I was trying to keep that mindset throughout the game. I was trying everything I could to get to the hoop and make something happen.”
The Eagles opened the second quarter with intense defense. Despite Menlo out-rebounding Harker and maintaining possession for over a minute, forward Babila Mfonfu (11) forced a turnover off a travel. Stephen led the offense, getting to the line but this time only making one free throw.
Two Harker turnovers grew the deficit to 11-25 before shooting guard Lucas Huang (10) slashed left and made a layup. Lucas struck again with 4:06 remaining, this time pulling up at the right elbow and swishing it. However, Menlo responded to each one of Lucas’s baskets, keeping the lead at 15-31.
“If everybody rebounds, we get an extra four possessions, let’s say,” Alves said. “That changes the whole complexity of the game. I’m not asking someone to shoot lights out. But I want you guys to have the best possible chance that we can give ourselves. Contest their shot, stay down. Make them miss. We’ll get the rebound.”
Menlo started the second half strong, splashing two threes, converting an and-one, and scoring off an offensive rebound to go up 22-47. After converting some Harker turnovers to go up 30-61, Caden dumped the ball off to Robinson on the left wing and set a down screen for Rishaan, curling in from the right wing. Robinson found Rishaan for the layup.
“Growth is about leaning into our strengths, trusting in the things that we do every day, and just taking it one step at a time,” Derecho said. “It’s equal parts ambition, equal parts patience. You’re not going to get everything overnight.”
The Eagles began the fourth quarter down 35-65. Menlo struck first, but Stephen drove into the lane once again, banking it in off a slow step. Stephen missed a midrange jumper short but stayed aggressive the next play, driving and spinning left to make a layup with 5:05 remaining. Daniel hit two free throws to bring the score to 42-74.
Alongside Robinson, Daniel stifled a Menlo two-man game and found forward Damien Wang (10) for an open layup. After a string of fouls on both teams, Daniel sprinted ahead on a fast break to double-clutch a layup, bringing the score to 45-79 with 1:27 remaining.
Menlo began to dribble the clock out with :16 left, but Robinson stole the ball and finished through contact to end the game 50-81. Despite not changing the game’s outcome, Alves commented in a postgame speech how Robinson’s mentality to play hard until the buzzer defined the team’s showing.
“We didn’t play like that the last couple of games,” Alves said. “I’m not talking about the steals or the turnovers or the missed layups. It’s the energy. Today, you matched a good team’s energy. You’ve got to remember how you played in that game, how hard you had to get open to get the ball, how hard you had to drive, how hard you had to work for open shots, how hard you had to defend.”
