Boys basketball advances to next round of CCS in comeback win

The varsity boys basketball team came away to win 57-50 against Leigh High School, advancing to quarterfinals in CCS.

For guard sophomore Bemi Onipedi, only one word was needed to describe the Eagles’ victory over visiting Leigh: “Amazing.”

“I’ve never played a game like that before,” he said.

The 6th ranked Eagles came back to win against the 11th ranked Longhorns, a game so intense it even fueled a duel between the rival cheerleading squads.

In the first quarter, both teams dominated for stretches, and the Eagles led 12-6 with 3 minutes remaining after a 3-pointer by junior Scott Yuan.

But the Longhorns answered back, as their forwards took advantage of poor interior defense to consistently penetrate deep into the key to go on a 10-1 run to end the quarter.

Their streak carried over into the second, and was aided by multiple Eagle mistakes such as several turnovers and missed free throws. However, the Eagles tied the game at 25 points with three minutes left after trailing 24-18.

In the final minutes of the half though, the Eagles could not buy a basket. In one sequence, they attempted three shots and grabbed four offensive rebounds, only to eventually turn the ball over and end up empty handed. Leigh, meanwhile, ran its largest lead of the game thus far with an 8 point advantage 25-33.

But unlike in past games, the Eagles were able to overcome the deficit in the second half.

“We’ve had our focus be starting the game strong and sustain that for all for quarters,” captain senior Spencer Wells said. “This time, I didn’t think we had a let down quarter.”

Although Leigh boosted its lead to 10 with the first basket of the second half, the Eagles did not let up. A relentless Eagle defense led to several turnovers and increasingly frantic play. Both teams committed more turnovers than made shots in the quarters, and continued at a fast pace. At the end of the third quarter, Leigh was leading 33-41.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles unleashed a 24-point bombardment, initiated by a 13-0 run in the first 2 minutes. Spencer began the quarter with a three-pointer, followed by a tough basket with a foul by senior Sammy Meckler.

After missing the free throw, the Eagles grabbed the rebound and senior Sean Wells, who had been zero for four on three-pointers that night, nailed one to erase the deficit. After a quick Longhorns turnover, Sean launched another three that gave the Eagles their first lead since the first.

“We knew we had to do something to win the game so we just focused up and then made a good run,” Spencer said. “Its just kind of the way basketball works. … It just takes a couple people to get going.”

The players also said the crowd spurred them on through the quarter. Shouts of “Let’s Go Eagles” and “Defense” vibrated around the gym while the teams traded baskets. Finally, the entire student section burst into an LAHS version of the “Ole” chant, as the Eagles got defensive stops and sank free throws to end the game.

“The crowd was great—really into it,” Bemi said. “There was so much energy and we just fed off it.”

The Eagles will play quarterfinals at Foothill against 3rd ranked Palo Alto High School at 1 p.m. this Saturday, February 27.