BELMONT, Calif. — Holding a team to just one point over an entire quarter is a good way to stop an upset bid in its tracks.
That’s exactly what the Menlo-Atherton girls did Friday night to remain in a tie atop the PAL-Bay Division standings. Trailing at Carlmont by two points at halftime, the Bears did not allow a field goal in the third quarter as they turned that narrow deficit into a comfortable lead and ultimately a 43-33 win.
The third was the only period in which M-A (10-2, 2-0 PAL-Bay) outscored the Scots (9-5, 0-2). But the visitors’ edge in that quarter was a staggering 15-1, buoyed not only by a stout defense but by four 3-pointers — two each from seniors Lita Fakapelea and Luisa Tava.
“(Lita and I) have been playing for quite a long time now,” Tava said. “Our team chemistry is super great. We know how to play off of each other, and that’s super helpful for both of us and our team. In close games like this, being able to score off each other and help each other score is super important.”
Fakapelea led all scorers with 15 points, while Tava added 13. The scoring was more balanced for Carlmont, which saw five different players make a single field goal in the first quarter as the hosts led by two after eight minutes. Mia Masukawa and London Greene, both sophomores, finished with 10 points apiece to lead the Scots.
But Carlmont’s undoing came at the free throw line. The Scots did not attempt a single foul shot in the first half, then went just 1-for-9 at the stripe in the second half. M-A was not much better, going 6-for-15, but the Bears’ big third quarter was enough for them to overcome Masukawa’s second 3-pointer of the night and three big Greene baskets in the fourth.
“It was more just our offense slowing down,” M-A head coach Steve Yob said. “First half, we were turning it over, they were getting the ball, getting easy buckets. Once we can set up our defense, we have a really good defense. We just had to take good shots, hit a couple baskets and then we could set our defense up.”
The Bears started four seniors, but their fifth starter was freshman Natalie Roman, who played key minutes down the stretch and contributed on both ends of the floor. Sophomore Gracie Bullard made a pair of field goals off the bench in the second quarter, and freshman Bella Gormsen was on the floor for critical moments late in the game as well.
M-A currently shares first place with Hillsdale heading into Tuesday’s game at Mills. The Bears then host the Knights on Wednesday evening, with the winner taking control of the Bay Division race.
“Our depth is our strongest part this year,” Yob said. “We play a lot of different ways. We play with size, we play with speed, we press, and we have three freshmen and two sophomores, so it’s the youngest team I’ve had. They get after it on defense, they fly around, they pressure the guards, they make it tough for teams to bring the ball up the court.”
M-A boys beat Carlmont as Mohammadi brothers face off
Mere weeks before the start of the season, Suhail Mohammadi was named head coach for the Carlmont boys team, leaving his post as an assistant with the Bears under Craig Carson.
Given how little time Mohammadi had to get acclimated to his new job, his early returns have been impressive, with wins over California and Saint Francis in non-league play. But the schedule-makers did the Scots no favors for the first week of PAL-Bay action, giving Carlmont home games against Burlingame and M-A. After falling by one point to the Panthers on Wednesday, the Scots could not keep pace with the Bears in a 61-48 defeat.
Mohammadi’s younger brother, Masie, is still on Carson’s staff at M-A.
“To be quite honest, it was an awesome moment, a moment that I won’t ever forget,” Suhail Mohammadi said. “I deeply care about the boys that I have a chance to coach. I care about the coaching staff on the (M-A) side, which includes my brother and Carson. That team is family to me, at the end of the day. So it was an awesome experience to go out there and compete versus a group that I truly know very well.”
The Bears (9-3, 2-0 PAL-Bay) got off to a scorching-hot start thanks to senior Jacob Sutton, who nailed four 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the game. Carlmont (5-7, 0-2) weathered the storm, though, getting eight first-quarter points from Jordan Rice and taking a four-point lead in the second period.
But M-A took control with a 13-0 run that gave the Bears the lead for good. The Scots cut into the deficit with free throws just before halftime, but Luca Auer beat the buzzer from just beyond half-court, giving M-A an eight-point advantage at the break.
“Honestly, I can’t remember it much,” Auer said. “I remember I caught the ball, tried to get in front and floated it up, and it went in.”
Auer and Sutton each scored 16 points, and Jerry Williams chipped in with 12. Rice had 14 points to lead Carlmont and Mikael Bruhnsteyn added 10 for the Scots.
The Bears share the Bay Division lead with Burlingame heading into Tuesday’s home game against the Panthers. Carlmont visits rival Sequoia on Tuesday evening, then hosts Jefferson the next day.
“When we rebound and get the 50-50 balls and limit teams to one shot, our length bothers people,” Carson said. “We’re fairly quick. We have good scouting reports. Our 2-3 (zone defense) did a good job. With all that, when we’re doing everything together, we can get out and run and get some fast-break points. The right guys were taking the right shots.”
