HALF MOON BAY, CA – Sometimes it just comes down to, as one highly decorated boys coach over in San Mateo would say, “putting the biscuit in the basket.”
The Menlo-Atherton girls basketball team had many well-placed biscuits Saturday night against Half Moon Bay, defeating the Cougars 48-41 in a non-league game.
The effort completes a 10-2 non-league record for the Bears who open PAL-South play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Capuchino.
“We actually started off, as far as shooting, really slow,” said Menlo-Atherton coach and former Eastside College Prep and Stanford player Markisha Coleman. “A lot of shots that usually fall for us didn’t fall. But at the end we started warming up which is definitely good.”
Half Moon Bay led after a quarter 8-6, paced by four inside points from Ally Longaker. But in the second quarter against the tepid shooting Cougars, Ilana Baer, Annalisa Crowe and Carly McLanahan all made 3-pointers as the Bears surged into the lead 24-16 by the half.
“They have two post players who can score and three of the kids can shoot from the outside,” said Half Moon Bay coach and St. Ignatius College Prep grad Antonio Veloso. “For being only sophomores and juniors, they played well. That No. 30 (McLanahan) who can really shoot it is only a sophomore. They’re good. They are very, very good.”
M-A stretched its lead to 39-26 on a Baer basket with 1:23 left in the third quarter, but Half Moon Bay’s Addison Walling made a three with 36 seconds left to move the Cougars to within 39-26.
Walling was tremendous in the second half for the Cougars, running the offense nicely and providing firepower. She made four of her five 3-pointers in the second half as Half Moon Bay started to chip away at the Bear lead.
A determined drive to the hoop and lay-in by Siobhan Calhoun brought the Cougars to within 45-41 with 22 seconds left, but Baer made two free throws with 16 ticks remaining to clinch it for M-A.
Baer led M-A with 14 points, Crowe had nine, McLanahan eight and Megan Sparrow six for the Bears.
Crowe is the only key player for M-A who is a senior. The Bears knocked Half Moon Bay out of the PAL Tournament last season.
As a walk-on player at Stanford, Coleman can appreciate the diligent ways of her team.
“They’re playing well with each other and we have some nice wins and the girls are working hard. That’s what matters the most to me. It feels good when they work hard and they get wins.”
Longaker had 14 points, took eight rebounds and had a block for Half Moon Bay (9-2), Walling had 15 and Calhoun eight.
Half Moon Bay is at Jefferson to open PAL-North play on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
