The Cupertino Courier

Sports

Pioneers, Matadors start the year on top

Cupertino tops Milpitas, Gatos

By Mark Barnhart

Their performances in November and December were drastically different, but the boys basketball teams of Cupertino High and Monta Vista started Santa Clara Valley Athletic League play in similar style.

Cupertino, which reached the Central Coast Section Division III semifinals last year, started the new season 12-3 in non-league play and put itself in good position to crack the 20-win barrier for the fourth consecutive year.

Meanwhile, Monta Vista (3-12) struggled to break into the win column, despite playing the same, exciting brand of ball that earned it the El Camino Division championship and a CCS Division I playoff victory in 2007.

But at the end of the first week of SCVAL action, both teams rested atop their respective divisions with 2-0 records, following successful home openers on Jan. 2 with difficult road wins last Saturday night.

Cupertino, paced by 6-foot-5, senior forward Mike Carson, began its De Anza schedule by dumping Milpitas 48-36 and earning a 51-48 decision at Los Gatos. Meanwhile, the Matadors bounced Lynbrook 65-57 in their El Camino opener, and edged Homestead 47-46.

After putting its 14-3 overall record on the line against visiting Palo Alto (9-4, 1-0) on Jan. 9, 7 p.m., Cupertino will play at Fremont (0-1), Jan. 11, 7:45 p.m.

Carson, Cupertino's tallest player and team leader in scoring (13.6 points per game) and rebounding (5.8 boards), followed a 15-point, 10-rebound effort against Milpitas with a game-high 19 points at Los Gatos. Senior Brian Ly, the shortest Pioneer (5-foot-8), the team's top playmaker (51 assists) and second-best scorer (11 ppg), scored 16 against the Wildcats.

Cupertino led by 14 points at halftime, 31-17, but Los Gatos trimmed the margin to six points by the end of the third quarter. Some of the Wildcats' second-half spark came at the foul line, where they finished with a 21-13 advantage.

The Cats, who had scored 11 three-point baskets in their division-opening win against Saratoga, managed just three against the Pioneers.

Senior Blake Warren scored seven points at Los Gatos, while senior Sean Brinkerhoff added four, junior Kevin Lew three and Arman Husic two.

Lew, the only underclassman in Cupertino's primary six-player rotation, was outstanding against Milpitas with 16 points (nine more than his average), six rebounds and three assists. J.D. Deborba, the team's top three-point shooter, scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds, Ly chipped in with five points and four assists, and Brinkerhoff had four points and five rebounds. Junior guard Jimmy Zhang added a free throw.

After opening the season with a 62-35 blowout loss at Serra, coach Craig Ellegood's defensive-minded Pioneers limited nine of their next 14 opponents to 36 points or less.

Cupertino took second place in its own Cupertino Shootout, won the Independence Tournament and garnered third out of 16 teams at the 50th annual Fremont-Sunnyvale Holiday Tournament. The Pioneers edged Overfelt 40-36 in the third-place game, thanks largely to Carson's 22 points and Deborba's 10.

Threes boost Mats

Like last season, Monta Vista has attempted more three-point shots than two-pointers, and the strategy certainly paid off in the one-point victory over Homestead.

The Matadors connected on 10 three-pointers and just six two-point baskets, to go along with five foul shots. Meanwhile, just six of Homestead's 18 buckets came from beyond the three-point arc.

Leading the way for coach Matt Tait's Matadors were junior guards Phaniteja Kannegati and Kevin Lang. Kannegati's game high of 14 points included four three-pointers, while Lang's 13 included two threes. Junior Rishi Ranjan also scored a pair of treys for his six points. Senior Sean Brar's five points included a three-pointer and senior Wayne Pao's three points came on a shot from beyond the arc.

Luke Liu chipped in with four points and senior Peter Kosulin added two for the Matadors, who had rallied from a 31-23 halftime deficit to take a 39-39 tie into the fourth quarter.

Three seniors scored in double digits for Homestead, Patrick Myers (13), David Castillo (12) and Jeff Whitford (11), including a trio of threes. Senior Sean Denny tallied four for the Mustangs, while 6-foot-8 junior Doug Rathbun and senior Ethan Radinsky added three apiece.

Homestead plays at Wilcox on Jan. 9, 7 p.m., and hosts Mountain View on Jan. 11, 7:45 p.m. Monta Vista returns to action at Wilcox on Jan. 11, 7:45 p.m.

Lang (17 points) and Kannegati (15) also keyed Monta Vista's win against Lynbrook. Junior guard Jon Chang canned six three-pointers and a game-high 20 points for the Vikings, who posted an impressive 10-4 record in non-league play. Andy Meunier, a 6-foot-8 senior center, followed with 18 points, including 10 free throws. Junior teammate Steven Sanders scored 14.

Lang (16.8 ppg), a starter as a sophomore and Kannegati (12.0), a newcomer to the varsity, also paced Monta Vista's offense in non-league play.

Brar, a 6-foot-4 forward and the Junior of the Year in the El Camino Division last season, entered division play as the Mats' third-best scorer (10.5 points) and best rebounder with about eight a game.