Boys’ basketball (10-3 overall) played its second league game against Jefferson High School on Friday, Jan. 10, and clinched a 46-34 victory with strong defense and adaptability.
The game was a defensive masterclass. Two brothers, senior captain Rowan Maher and sophomore Lucca Maher, were key contributors on rebounds and blocks. Despite the team’s defensive success, the Panthers struggled offensively, scoring 13 points fewer than their 59.7 point average.
Lucca Maher said he credits the team’s offensive struggles to a lack of experience against Jefferson’s defensive style.
“We’re definitely going to be working on playing against the zone defense,” Lucca Maher said. “Since we have a big team and some of the teams in the league are smaller, they’re definitely going to zone us in to start.”
Even with the challenge of playing against a defense-heavy team, Lucca Maher noted that the Panthers adjusted and came out stronger in the second half.
“In the first half, we didn’t push the ball enough in transition, they got set up in their zone too easily,” Lucca Maher said. “But in the second half, we started to push in transition and get the ball to the high post, which opened up stuff for us to get to the basket and create shots for our shooters.”
Other players shared similar post-game opinions.
“Honestly, I don’t think we played our best game, but I think, even when we’re not playing so great, we still come together as a team,” junior Max Robenalt said. “They played a zone, and they played it well, so we kind of do the best we can in that. But I think what helped us a lot was defense. The offense was a little shaky, but we definitely got the bucket.”
Currently, the Panthers look ahead to their game against Menlo Atherton High School (11-1 overall) on Tuesday, Jan. 13, which sits at the top of the league.
“League play is going well right now. We’re 2-0 [Peninsula-Bay League], and we beat Carlmont, and they’re the top dog in the league. So from now on, a really big team we need to focus on is Menlo Atherton,” Robenalt said. “Everyone in the league’s pretty good, so every team’s going to be a challenge.”
