CCS basketball playoffs: How Evergreen Valley, Los Altos carved path to Division I title game
Girls: How jumping rope ignited Evergreen Valley
How has Evergreen Valley, which has only seven players on its roster and is on its third coach in as many seasons, been able to out-run and out-hustle opponents on its way to a berth in the CCS Division I final?
It started in the offseason, not with a ball and hoop, but with a jump rope. The team’s star player said coach Drew Fenstermaker used the simple activity to build up the team’s stamina.
“Honestly, the jump ropes, we hated them so much,” guard Ryka Aprameyan said. “Now, even when we feel tired, our adrenaline keeps us going.”
Despite the small roster, Evergreen Valley (19-7) was the much faster and more athletic team during a 73-56 semifinal victory over Carlmont on Thursday at Piedmont Hills High. Most possessions started and ended in under 15 seconds as the team ran up and down the court.
Evergreen Valley, which lost in the semifinals last season, benefited from the fast pace. It led 22-8 after one quarter and never looked back.
Aprameyan, who was constantly in motion, led all scorers with 34 points. Her favorite move was a crossover that set up a drive for a layup, but the prolific scorer also passed when teammates flashed open.
“She’s been able to adjust to any game plan I give her,” Fenstermaker said.
Lealah Rowden scored 15 points on putbacks and relentless work on the offensive boards. And when plays broke down, she and her teammates had the freedom to freelance.
“He calls plays, but a lot of the time he likes us to play in the flow of the game,” Rowden said.
Evergreen Valley isn’t just fastbreaks and shooting.
Forward Xuanmai Nguyen could be the team’s most important player in the championship game against Los Altos that will tip off at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Mission College. She rebounds and defends.
“In some ways, having a smaller roster is kind of a blessing, because all of us know we have to do our part, and that we have each other’s backs the whole time,” Nguyen said.
Girls: Los Altos’ defense looks championship-caliber
If Evergreen Valley represents the free-wheeling, uptempo side of basketball, then its championship opponent is the other side of the hoops coin.
Los Altos plays lockdown defense.
The fifth-seeded Eagles shocked No. 1 seed Menlo-Atherton 46-40 in the other CCS Division I semifinal, using a suffocating 1-3-1 trap to fluster the Bears into turnovers and rushed shots.
“Honestly, it doesn’t feel real yet,” forward Macy Watson said after her team prevailed. “I think it’ll settle in a little bit.”
Los Altos coach Erik Stuart didn’t implement the season-changing defense until mid-January, with his team coming off a four-game losing streak.
“We had a week off after that, and I said ‘You know what, a week is just enough time to install this defense,’” Stuart said. “It was something no one else in our league had seen us do before.”
A month after the switch, the players are completely comfortable with the scheme. Los Altos led 24-22 at halftime and 42-35 with two minutes remaining.
Even when Menlo-Atherton went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 42-40 with 29 seconds to play, Los Altos did not panic.
Mira Sundar broke free for a layup on a long inbounds pass to push the lead back to four, and then defenders Tara Davari and Watson did not allow Menlo-Atherton to get a clean look on its next possession.
Two more Los Altos (18-10) free throws sealed Menlo-Atherton’s (23-3) first loss to a Bay Area school all season.
Davari led Los Altos with 10 points, and Sundar scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter. Eve Emram led Menlo-Atherton with 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Now in its second CCS Division I championship in three seasons, Los Altos will prepare for an opponent it scrimmaged against in November.
Stuart said Evergreen Valley was the superior team that day, but his players believe they’re a far different, and better, squad than in the fall.
“If I mess up and they get past us, I’ve got my teammate back there to go and block them,” Davari said.
Closing shots
Four schools have both their boys and girls teams in championship games Saturday: St. Francis and Christopher in Division II, Half Moon Bay in Division IV and Priory in Division V. … The St. Francis boys, who entered the playoffs on a six-game losing streak, beat Monta Vista 78-55 on Tuesday and Valley Christian 59-45 on Thursday to reach the final. St. Francis (13-12) is 3-0 against Valley (8-18) this season. … The Christopher boys will be playing in their third section final in four seasons but are still in the hunt for the program’s first title. … Priory is aiming for back-to-back championships in both the Division V boys and girls finals. The boys beat Stevenson 53-42 and the girls defeated Crystal Springs Uplands 55-45 in the title games last season. … There are 12 public and 12 private schools in the finals. Seven of the 12 private schools to reach the title games are in the boys playoffs. … Karen Xin finished with 18 points, four assists and six rebounds and Ruiqi Liu had 10 points and four rebounds to lead Menlo School past The King’s Academy 57-36 in a Division IV semifinal. Menlo will play Half Moon Bay at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Mission College for the title.