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In boys' nonleague action, host Menlo School registered an impressive 44-43 buzzer-beating win over Half Moon Bay on Saturday as Ryan Young made the winning layup as time expired.

The Menlo Knights (2-3) picked up their second win in as many days. Mikey Diekroeger, Jack Heneghan and Bobby Roth each finished with nine points to pace Menlo.

The last time the teams met was when the Cougars prevailed in last season's Central Coast Section Division IV quarterfinals. The Cougars went on to lose to Sacred Heart Prep in the title game.

Menlo gained a measure of revenge, holding a 42-41 advantage with 30 seconds remaining. The Cougars got a steal on an inbounds pass and converted on the other end to take a 43-42 lead.

After Menlo later was forced to foul, Half Moon Bay missed both shots. Roth got the rebound and raced up the court for a driving layup that circled the rim and rolled out. Players on both teams crashed the boards with Young ending up with the ball and dropping in the winner.

"I couldn't be more proud of our guys for competing to the end and the composure they showed down the stretch," Menlo coach Delandro Leday said. "Tonight was probably one of the best games I've been involved as a coach."

The Cougars jumped in front with a 17-8 first-quarter lead, then Menlo responded with a 16-6 second quarter for a one-point edge at the half. Menlo didn't lapse in the third quarter and finished with a three-point lead.

"We have talked about how our third quarters the last few games have been bad in terms of our turnovers and missed shots," Leday said. "We came out with more of a commitment to defense and focus on offense, and had our best so far start to the second half."

Menlo held a six-point lead in the fourth but Half Moon Bay hit back-to-back shots and a turnover led to a fast-paced, nail-biting final period.

Other games
In Albany, Sacred Heart Prep (2-4) got 14 points from Ricky Galliani and 10 from Corbin Koch in a 60-50 loss to host St. Mary's. The Gators trailed by only seven at the half before St. Mary's lengthened its lead in the third period.

At the Merv Harris Classic at Serra High, Menlo-Atherton came up with another game of low offensive production while being routed by the host Padres, 72-26. The Bears (3-5) fell behind by 44-11 at halftime. Menlo-Atherton tallied just 30 points in a loss to Menlo the previous night.

— Palo Alto Online Sports/Menlo-Athletics

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