Basketball: Woodside boys rout M-A, 67-50 Basketball: Woodside boys rout M-A, 67-50 (January 26, 2005)

** Wildcats win sixth straight

By Max Schneider

Special to the Almanac

The Woodside High School boys' basketball team beat Menlo-Atherton on January 21 at Woodside, 67-50, and boosted their winning streak to six games. The Wildcats improved to 15-5 (6-1 in league play), good for second place in the PAL South Division while the Bears dropped to 9-8 (4-3) and fifth place.

Woodside was in control from the start, when Juston Smith grabbed the opening tip and scored a quick 3-pointer. The shot started a 10-0 run, which ended on an Eric Berman fast-break layup.

After taking a timeout, the Bears regrouped and started playing tough defense, cutting the lead to 6 on Carson Finkle's jumper at the 3:00 mark.

The Wildcats pushed their advantage to 18-7 at the end of first quarter, and the story was very much the same in the next period. Woodside's lead was 33-13 at halftime mostly because the Bears, who got very little from star forward Dan Trautman, could not overcome their opponents' tough defense and balanced scoring.

Menlo-Atherton could not break through in the third quarter either, with Woodside leading by more than 15 points throughout, due to its persistent hustle. The 'Cats settled for a 50-32 lead to end the third period.

M-A showed more mettle early in the fourth quarter, cutting Woodside's lead to 53-38. However, Woodside's James Sandoval stopped the mini-run with a short jumper, and Smith scored on the next possession to bring the lead to 19 and dash the Bears' hopes.

Senior guard Smith, who scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, led Woodside. Junior forward Sandoval contributed 12 points, while senior guard Berman and senior center Dominic Cruz-Duncan each added 9. 6-foot-5-inch Trautman had a quiet 12 points to lead M-A, and senior guard Finkle scored 11.

Woodside has been playing exceptionally well of late, showing its toughness and talent in road wins against playoff contenders Sequoia, Aragon and San Mateo, who the Wildcats crushed 79-45 on January 19. Cruz-Duncan's 23 points and 13 rebounds led the team, with Smith adding 16 for Woodside, who used its speed and size advantage to get numerous second-shot opportunities. Darryl Robinson led San Mateo with 17 points.

Menlo-Atherton has had an up-and-down season thus far, playing well against equal teams, but losing to league powerhouses like Burlingame, Sequoia, and now Woodside.

The team did, however, earn an impressive 72-63 win at home against Aragon on January 19. The Bears had three players score in double figures, with Trautman scoring a team-high 29 points, senior forward Chris Dallmar adding 19, and Finkle scoring 11. Sean Mosman scored 17 points for Aragon.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: Woodside: January 26 at Mills at 3:15 p.m.; January 28 at Carlmont at 7:45 p.m. Menlo-Atherton: January 26 against Hillsdale at 3:15 p.m.; January 28 at Sequoia at 7:45 p.m.

Max Schneider is a sophomore at Woodside High.

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