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“It’s a weird year.’’
Both coaches after Tuesday’s Palo Alto vs. Menlo-Atherton girls basketball game made that statement, more than one time.
Palo Alto was playing its 14th game of the season, M-A was playing its fifth. And the game unfolded about how you’d expect as Palo Alto had little difficulty in pulling away for a 62-27 victory.
Quite a difference from the last time the two teams played, a game M-A won on a last-second shot, 34-32, on Feb. 29, 2020, for the Central Coast Section Division I championship.
They weren’t even scheduled to play this season. Palo Alto was supposed to play Half Moon Bay on Tuesday, but the Cougars were sidelined due to COVID-19 tracing issues after playing a Sequoia team with a player who tested positive.
So two days prior M-A agreed to take Half Moon Bay’s place.
Palo Alto (9-5) made 14 3-pointers, led 30-16 at halftime, 41-23 after three quarters and finished it off with a 21-4 fourth quarter.
“I’ll let everyone on our team shoot a 3 if we move the ball,’’ Palo Alto coach Scott Peters said. “We try to move the ball in transition because it’s harder to guard the 3 in transition. If we move the ball we get great shots, catch-and-shoot 3s or layups.’’
Kaella Peters, the coach’s daughter, led the way with 21 points on seven 3s. Carly Martin scored 14 points, making two 3-pointers, and Annika Shah, who scored the 1,200th point of her career, had nine points on three 3s.
“Paly is an impressive shooting team,’’ M-A coach Steve Yob said. “They’re fun to watch. I love the way they play offense.’’
M-A (1-4) was led by Malia Latu with 10 points. Also a standout 400-meter runner in track, Latu just joined the basketball team last Friday.
“This is just a weird year,’’ Peters said. “That is not the real M-A team. It was unfair for them, their best player was doing track. You could tell she hasn’t played much. When she’s out there she’s a factor. I have a lot of respect for her.’’
The Bears, in addition to only having played five games, don’t have the normal objectives to strive for. There is no Peninsula Athletic League title to contend for this season and the Sequoia Union High School District has opted to not take part in the CCS playoffs.
“That was a big blow,’’ Yob said. “When there isn’t much to play for, that’s tough. It’s just a weird year. By the time CCS starts we will already have graduated. We had our prom two weeks ago. We’ve never had a prom issue before.’’
Paly has played 14 games out of a 19-game regular-season schedule, not without its costs.
“We’re going to get 19 games, almost a full season, in seven or eight weeks,’’ Peters said. “Normally we play that many in 14 or 15 weeks. I just wanted to get a season for our seniors. They’ve had a season and I feel good about that.
“It’s a weird year. This covid thing. A lot of kids are struggling in life,” Peters added. “We’re playing basketball. basically in summer. Nobody thought we’d get a season in. Half Moon Bay is sitting out because a Sequoia player tested positive. The same thing could happen to us. Don’t take tomorrow for granted.’’
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