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Offensively, the San Lorenzo Valley Cougars boys’ basketball team looked to be synchronized like a clock. Defensively, however, there was no stopping the scoring onslaught brought on by the Santa Clara High Bruins.
Despite an impressive 25 points from junior Billy Mullins and another 18 from teammate Lucas Trader, the Cougars could not slow the Bruins’ scoring machine as Santa Clara racked up 91 points.
“They were faster than us, plain and simple,” said Cougar Head Coach Marcus Northcutt. “They ran the offense we want to run, the way we want to run it.”
The Cougars got off to a slow start and never forced enough mistakes to close the gap. The pace of the game was incredibly fast as both teams applied full-court pressure throughout the contest.
Steals and broken passes were the bane of both teams as the unrelenting pressure forced countless errors.
SLV found themselves down by more than 24 points in the fourth quarter but managed to close the margin to within 18 with three minutes left before the Bruins found their pace again.
Although neither team could stop the other’s offense, the Bruins matched the Cougars’ scoring output point-for-point through the final buzzer.
“They had our number all game,” Northcutt said. “That team played a few steps in front of us from the first quarter. How often do you score 71 points in high school and get blown out?”
The Cougars were down 38-51 at the half but the score became more lopsided from there on out. By the third quarter, SLV was down 75-51.
The Cougars have one more challenge before the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League season opens on Jan. 4 against Saint Francis High of Watsonville.
SLV will face off against Corona Del Mar High of Newport Beach at 12:30 p.m. today at home.
