For the second time this season, the San Lorenzo Valley Cougars finished ahead of their crosstown rival Scotts Valley Falcons, beating them in their own gym, 58-42, on Monday, Jan. 31.
The Cougars came out like a team possessed and held the normally hot-shooting Falcons to zero first-quarter points.
Scotts Valley’s Desmond Balco gave the Cougars fits the first time the teams met, but SLV head coach Marcus Northcutt devised an answer: His team would run a “triangle-2 defense,” a combination man-to-man and zone defense. The Cougars executed it for a full quarter of perfection.
“We knew we needed to stop (Balco),” Northcutt said. “We practiced the triangle-2 all week. It’s not something you normally work on, but the guys took to it, and it worked out great.”
At the end of the first quarter of play, SLV led 15-0. It was not until 32 seconds into the second quarter that Scotts Valley scored its first points, when Balco pulled up for a fade-away jumper at the top of the key.
With the score 21-2, SLV senior Nick Gorman drove an open lane and tried to throw down a slam dunk, but the ball clanged off the rim for his third missed dunk of the season. Teammate Blake Bechtle had 13 points and Luke Roberts had eight to lead the Cougars into halftime with a 31-9 advantage.
“There is no way you can hold a team that shoots as well as Scotts Valley down for four quarters,” Northcutt said. “To do it for the whole first half was way more than I expected.”
Though they trailed throughout, the Falcons came back and matched the Cougars almost point for point in the second half. Droves of both schools’ fan faithful filled the bleachers at Scotts Valley High, and chants were started on both sides of the gym. Scotts Valley supporters, though their team was losing, celebrated each point as a notable victory.
Scotts Valley was led by Balco and Jack Pasquini with nine points each. The Falcons fell to 1-8 in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.
Bechtle led the scoring for SLV with 25, and Roberts finished with a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
San Lorenzo Valley (3-6 SCCAL) will host Soquel after press time Wednesday, Feb. 2, and travel to Harbor High for a game at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4.
After Scotts Valley travels to St. Francis High on Wednesday, the Falcons will host league-leading Aptos High at 7 p.m. Friday.
