After being shut out in the second quarter, the Palo Alto High School girls basketball fought back in the second half to secure a 57-54 victory against Mountain View High School in the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division I quarterfinals on March 1.

“It was basically the second half [when] we came back,” senior Hope Crockett said. “We picked up our energy level and just played some good ‘d’ [defense] and [shot the ball] a lot better. A lot of good ball movement in the second half. It was all the second half; we got the jitters out and the energy came together well.”

Freshman standout Lauren Koyama, who has averaged 11.5 points per game this season, scored 22 points against the Spartans. Sophomore Maddy Atwater contributed 13 points.

The 12-person team features ten underclassmen, many of whom were playing in their first playoff game.

“They’ve all been handling it pretty well,” Crockett said of the underclassmen performance during the postseason. “I think the regular season prepared them. We play in a tough league and I think that some of the tough games we played in the regular season prepared us well for [CCS.]”

The Lady Vikes faced off against North Salinas High School on March 5 in the semifinal round.

After taking an 8-5 lead early in the game, North Salinas took advantage of Paly’s foul trouble and came back to tie the score at 17 at halftime.

North Salinas went on to extend their lead in the third quarter and stayed ahead, ending the Lady Vikes’ season with a 51-41 victory.