Both the girls and boys basketball teams had very successful seasons. Although they came to an earlier finish than wanted for both, there were achievements and great moments along the way.

Year in and year out, Menlo girls basketball seems to always be competing at a high level under head coach John Paye. Although this year’s success was great, it did not come without a few early bumps in the road with key players Riley Jensen and Riqui Liu out due to injury. “This season, we have persevered more than ever with a young team,” junior Jordan Brooks said. These injuries led to otherwise unlikely members of the team contributing heavily to the Knight’s playoff run. “We were a team that started two freshmen that hadn’t had any experience in high school basketball until this year,” Brooks added

Despite the obstacles, a combo of great coaching and a complete roster led by senior forward Sharon Nejad, who led the team in almost every statistical category, ushered the Knights to the No. 1 seed in the CCS Division 4 playoffs. There, they defeated next-door rival Sacred Heart Prep 59-17, then stayed at home for another victory, which was 54-35 against Scotts Valley. In order to call the CCS championship theirs, the young Menlo team had one final test against fellow WBAL league mate Harker School who they beat in a much closer 54-49 game at home.

The girls basketball season came to an end in the NorCal Semifinals in a close loss to Antelope in which the knights staged a late comeback. Although almost half of the roster is seniors, next year’s roster is strong with returning players critical to the Knights’ CCS championship run.

For the boy’s side, coach Ben Batory and company had an impressive first year. They opened the season with a win against Menlo-Atherton, and they carried that same competitiveness with them throughout their whole season. The team ended 21-8 and finished third in league play while going 10-4. This record surpassed last year’s 7-10. Additionally, the team won the CCS D4 tournament.

Sophomore Sam Reznik shared his thoughts on the season. “At first I wasn’t sure how the season was going to go: new coach and me being a transfer. Coach made us put in the work from day one, and so when we won CCS, it showed that all the hard work we put in and the adversity we faced paid off,” Reznik said.

Reznik was a vital team component, as he hit a game-winning shot for Menlo to win CCS D4. It went off the backboard and in. 

There’s a lot of momentum to build on for the team. Junior Lucas Vogel will be showcased as the star for next season, along with several other important players too. Will Eggemeier, Brooks Mead and Sam Reznik will also play prevalent roles in next season’s success as the future seniors on the team.