Menlo faced off against Sacred Heart for the third time this season on Feb. 10 but came up short once again. The Knights fell by a score of 60-49, giving the Gators their third head-to-head victory this season.
The Gators eventually opened up the scoring, but the game was competitive throughout. At the end of the first half, Menlo trailed by 13 before finding a second wind. The Knights made a run in the third quarter after implementing a full court press and securing multiple turnovers. The deficit was reduced to four points after senior Lucas Vogel, sophomore Tate Cohen and junior Harry Housser hit major shots. Sacred Heart stalled the Knights’ run with a three-pointer, and the Gators again pulled ahead by double digits.
The game was marked by runs from both teams. Sacred Heart ended the first quarter with a 14-4 run and had a similar burst to close the third quarter.
Sacred Heart was led by junior guard TJ O’Brien who finished the game with 18 points. Senior Sam Norris poured in 17 points, and junior Erick Osterloh put up 10 more for the Gators.
Despite the loss to Sacred Heart, Menlo had built a three game winning streak coming into the contest. The Knights defeated Pinewood, The King’s Academy and Harker to secure their bid for the postseason.
As the regular season recently came to a close, both the Knights and Gators were selected to the Central Coast Section playoffs. The Knights will host a home playoff game on Feb. 21 in the CCS Division IV bracket, while the Gators look to make a run in the high-level Open Division playoffs.
