Menlo’s basketball program played a doubleheader against Sacred Heart Prep on Friday, Jan. 17. The spirit was at a time high with full stands for the girl’s team and then the boy’s game right after. 

The girls team started off the evening with a 51-38 win versus the Gators. Senior Karen Xin, who led the Menlo scoreboard with 25 points, described the game as electrifying. “Everybody was hype. The nerves were definitely high. We have had back-and-forth games, but this one felt different,” Xin said. 

Freshman Anika Shah attributes the win to the discipline on defense. “Towards the end of the game, it was more about defense than offense. Everybody had to step up to being aggressive and not letting them have rebounds, so they wouldn’t have opportunities to score,” Shah said.

Being one of the last rival games for Xin, the game felt special and a particularly well-earned win. “I had to give it all I got,” Xin said. 

On the boys side, the team had a similar back-and-forth game against SHP, powered by the school spirit from both sides. “The intensity was really high. […] There was more of a mental aspect to focusing on the game,” freshman JayAr Davis said. 

The game was aggressive with a slew of fouls throughout. By the end of the game, the Knights had won 30 free throws, making 14 of them.

The Knights trailed the Gators 38-36 going into the fourth quarter. Both teams made a series of threes in the game; Menlo junior Evan Arcilla hit two in a row with four minutes left. “We haven’t won [at Sacred Heart] in five years. I felt I had to make an impact on the game to help us win,” Arcilla said. 

However, a two-point shot by Sacred Heart’s Alex Stauser in the last 5 seconds of the game put the Gators ahead to win 54-52. 

Assistant coach Rich Forsuland is looking forward to the rematch home game on Feb. 2. “The best part is we hung in the game and had every chance to win, and we’ll get another opportunity to play,” Forsuland said.