Eagles hoops stifled by Saratoga ... Eagles hoops stifled by Saratoga ... (February 03, 2006)

Despite difficult 62-42 loss, Los Altos keeps its hopes up for season

By Greg Hancock

Coming into its recent SCVAL game against the Saratoga Falcons, the Los Altos Eagles (6-12) (3-3) were riding a season-high three-game winning streak. These wins couldn't have come at a better time for the Eagles after the team dropped its first two league games and was headed towards a disappointing season.

Despite the momentum, The Eagles suffered from its chronic problem -- turnovers -- in a tough loss to Saratoga 62-42.

According to first-year coach James Reilly, his players have turned their season around and are looking to keep up the inspired play in the team's final six league games.

"We've been taking care of the ball much better," he said, speaking before the Jan. 25 game. "Turnovers have been a big problem for us. It will be a big key tonight against Saratoga because they always play aggressively."

That night, however, the turnover problem once again reared its head. The Falcons' pressure defense and full-court press forced numerous turnovers and took a toll on Los Altos. Early on, the Eagles fell behind 12-0 because of the Falcons pressure, and were never able to recover.

To cap it off, Saratoga's Scott Newberry had a monster night, scoring 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first half. Los Altos did not allow another Falcons player to reach double figures.

Los Altos guard Kevin Shah led the Eagles with 11 points on the night, 10 of them in the first half. Kennie Park added eight points, while Matt Favaro chipped in with six. Shah spoke after the game about how well his teammates have responded to Coach Reilly's system and how, despite the loss, they've turned their season around.

"We have started playing better as a team. We have had better ball movement as well as Matt [Favaro] picking up his game offensively. Defensively, we've been playing a lot better."

Favaro, a talented senior guard, has a lot of ability, both offensively and defensively. He often looks to pass the ball and get his teammates involved. And he recently has been more aggressive on the offensive end, which has been a huge factor in the team's upswing.

"Our first two league games were a wake-up call," said Shah. "After that, we started picking it up defensively and started winning again. Everyone has been working a lot harder and getting stops.

"Coach Reilly definitely focuses on defense. The drills we've been doing in practice have allowed us to respond better and work harder in games."

The Eagles still have to work on consistency, however. In the loss to Saratoga, the Eagles gave up 39 points in the first half, 23 in the second half.

Reilly says the team is fully committed to his philosophy of sound fundamentals -- and he likes that they operate as a team.

"We've been much better as a group the last the last couple of weeks. We've been practicing better and playing better. Nobody stands out, which is good. We don't want to have just one guy carry the load."

On Jan. 27, the Eagles lost to Cupertino 62-36.

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