LA scores upset in season's only match against MV LA scores upset in season's only match against MV (December 17, 2004)

Eagles foil late comeback to defeat upper-division Spartans

By Scott Campbell

With the score tied and two minutes left in the game, Los Altos shut down Mountain View's surging offense and escaped with a 58-51 victory on Dec. 11. By playing aggressive basketball on both ends of the court, the Eagles scored an upset of the upper-division Spartans in the teams' only meeting of the season.

"This was a tough loss for us," said Mountain View forward Terrence Willis, who scored a game-high 23 points. "We can't take teams easily. I believe we took Los Altos easily and we can't do that."

After their fourth-quarter comeback knotted the score at 48-48, the visiting Spartans appeared on the verge of avoiding an embarrassing loss. In a sequence that seemed sure to send Mountain View over the top, Willis stole the ball at mid-court and headed in for the breakaway dunk.

But, he never got off the ground.

"I was trying to get the dunk, but I just slipped," said Willis, who instead committed a turnover.

Given a reprieve, Los Altos (4-2) calmly collected itself and went on a 10-3 run to close out the Spartans.

Despite playing their fifth game in five days, the Eagles came out blazing and took an early 7-0 lead.

"The shots falling early obviously helped our confidence," said Los Altos Coach Josh Waldorph. "We really surprised them, caught them off guard. I don't think they were ready for it."

Mountain View (4-3) appeared to settle in, becoming more aggressive in the second quarter. Timely contributions from reserves Kevin Harris and Joape Pela and four steals late in the quarter enabled the Spartans to pull even with Los Altos for a 30-30 halftime score.

Sparked by junior forward Richard Rullo, who finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, Los Altos again put the Spartans on their heels to start the second half.

After Rullo hit a three-pointer to give Los Altos a 44-34 lead early in the fourth quarter, Mountain View began its comeback. Despite missing eight free throws in the quarter, the Spartans forced six turnovers and finally tied the game with three minutes left in the game.

With the momentum firmly in its favor and the boisterous visitors' cheering section going wild, Mountain View looked to take control as Willis went in for the dunk.

After Willis' failed attempt, Los Altos used two layups by center Brett Perrotta to push the game out of Mountain View's reach.

"We played really, really hard. Los Altos was just a better team that night," said Mountain View Coach Bob Heckmann, speaking earlier this week.

Said rival coach Waldorph: "It was definitely a big win. ... Hopefully, this is going to propel us in the right direction."

Los Altos competes in the Fremont Sunnyvale Holiday Tournament on Dec. 20-22 and begins El Camino Division play at Cupertino on Jan. 4. Mountain View plays at San Lorenzo Valley on Dec. 29 and opens De Anza Division competition at Gunn on Jan. 4.

E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

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