In a tug of war, the Menlo School boys’ basketball got the upper hand on Half Moon Bay with a buzzer-beater in a 44-43 non-league victory at home Saturday.
Ryan Young made the winning layup as time expired and the Knights picked up their second win in as many days. Mikey Diekroeger, Jack Heneghan and Bobby Roth each finished with nine points to pace Menlo.
The last time the teams met was when the Cougars prevailed in last season’s Central Coast Section quarterfinals. This time, it was Menlo in a thrilling finish.
Menlo held a 42-41 advantage with 30 seconds remaining in the game. The Cougars got a steal on an inbounds pass and converted on the other end to take the 43-42 lead. Later, Menlo as forced to foul; Half Moon Bay missed both shots. Bobby Roth got the rebound and raced up the court for a driving layup that circled the rim and rolled out. The players crashed the boards and Young ended up with the ball and dropped the winner.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys for competing to the end and the composure they showed down the stretch,” Menlo coach Delandro Leday said. “Tonight was probably one of the best games I've been involved as a coach.”
The Cougars jumped in front with a 17-8 first-quarter lead, then Menlo responded with a 16-6 second quarter for a one-point edge at the half. Menlo didn’t lapse in the third quarter and finished with a three-point lead.
“We have talked about how our third quarters the last few games have been bad in terms of our turnovers and missed shots,” Leday said. “We came out with more of a commitment to defense and focus on offense, and had our best so far start to the second half.”
Menlo held a six-point lead in the fourth but Half Moon Bay hit back-to-back shots and a turnover led to a fast-paced, nail-biting final period.
Final Score:
Team 1 2 3 4 Tot. Half Moon Bay 17 6 6 14 43 Menlo 8 16 8 12 44Scoring – M: Bouret 0 1-2 1, Barratt 1 2-2 5, Diekroeger 3 2-2 9, Heneghan 4 1-4 9, Dunn 0 2-2 2, Young 3 0-0 6, Hammond 1 0-0 3, Roth 2 3-6 9.
Three-point goals: Roth 2, Barratt, Diekroeger, Hammond.
Total: 14 11-18 44.
