The boys varsity basketball team defeated rival Los Altos High School 39-50 in their second matchup this season.

The game began with a bang from Mountain View’s starting small forward and junior Cole Palmbush, who hit a three pointer. Offensive possessions went back and forth with neither team scoring much the rest of the first quarter, and the Spartans in the lead, 10-7.

At the start of the second quarter, Los Altos hit back to back three pointers and took the lead over the Spartans, 13-10. Mountain View’s defense struggled for the rest of the quarter, allowing the Los Altos offense to gain momentum and stay in control. The Spartans went into halftime down 22-15 .

“Jackson [Kim] at halftime got on the guys and said they [Los Altos] are just playing with more hustle, more heart, they want it more,” Assistant Coach Brian Lillie said, when asked what led the team to improve in the second half.

The Spartans went into the second half with another three pointer from Cole Palmbush and tough physicality from Senior Jackson Kim with an “and 1” that gave the Spartans a spark of energy. The Spartans regained the lead, 30-29, with two minutes left in the third quarter. 

Scoring went back and forth to start the fourth quarter with good defense from both teams until the Spartans took a 46-32 lead over Los Altos with two minutes left in the game. Palmbush scored fourteen points in the second half and Kim showed strength drawing fouls, giving him multiple chances at the free throw line. Point guard Jayden Minor capped off an impressive win with an athletic block to seal the game.  

“We had a real drive to beat Los Altos, with them being our rival, and I just really came out wanting to win,” Palmbush said.