The Bruins varsity basketball teams both ended their seasons in the quarter-finals of the Central Coast Section playoffs, falling short of wins by only a couple of points. Nevertheless, the girls team has advanced to play in the higher-division De Anza league next year.

The girls battled Mountain View on Feb. 27 in CCS playoffs and lost 49-50 in overtime. They closed the season with a win-loss record of 21-5 overall, and 10-2 in the El Camino league – placing second in the league, behind Homestead.

The girls have made it to CCS quarter-finals for the past three years, and were a hairs-breadth away from making it to semi-finals this season.  

“We were about thirteen seconds away from making it to the semi-finals – right on the edge of reaching our goal,” head coach Melodee Kiyota said.

The girls’ performance has earned them a spot in the De Anza, or upper-division league, of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, as decided by the group of coaches in the SCVAL.

The boys also ranked second in the El Camino league this season, but will be staying in the El Camino league, as decided by the SCVAL coaches. The decision was based on the fact that most of the starters for the team are seniors, and will not be playing next year. The loss of these valuable players does not put the team in a position to play in a higher league next year, head coach Anthony McGilvery said.

The boys played Los Gatos in the CCS tournament and ended Feb. 27th’s game with a score of 50-52. Their overall record was 18-8, and 9-3 in the El Camino league.

“We were the best defensive team in the league,” McGilvery said. “By the end of the season, we were as close to playing at the top of our potential as any team I’ve coached.”

The girls are also proud of their success, and attribute it to their defense. “We had really good chemistry on our team, and we pride ourselves on our defense,” senior forward Vivian Magallon said.

Moving up to the upper De Anza league next season, the girls basketball team will be playing against more difficult teams, including Mountain View, the team they so narrowly lost to in CCS playoffs.
“I’m looking forward to all the challenges the other teams will bring us,” sophomore forward Kaylyn Robertson said. “We will work harder than we already do in practice, which is pretty hard. But we’re going to multiply that by twelve.”