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Local teams fall in CCS basketball playoffs
Saratoga, Prospect and Westmont are eliminated
By Dick Sparrer
The basketball season may not be over yet for a few teams in the Central Coast Section, but it is for high school teams in this area.
The CCS playoffs were not kind to Saratoga area teams. Saratoga, Prospect and Westmont all lost games last week.
The Prospect boys opened the playoffs with a 47-42 win over Riordan, but the Panthers were eliminated on Thursday night when they lost to Los Gatos 61-41.
Westmont lost its playoff opener 74-60 to Woodside, and Saratoga dropped a tough 67-64 nod to Sacred Heart Cathedral last week.
Prospect started off the CCS Division III tourney in fine fashion with the win over the Crusaders.
Zak Diriya poured in 20 points, and Mike Senteio added 12 to lead the Panthers to the win over Riordan. Senteio tossed in three three-pointers in the game, and Dirija hit one.
Chad Holan added five points for the winners, and Josh Minor and Slaven Moro added four apiece. Ryan Sainsbury chipped in with two.
But the Panthers were eliminated for the tournament on Thursday, when they lost by 20 to the Wildcats.
Diriya buried five three-pointers on his way to a 17-point night, but it wasn't enough for Prospect.
Holan joined Diriya in double figures with 10 points. Senteio, Moro and Minor added four points each.
The Panthers fell back 14-2 in the first period and 25-10 by intermission. But they rallied back to outscore Gatos 17-9 in the third, only to see the Cats come on strong in the fourth for the win.
Prospect finished the season with a 15-13 record.
Saratoga, meanwhile, lost a heartbreaker to Sacred Heart, falling 67-64 to face elimination.
Micah Weger, who took a 23.0 per-game scoring average into the game, lit things up with 29 points and A.J. Peper tossed in 17, but it wasn't enough for the Falcons. Both Weger and Peper hit three-point buckets for Saratoga.
Mike Crosby and Scott Snider finished with seven points apiece, and Tony Kau had four points. Crosby hit a three.
Saratoga trailed by four after a period, 17-13, but trimmed that lead by two before intermission. The Falcons outscored the Crusaders 17-15 in the third to tie the game 46-46 heading into the fourth. But Riordan topped Saratoga 21-18 in the final periods to clinch the victory.
The Falcons wrapped up a fine season with a 24-4 record, including a co-championship in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
Westmont lost its opener 74-60 to Woodside in CCS Division II play to wrap up the year with a 16-12 record.
In girls action, Westmont lost its first game 31-29 to Menlo-Atherton to face elimination from the CCS Division II tourney. The Warriors ended the year 16-7.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
