The Sunnyvale Sun

Sports

'Tino tops list of local teams in the CCS playoffs

By Mike Barnhart

Fresh off clinching Santa Clara Valley Athletic League basketball championships, the Cupertino and Lynbrook boys teams are gearing up for the Central Coast Section playoffs.

Cupertino claimed the De Anza Division crown with a 10-2 record, after closing its schedule with a 61-49 triumph at Milpitas on Feb. 15. The Pioneers, who finished one game ahead of second-place Gunn in the De Anza standings, will put its glossy 22-5 overall record on the line as the No. 3 seed in the CCS Division III tournament.

In the CCS's bracketing system, featuring five boys and five girls divisions of 12-16 teams based on school enrollment, the top four seeds receive automatic berths into the quarterfinal round.

Cupertino will play its first game on Feb. 23 at San Mateo.

The Pioneers received a boost recently with the return of 6-foot-5 senior Eric Heslin, who was the team's leading scorer and an all-league performer last season. Heslin left the school early in the academic year, but later returned. Heslin, who was gone long enough to become ineligible for much of the basketball season, was reinstated by the CCS recently.

"It gives us another bullet and makes us seven deep, instead of six," noted Cupertino coach Craig Ellegood about Heslin's return. "He was a starter last year, but will come off the bench now."

Lynbrook's seventh win in a row, 62-46 over Monta Vista, secured an El Camino co-championship with Los Altos. The Vikings, after going 10-2 in El Camino action and 20-7 overall, picked up the No. 9 seed in Division II. After a first-round bye, the Vikings will travel to Millbrae, Feb. 21, 7 p.m., to take on No. 8 Mills (17-9).

Meanwhile, No. 13 Monta Vista (10-17) qualified for the Division I boys tournament, based on its 7-5 record in the SCVAL El Camino Division.

Lynbrook, Monta Vista and The King's Academy all qualified for CCS girls' tournaments. The Vikings finished second in the El Camino Division (9-3, 16-9 overall) by beating Monta Vista 53-42 on the last day of division play.

Seeded No. 8 in Division 1, Monta Vista (8-4, 16-9) received a first-round bye and a second-round home game.