Panthers and Menlo to Lions Club finals

“Best effort of the season so far,” Burlingame head coach Jeff Dowd said of his team’s effort. “I thought we did a great job.”

Menlo and Burlingame will tip off at 8 p.m. for the championship game Friday night. Gunn and Stuart Hall will play for third place at 6:30 p.m., Aragon and Half Moon Bay will match up for the consolation final at 5 p.m., while Hillsdale and Oceana will open the final day of the tournament at 3:30 p.m.

Burlingame (7-1 overall) had four player score in double figures, led by a game-high 16 points from sophomore starter Lou Martineau. Two other sophomore starters — Miles Klapper and Sean Richardson — each scored 12 points while Ryan Ballout came off the bench to score a dozen points as well.

“We can put five guys out there who can shoot,” Dowd said. “That’s what makes us dangerous.”

There was a lot made of the Panthers starting five freshmen last season. Now, that quintet is a year older and year more familiar playing with each other and it’s starting to manifest itself on the court. Richardson, the starting point guard, is looking for his shot more this year as opposed to last season when he was looking to dish nearly every time he penetrated to the basket.

“I’ve been telling him to penetrate to score and the pass will be open,” Dowd said.

As good as the Panthers’ five starting sophomores can be, Burlingame is looking like a complete team. Ballout, along with Owen Vickerman and Taylor Clark, showed the Panthers have some nice options off the bench. In addition to Ballout’s 12 points, Vickerman scored a pair of baskets back-to-back in the second quarter. Clark, who is still rounding into basketball shape following the football season, came in and added a lot of energy while also pulling down a couple rebounds and making both his foul shots.

“It’s a competitive group,” Dowd said. “We have nine guys capable of starting.”

Burlingame was on top of its game against Gunn, who had Dowd worried following the Titans’ 13 3-pointer effort against Aragon in the tournament opener Tuesday.

And when the Titans knocked down a couple of 3s sandwiched around a layup, they held an 8-3 lead early in the first quarter.

But in a sign of things to come, the Panthers heated up — fast. In a recurring theme throughout the game, Burlingame answered Gunn with a 12-0 run. A Richardson drive to the hoop started the run and Will Uhrich punctuated it with a 3-pointer as the Panthers would end the first quarter leading 18-9.

Gunn’s play certainly factored into Burlingame’s flurries. In the first quarter, the Titans endured a scoring drought that lasted 3:34. In the second quarter, they went 4:34 without a point and Burlingame took advantage with an 11-0 run to lead 33-19 at the half.

In the third quarter, Burlingame scored 12 unanswered points to outscore the Titans 23-12 in a period that saw them go 2:49 without scoring.

In the fourth, the Panthers opened with a 12-0 run, pushing their lead to 68-31 with 2:31 left.

Gunn, meanwhile, was without a point for the first 4:29 on the final stanza.

“We didn’t get much out of our set (offense) because we were getting a lot (of offense) out of our flow,” Dowd said.

Menlo School 50, Stuart Hall 34

Many in the Burlingame gym believed these two teams were the best pair in the tournament and the game was close for the first quarter-and-a-half.

But the Knights took control midway through the second quarter, using a 13-1 run to turn a 17-15 deficit into a 28-18 lead at halftime, one they would not relinquish.

The Hall hung around in the third quarter, trailing by nine following a Kyle Jasper bucket off the bounce. But Menlo took whatever drama was left out of the game by ending the third on a 10-5 run to lead 41-26 going into the fourth. The Knights opened the fourth with a 9-5 run to put Stuart Hall away.

Menlo was led by Garrett Keyhani, who showed his versatility on his way to a game-high 18 points. Not only did the 6-7 sophomore wing knock down a trio of 3-pointers, he also showed some grit and toughness around the rim.

Senior Cole Kastner added 15 points for the Knights.

Stuart Hall was led by Jasper, who finished with 17.

In other tournament action, Aragon crushed Oceana, 68-24, while Half Moon Bay knocked off Hillsdale, 66-59.

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