Sequoia downs Woodside in wild ‘Battle’

Well, that they did. Sequoia (7-1 PAL Bay, 11-9 overall) got better as the night flew by, taking down crosstown rival Woodside in a 66-52 thriller.

“It was a physical game,” Sequoia head coach Fine Lauese said. “These kids know each other. It’s all about the bragging rights. … Usually we play better. But our tempo, we want to push the ball.”

After Woodside (3-5, 13-7) jumped out to an early 15-5 lead, Sequoia guard Gabe Munguia caught fire in the second quarter. The senior exacted the cylinder from the perimeter for 10 points within the first four minutes of the period amid a 17-0 run for the Ravens.

Munguia shared the game-high of 16 points with teammate Kiahn Nice-Whiteside, but Munguia’s videogame-like run in the second quarter was the spark that ignited Sequoia.

“It’s all my teammates just helping find me,” Munguia said. “They have love for me when I’m hot. So, I’ve got to thank them.”

This isn’t the first time Munguia has been a catalyst for Sequoia, according to Lauese.

“Gabe, I think the last three games, he’s put the team on his shoulders and he’s carrying us,” Lauese said.

And the senior’s hot hand was contagious. Sequoia shot 49.1% from the floor throughout, but got better after the break, going 15 of 25 in the second half.

“I felt like we got our composure back and made a few good runs at it,” Lauese said. “It was just one of those up and down, up and down. And we got, I think, maybe three stops the second half and we were able to come back and convert. You’ve got to credit Woodside for coming in here. These district games are always tough.”

Woodside stayed tough through the third quarter. The Wildcats took a 33-32 lead two minutes into the second half on a magnificent put-back by 6-2 forward Isaiah Minor. The sophomore shared the team-high of 11 points with guard Dylan Barnwell, and helped a keep it close with his last field goal of the night a minute later to tie it 35-35

Sequoia held a slight 41-40 lead with 3:12 to go in the quarter but finished on a 7-2 run. Then to start the fourth quarter, a critical play that saw Minor get slapped with a charging foul loomed large.

Sequoia totaled 19 turnovers on the night, and Minor opened the fourth quarter with a steal and a head of steam. Despite a 1-on-2 matchup with two Sequoia defenders falling back, Minor exacted the game’s most picturesque shot by gliding to the hoop through an apparent seam between purple jerseys. But as a floating finger-roll layup danced through the cylinder, the play was whistled dead for offensive charging.

“Of course I think he avoided the charge,” Woodside head coach Eli Thornton said. “I don’t want to blame the refs in any way … but it was one play that changed the momentum of the game.”

The Ravens dominated the boards though, especially after the break. Sequoia outrebounded its rival 42-23 throughout, led by senior Albert Tuakalau, who totaled a game-high eight boards, including five in the second half.

“A point of emphasis was our just trying to keep their guys off the glass,” Thornton said. “I think that was the biggest thing. … But at the end, they were just a little bit bigger than us down low.”

Woodside center Calvin Kapral was in foul trouble all night, picking up his fourth less than three minutes into the third quarter. He checked out then and there. But when the Wildcats had a baseline inbound play with 30 seconds remaining in the period, Thornton sent him back in to try to generate a shooting advantage down low.

The calculated risk failed as Woodside missed the ensuing shot, and Kapral was called for his fifth foul on the resulting try for a rebound.

“I definitely gambled and had my big guy in in the third quarter,” Thornton said. “And that was kind of the biggest thing. That really hurt us. That changed the tempo in the game.”

With the win, second-place Sequoia remains one game back of Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division leader Menlo-Atherton. The two meet next Friday, Feb. 7 at Sequoia.

“It’s an important win because it keeps us afloat with M-A,” Munguia said. “So … we’re just trying to get ready for M-A, basically.”