GIRLS BASKETBALL: Knights Win 'Futures Game'

The Score: Menlo 44, SHP 31.

The Star: Menlo School's Drew Edelman. The 6-foot-3 sophomore center was a force in the paint, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead the host Knights to the West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division win.

The Turning Point: Menlo's defense made a statement early, holding Sacred Heart Prep to two points in a first quarter that set the tone for the win.

The Quote: "We had some pretty dynamite plays and we had some not-too-intelligent plays. I think that’s the story of our season. We have some talent and we have to harness that talent as best we can." Menlo coach John Paye, on how a team that features just two seniors is adjusting to playing in a competitive varsity environment.

What’s Next? Menlo plays at Eastside Prep on Friday night. Sacred Heart Prep hosts Castilleja on Friday night.

The Bottom Line: Sacred Heart Prep and Menlo School are both young teams experiencing some growing pains in a tough league. Tuesday night's game showed that at least for now, Menlo is a step ahead in this development cycle.

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When Menlo School’s girls basketball team looks just a short way down Valparaiso Avenue at crosstown rival Sacred Heart Prep, it sees a mirror image of itself.

Both programs feature talented but inexperienced young teams with just two seniors competing in arguably the toughest small-school league in Northern California. The average age of both teams is comparable to a junior varsity squad.

And the sense that Tuesday night’s meeting between the two teams was a measuring stick for how the programs are coming along in their development made Menlo’s 44-31 West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division victory over the Gators that much more rewarding.  

“It was really big for us to beat them because we’re both really young teams, and being a young team and beating another young team just shows that in the future we’re going to be one of the top teams,” Menlo guard Lauren Lete said.

Lete is among a core group of four sophomores who’ve been forced into key roles, that Knights coach John Paye believes has a bright future. That group includes Drew Edelman, a 6-foot-3 center, Jasmin Williams and Emma Thygesen, 

Freshmen Maddie Huber and Maddie Price are also getting significant minutes. 

Edelman scored a game-high 15 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Menlo (12-5, 2-1 WBAL Foothill). Lete had nine point and four steals, and Whitney Hooper had added seven points and three assists. 

Melissa Holland scored 12 points to lead Sacred Heart Prep (6-4, 0-3).

The Gators are trying to resurrect what from the late 1980’s to the early 2000’s was one of the most state’s most successful small-school programs, winning five state titles over that period.

The good news from SHP’s standpoint is the program is growing under coach Lamont Quattlebuam, in his third year back at the program he coached during its heyday in the late 1990s after a stint coaching Cañada College men’s team.

The Gators brought back the junior varsity this year, and have 16 freshmen playing. 

“We’re trying to bring back a proud program,” Quattlebaum said.

Paye said he was impressed with Sacred Heart Prep’s play, noting some improvement since the last time he’d seen the Gators, and seeing a lot of the growing pains his own program is going through.

"We had some pretty dynamite plays and we had some not-too-intelligent plays. I think that’s the story of our season,” Paye said. “We have some talent and we have to harness that talent as best we can.

Hopefully we’ll continue to do that through this tough league.”

That tough league features perennial state powers Pinewood and Eastside Prep, among others. 

Both teams could actually have more success in the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs than in their league, Paye said.

“Division IV is kind of wide open,” Paye said. “Whoever improves the most this last half of the season is going to do well in that CCS tournament.”

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SHP -- 2-11-11-7--31

M -- 10-14-14-6--44

SHP: Donahoe 2 0-2 4, Gannon 3 0-0 7, Meg. Holland 2 2-3 8, Mel. Holland 3 6-8 10, Sheridan 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 7-12 31.

M: Lete 4 0-0 9, Price 1 1-2 3, Huber 0 2-2 2, Paye 0 3-4 3,Hooper 1 4-4 7, Williams 2 0-0 5, Edelman 7 1-2 15. Totals: 15 11-14 44.

3-point goals: SHP: Helman. Meg. Holland. M: Lete, Hooper, Williams.

Records: SHP 6-4, 0-3 WBAL Foothill. Menlo 12-5, 2-1.