The King’s Academy-Sunnyvale won its own girls basketball tournament on Saturday. The Knights held off Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 48-40 to deal the Gators their first loss of the year. The Gators (5-1) closed to within two, but the Knights (5-1) were able to hang on.
“Sacred Heart Prep had the momentum in the second half,” TKA coach Ron Kellner said. “They were taller than us and destroyed us on the boards.”
The Knights had 12 points each from tourney MVP Katie Young and Autumn Awbrey. Young, a four-year starter, hit 8-of-9 free throws. Riley Hemm had a game-high 22 points for the Gators, who had eight points from Natalie Zimits.
“Hemm took over the second half,” Kellner said. “I’m glad she didn’t start her terror in the first half.”
The Knights host Half Moon Bay in a nonleague game on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
“The tournament gave us a lot of confidence,” Paly girls basketball coach Scott Peters said. “We only have nine players and we have eight to nine players scoring in every game. Everyone is contributing.”
Peters credited Burris, the 6-foot-3 Harris and Maya Lahti for doing good work on the boards.
“Harris is improving,” Peters said. “We need her to be aggressive inside for us to be successful.”
Guards Coco Lovely, Lauren Koyama and Maddie Atwater are doing a good job of ballhandling, Peters said.
“I’m not worried about being pressed,” Peters said.
The Vikings play Piedmont Hills-San Jose at Evergreen Valley-San Jose in the T & T Hunt Memorial Shootout. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.
Email John Reid at [email protected]; follow him at twitter.com/dailynewsjohn.
