Varsity boys basketball loses 34-39 to the Cupertino Pioneers
A boisterous crowd at Cupertino High School egged on by their own cheering leaders, better known as the Cupertino Rowdy Rooters, aided the Pioneers in creating an extremely upsetting Matador loss, 34-39, at their first quad night of the year on Jan. 22. This loss places the Matadors at a tie for second place in the league alongside the Pioneers.
The Matadors opened up the scoring with senior Krish Rangarajan, the team’s leading scorer with an average of 17.5 points a game, scoring two points from free throws. This strong start, coupled with their tough defense, pressured the Pioneers to max out the shot clock and turn over the ball.
At the end of the first quarter, the Matadors were tied with the Pioneers, 9-9.
To celebrate the Pioneer lead, a Rowdy Rooter grabbed a Cupertino High School flag and ran up and down the court, waving the flag during the beginning and end of halftime.
This prompted the Rowdy Rooters to lead the crowd in cheers of "winning team" while pointing to the Pioneers and then "losing team" when pointing at the Matadors.
The game ended, 34-39, for the Matadors as Michelfelder tried to score a basket in a last ditch attempt. The Matadors hope to bounce back with a victory against Milpitas High School at home on Jan. 27.