Two rival teams with identical records faced off, with their CCS hopes on the line. In the final game before playoffs, the Matadors took on the Cupertino Pioneers on Feb. 20. MVHS held their senior recognition ceremony prior to the game. As it potentially was the seniors’ final game, they entered looking to go out with a bang.

“I wanted to leave it all out there and give it my all,” senior Robert Lee said. “I wanted no regrets.”

The Pioneers would go on to defeat the Matadors with a score of 51-35 and knock MVHS out of CCS contention.

The Matadors came out strong, starting the game with three pointers by seniors Ashish Keshan and Aunoy Poddar while CHS struggled to score on jump shots. Despite CHS’ many attempts at three pointers, the Pioneers first scored with one minute left in the quarter. The next minute entailed a tug-of-war of possession with no actual scoring, ending the quarter with a score of 10-9 with the Matadors on top.

The Matadors looked to carry their momentum into the second quarter and scored easy points to boost their lead to three points. However, in the following six minutes, CHS went on a 15-0 run, capitalizing on stellar three-point shooting and second chance points. The CHS crowd was going wild, even contesting MVHS cheerleaders in a battle of volume. Senior Brandon Hudson broke the 15-0 run with a putback that followed three misses. The quarter ended with the Pioneers on top with a score of 27-14.

During halftime, the CHS and MVHS fans showed that the rivalry existed both on and off the court. CHS fans mimicked MVHS cheerleaders and adopted their cheers while MVHS fans showed their Matador pride. However, there was one group that defied the norm and urged others in chanting “Free Shmurda” with them.

The third quarter began with sloppy ball handling by the Matadors. As they turned the ball over on defense, the Pioneers were able to pull ahead, extending their lead to 17. Keshan drilled a three and Lee added on two more points to cut the Pioneers’ lead to 14. However, CHS came back with two easy shots and MVHS responded with a bucket by Lee to end the quarter. By the end of the quarter, CHS was up by 16 points.

The Matadors’ hopes were bleak going into the fourth quarter, but they came out playing hard.

“They put their heart into the game,” head coach Clay Stiver said.

The Matadors tried to generate a comeback in the final minutes of the game. However, early foul trouble and missed free throws proved costly to the Matadors. With two minutes left, Stiver subbed in the seniors, allowing them to end their high school basketball careers on a good note. Keshan hit another jump shot from downtown and senior Andy Wang attempted to follow up with more shots. After a few missed attempts, Lee drove to the rim and got his foul. Following the free throws, CHS held the ball to end the game with a score of 51-35.

CHS advanced to 6-6 while MVHS dropped to 5-7 in league, making them ineligible to qualify for CCS. The Matadors’ season ended with a record of 8-16 overall.

“We didn’t really meet our goals for the season,” Stiver said, “[but] I don’t think I would change much if we had to do it over again.”

With nine players returning next season, the Matadors hope that the more experienced squad will bring MVHS back to CCS.