/Cupertino

Cupertino led Palo Alto at the end of each of the first three quarters last Friday night, but a 22-11 rally in the final period put the visiting Vikings ahead when it mattered the most.

Despite 20 points from senior Gokul Natesan and a career-best 18 by senior Tim Chu, Cupertino lost all of the six-point lead that it started the fourth quarter with and, in the end, the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division game, 58-53.

The loss dropped the Pioneers to 1-2 in league play and 10-5 overall. Palo Alto, meanwhile, improved to 3-1 in De Anza action and kept pace with first-place Mountain View (4-0).

Cupertino, which also received 12 points from Terence Tse and three from senior Jomel Bautista, finished the week one game behind third-place Los Gatos (2-2), in a three-way tie for fourth with Homestead and Milpitas.

The Mustangs, who were idle Friday night, dropped to 1-2 when it lost 56-46 two nights before at Milpitas. Junior Justin Shayesteh scored a team-high 17 points, senior Ashonti Hunter popped for 12 and senior Victor Rodrigo knocked down nine for the Mustangs.

Meanwhile, in the El Camino Division, Fremont (2-1) split a pair of road games at Lynbrook and Los Altos, finishing the week in second place behind Saratoga (4-0) and just ahead of Los Altos and Monta Vista, who were tied for third at 2-2.

Juniors Michael Burdett (20 points) and Tecson Gacrama (12) and senior Nathan Quiwa (12) sparked the Firebirds' 57-51 win over Lynbrook on Jan. 11. Seniors Brandon Yamauchi and Kevin Liou scored 13 each for the Vikings (0-3).

Like Fremont, Monta Vista split a pair of games, topping Los Altos 49-44 on Jan. 11 and losing 62-51 two nights later at Santa Clara (1-2). Senior Thomas Jennings (15) was the Matadors' leading scorer against Los Altos, while sophomore Ramana Keerthi (11) was tops at Santa Clara.