The Menlo boys’ basketball wrapped up a thrilling season with its first CCS Championship since 2017 and a 21-8 record.
The Knights, picked up a regional win against Manteca before falling to top seed Pleasant Valley 81-36 in the NorCal Div. III quarterfinals Thursday. Menlo defeated Harker, The King’s Academy and Palma to win the CCS Div. IV title.
Ben Batory, in his debut year with the Knights, talks about high school sports existing at the intersection of education, community, competition, and personal development and the challenges and opportunities and challenges that exist at that intersection.
“We rose to those challenges; we grasped those opportunities,” Batory said. “It was an absolute pleasure to coach bright and engaging young men, to help them stretch mentally and physically…and to watch each player grow in their own way which made for team growth as a result.”

Menlo School 4 14 10 8 - 36
Pleasant Valley 20 22 22 17 - 81

M: Mead 1 4-4 6, Vogel 5 0-0 12, A. Reznik 1 0-0 2, Solomon 3 0-0 7, Eggemeier 1 0-0 3, S. Reznik 3 0-0 6. Three-point goals: Vogel 2, Solomon, Eggemeier. PV: Thomas 10 5-6 28, Howell 0 2-2 2, Rick 4 0-0 11, Ogbeide 1 0-0 2, Kremer 4 4-4 12, Joyce 2 2-2 6, Mitchell 4 2-2 10, Garetson 4 2-3 10.

Menlo 51, Manteca 45

3.1.2022 – The CCS champion Menlo boys’ basketball team led from the start of Tuesday’s CIF-NorCals Div. III opener, and staved off Manteca with a 51-45 victory.
The eighth seeded Knights will play top seeded Pleasant Valley (28-3), a 70-42 winner over Santa Cruz. Round II of NorCals is Thursday in Chico.

Junior Will Eggemeier, who paced the Knights with 16 points, five assists and five rebounds, made some clutch free throws down the stretch, to give Menlo a 47-42 lead. Free throws from junior Lucas Vogel and sophomore Sam Reznik put the Menlo junior Cort Halsey delivers a basket in the second quarter of Tuesday's NorCal game.
Credit: P. McKenneyKnights ahead by eight then Manteca’s Justice Chase dropped a three-pointer to cut the lead. Eggemeier added another free throw with 6.9 seconds left and the Knights advanced.
Daniel Solomon hit a big three-pointer with 2:58 left in the game, then dealt a beautiful pass inside to catch Eggemeier cutting to the basket to put Menlo ahead 46-40.
The Knights held the advantage from the tip, but Manteca would chip away at any lead to stay close. In the third, a Ryan Schaefer three-pointer gave the Knights an 11-point lead. The Buffaloes would draw to within one before Daniel Solomon closed the third with a three to enter the fourth with a 40-36 lead.
Solomon added 14 points and four assists while junior Lucas Vogel had nine points and four steals, Junior Cort Halsey grabbed four rebounds.