Dylan Nguyen ignites run as Milpitas holds off Los Gatos in league showdown

LOS GATOS — It was a four-point game late in the third quarter. Milpitas big man Pranavram Krishnan was on the bench with three fouls. So it was up to the other half of the team’s 1-2 scoring tandem, Dylan Nguyen, to take over.

Milpitas proceeded to go on an 11-2 run to open some distance and grab control. Nguyen scored all 11 in that run on his way to a game-high 29, and Milpitas went on to a 65-56 victory.

“He was MVP of the JV league as a freshman when he first got here, was the best player on his team in middle school, so he’s always been that good,” Milpitas coach Champ Wrencher said. “We joke around, `Are you really 18?’ He plays like a 30-year-old. He plays at his own speed and he’s got all kinds of shots. You only see that at the YMCA with older guys who have been around the block. He plays well beyond his years.”

Nguyen’s points came on a diversified arsenal, in transition, on drives and jumpers.

“Ever since I was, like, in third grade, I’ve been working on a different array of moves,” Nguyen said. “I feel I can finish at the basket, mid-range and shoot 3s.”

Milpitas led 26-23 at halftime as Krishnan (15) and Nguyen (11) combined for all 26 points. Krishnan was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim on a fastbreak dunk, a call that would probably not have been made at a college game and definitely would not have been made in an NBA game, and he picked up his third foul in the third quarter and a seat on the bench, finishing with 19 points.

But after Milpitas opened the double-digit lead, Los Gatos was forced into a situation of trying to apply pressure, and Milpitas got its running game going, scoring on multiple transition opportunities.

“We tried to find some pressure to turn them over, but there’s no bad apple in that group,” Los Gatos coach Nick Ward said. “Hats off to them. They executed, took care of the basketball, got shots they wanted, knocked down open stuff. They’re a really good group, we knew going in we needed to play nearly perfect to have a chance, and it just wasn’t nearly perfect enough.”

With the win, Milpitas (18-1, 7-0) opened some ground over second-place Los Gatos (15-5, 6-2) in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division standings.

Dionysis Maroudas led the Wildcats with 13 points. Oliver Evans had 11 and Milos Grabovac 9.

“Proud of the guys for the effort, I don’t think any of them are going to go home hanging their heads, wishing they could have played harder,” Ward said. “Room to grow, which is great for the young group.”

Young indeed. Los Gatos has started an all-freshman backcourt, Grabovac and Evans, all season.

“They’ve got two really special freshmen,” Nguyen said. “They’re going to be really nice for the next three years with those two guys.”