ATHERTON, CA – Tuesday's Pacific West Conference rematch between Menlo Men's Basketball and Chaminade was pure cinema.

Facing a 17-point deficit out of the gate, the Oaks determinedly rallied back to not only tie but assume a five-point lead before halftime. The intensity inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion only grew as Menlo's 19-point advantage midway through the second half was steadily cut down to anyone's game in the final minutes.

With seconds left on the clock, the contest's ninth lead change had fans on the edge of their seats as sophomore guard Kai Brown drove to the basket, just missing a layup off the front of the rim that fell into the hands of freshman forward Luke Wieskamp who tipped the ball back in for a 99-98 victory that erupted the Oaks' home gym in huge celebration.

"This game was legitimately a rollercoaster with ups and downs and what I love about our guys is they stay resilient," said Head Coach Jamison Montgomery. "We kept our composure, fought, and battled – and I'm so proud of our group."

Oaks Highlights
-Scoring a career-high 31 points, Nick High finished 11-for-14 from the field, 3-for-3 from distance, and 6-for-6 from the foul line with seven rebounds
-In addition to providing the game-winning tip-in, Luke Wieskamp scored 16 points with four triples plus five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals
-Kai Brown knocked down three 3-pointers as part of his 20 points

Season-Highs Of 99 Points And 12 Triples Mark Memorable Menlo Performance
Chaminade seemingly could not miss during their 27-10 start to the contest, but key triples by Wieskamp combined with a stretch in which senior forward Nick High scored 10 consecutive points for Menlo to tie things up at 40-40. The Silverswords then saw their 47-42 lead shift to a 52-48 Oaks advantage at halftime following plenty of High made free throws and the third 3-pointer from Wieskamp in as many tries to that point.

The first three Menlo baskets of the second half were all triples as well including two from Brown to keep the pressure on then High's 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 surge with sophomore guard Jonathan Moxie and junior guard Marvin Brumfield both contributing from the foul line. Up 19 at 79-60, the Oaks faced a difficult 19-2 Chaminade counterpunch that returned it to a tie game at 85-85.

Both sides held multiple leads in the last six minutes of the rematch as sophomore guard Quentin Thompson and Brown combined to make six free throws for a 95-94 margin. Remarkably, four more lead changes would ensue with Wieskamp having a hand in two on nearly identical situations. His first putback cleaned up the glass on a missed triple for the 97-96 at 50 seconds on the clock then, following the Silverswords' own putback at the 23-second mark, he sealed the thrilling 99-98 victory on another tip-in with just five seconds left.

"We're trying to build a winning culture here – that's us just staying together and fighting every single day," Montgomery said.

Up Next
Tipping off from Haynes-Prim Pavilion one last time this season, Menlo will host Vanguard at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 28 with the Oaks' Senior Day ceremony preceding the contest.