LOS ALTOS HILLS – Hayward traveled to Pinewood on Wednesday night for the CIF Division V Northern California Championship opener and was met with a tough opponent. Seeded just under the host Panthers in the eight versus nine content, the Farmers fought throughout the whole game, ultimately outscoring Pinewood in the final quarter and walking away with a 57-49 win.
“We never gave up,” Hayward senior Melvin Lipsey said. “It was a game of runs. They made their shots, we made our shots, and we just kept fighting until the end.”
Coming into the final quarter with a slight 40-37 lead over the Farmers, Pinewood (14-13) was determined to bring back their excellent three-point shooting from the second quarter. As both teams slowly edged up the scoreboard during the first few minutes, Hayward (12-15) suddenly went on a run as Lipsey, a dual-sport standout who had his football season end very early due to a broken ankle, led the Farmers’ fast-paced offense.
Halfway through the quarter, Hayward established a 50-47 lead over Pinewood, and as the Panthers struggled to defend the Farmers’ outside shots or respond on offense, and Pinewood senior Connor Riches was forced to retreat to the bench after fouling out. With Riches out, the Panthers were desperate to win back their lead, but instead racked up fouls as they sent Hayward senior Oliver Hamilton III to the free throw line several times. As Hamilton contributed four free throws and Pinewood failed to come back from their deficit, the Farmers finished what had been a close game throughout with an eight-point win.
“I make sure that we stay focused because the game’s never over,” Lipsey said. “As long as we stay focused and do what we’ve gotta do, we can come out with a win.”
Hayward seized the first possession and established dominance over Pinewood early in the game as Lipsey led the team in scoring, kicking the game off with a three-pointer and putting up nine points in the first quarter. Pinewood struggled to respond as the Farmers ran a fast-paced offense that utilized both outside shooting and some post work, all while holding the Panthers off on the other end of the court. Halfway through the quarter, Hayward had a 12-6 lead over the Panthers until Pinewood senior Cache Fields took the team on a five point run as he helped execute several fast breaks that got the Panthers to the free throw line three times, finishing the quarter down 14-11.
Pinewood dominated the second quarter, coming onto the court with a new energy as Fields drained several outside shots, adding a pair of three pointers to his team-high of 21 points. Riches was also a key scorer in the second quarter, adding four points to his total of 14 points while serving as an aggressive defender in the post. Hayward could not match Pinewood’s offensive intensity, putting up only two field goals in the second quarter as the rest of their points came from free throws.
As the Farmers started to lag behind and Fields pushed the Panthers through several fast breaks and well-executed offenses, Pinewood went into halftime with a 30-26 lead.
In the third quarter, Hayward continued to lag behind Pinewood slightly on the scoreboard, putting up 11 points solely from layups and free throws, yet was able to keep a tight man-to-man defense on the Panthers that kept Fields from scoring. Riches made his way to the free throw line twice, contributing three points to the Panthers’ total of 10 that quarter. As Hayward slowly inched their way up on the scoreboard, they finished the quarter down 40-37, preparing for a 20-point quarter that would upset Pinewood in the final eight minutes.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Hayward head coach Sunny Aujla said. “We came out strong, then [Pinewood] made their runs with a few three-pointers. Our biggest goal coming into the second half was to try to slow [Fields] down a little bit, and I thought we did a good job holding him to only four points considering he had 19 in the first half.”
Hayward will advance to the next round of the Northern California playoffs, and hope to make their way to Sacramento in a few weeks for the coveted state championship game.
“We want to be able to play in that [Sacramento Kings] arena and then just keep fighting and maybe bring home a state championship,” Lipsey said.
