SAN FRANCISCO - With a trip to the CCS Open Division Finals on the line and vengeance on their minds, the third-seeded Pinewood Panthers made the trip to the City to battle second-seeded St. Ignatius. And in a highly anticipated rematch, Pinewood handily defeated the Wildcats, 61-42, Wednesday to advance to their fifth straight Open Division final.
The two teams met on December 11 when SI handed Pinewood its only loss of the season, 59-54. After both teams dominated Sacred Heart Cathedral and Palo Alto in their first two pool play games, the stage was set for what was expected to be a hard-fought battle.
After a sluggish first quarter filled with sloppy turnovers and poor shots, the Panthers went into the next gear to begin the second quarter and never looked back. Pinewood found the success from behind the arc that we have become so accustomed to seeing, shooting a whopping 46 percent as a team. Causing problems from their respective wings were guards Alex Facelo and Jade Ramirez, as their combined 21 points started a Pinewood run that never seemed to end.
“These girls are the best shooters you’ll ever see,” said Pinewood head coach Doc Scheppler. “If you watch them warm up, they’re just phenomenal shooters, and we know going into a game, as long as we can stay the course we’re never out of any game. We’re going to find our spot, and that’s all I had to tell them after that first quarter.”
No one was more crucial to the Panthers’ win than senior Elle Ladine. The University of Washington commit played with a chip on her shoulder, having been relatively shut out in the previous encounter when she scored 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Ladine’s vast skill set proved too much for the Wildcats, as she recorded a 30-point, 12-rebound double-double. SI was unable to neutralize Ladine, as she effortlessly shot over shorter, quicker guards and drove past taller stronger forwards. She was also more than up to the difficult task of guarding SJSU commit Sabrina Ma, who scored a 34 in a game-winning effort in the previous encounter. Ma was held to just nine points, all coming while guarded by other defenders.
“A big part [of the win] was having Elle Ladine on our team,” said Scheppler. “When you have her on our team, she creates shots, she creates advantages for our other players, just simply by her presence. I thought our coaches did a great job realizing the matchups they put us on, that was a key part of the game in terms of strategy. Really proud of the win.”
The highlight of the day for the Wildcats was a strong first quarter. The ‘Cats were able to dictate the pace of the game and keep the Panthers absolutely silent from the three-point line. In a game where Ma struggled, seniors Claire Untalan (8 points, 5 rebounds) and Jackie Acosta (14 points) led the way for SI on both ends of the court. From the opening tip-off to the end of the first period, the ‘Cats looked set up to win the game in similar fashion to the previous encounter, until the Panthers unleashed their three-point barrage.
“I think we had a very good defensive game plan going into the game,” said SI coach Maya Fok. “The game plan was to watch Elle, close out on shooters, and attack offensively. But once they started to hit, we got a little discouraged and we forgot how to score in the second half.”
The Panthers have come a long way since their loss to the ‘Cats. Since that day, Pinewood has won all but one of its games by double digits, unleashing havoc on the West Bay Athletic League-Foothill Division.
“It’s just a matter of growth,” said Scheppler. “We got better. It’s been two and a half months since we played them, we just got better. Simple as that.”
Although their CCS title bid is over, the Wildcats' season isn’t over yet, as they look toward the NorCal matchups next week. Matchups will be announced in the coming days.
Meanwhile before the NorCal championships, the Pinewood Panthers will look to defend its crown against No. 1 Archbishop Mitty Friday in Santa Cruz.
