MILPITAS, CA - The Pinewood girls basketball team faced a familiar opponent in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals Tuesday night. But once the teams took the court, it became clear that last year was a distant memory.
The Panthers (22-4) advanced to the Open Division championship with a 68-52 victory over Sacred Heart Cathedral (16-9), avenging a close loss in the Open title game a year ago. Pinewood relied on aggressive defense, precise outside shooting, and phenomenal press-breaks.
"[Sacred Heart Cathedral] had really good, experienced guards last year that graduated, and this year, their ball handling and their ability to put pressure on a team wasn't as great as it was last year, to give us a problem," Pinewood head coach Doc Scheppler said.
Sacred Heart Cathedral 6-1 junior IImar'I Thomas was Pinewood's most difficult challenge, as she finished with 25 points.
“Every time [Thomas] got the ball, we had to trap her just to make her get rid of it,” freshman Hannah Jump said.
Thomas put up almost half of the Irish’s points with such a strong presence in the post that the Panthers had a tough time keeping the ball away from her. Other key scorers included sophomore Rainah Smith, who added nine points, along with junior Carina Ramorino and sophomore Yaniah Fleming, who finished with six points apiece.
Although the Irish fought hard, they were no match for the Panthers. The Panthers hit the Fightin' Irish hard with an aggressive defense as they ran them up and down the court for the entire first half.
By the third quarter, Sacred Heart Cathedral was struggling to put any shots up. The Panthers took this as the opportunity to pull ahead, entering the final quarter with a 56-38 lead.
Junior Akayla Hackson led Pinewood with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Hackson also picked up several rebounds, made her way to the free throw line, and helped junior point guard Mikaela Topper push the ball down the court.
Hackson and Topper did an excellent job working together to break Sacred Heart Cathedral’s press, and Topper’s aggressive drives to the basket rewarded her with six points.
Known for its outside shooting, Pinewood hit a total of 14 threes - three each from freshman Hannah Jump and junior Erin Poindexter-McHan and two from senior Chloe Eackles.
The slippery gym floor at Milpitas landed both teams several travels, and tensions rose both on the court and in the bleachers as the referees made several questionable calls. Each team had a senior foul out, as Pinewood’s Eackles and Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Daija Mayfield each had to sit out most of the fourth quarter.
Pinewood will take on top-seeded Archbishop Mitty Friday in the Open championship. The two teams have been ranked 1-2 all season in the Prep2Prep CCS Top 25.
Scheppler knows that he will be facing a team from a much larger school with more players.
“You need depth to be able to handle [large teams],” Scheppler said. “We need to play better when we’re tired.”
Pinewood is looking forward to the opportunity.
“We’re all really pumped,” Jump said. “We’re ready.”
