LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA -- Hundreds of fans crowded Pinewood’s gym Friday night to watch the highly anticipated face off between two of the top girls' basketball teams in the nation -- Pinewood (#24) and Bishop O’Dowd (#76). Although the Dragons came into the game with a strong and well executed start, Pinewood was able to push past their opponent by taking away O’Dowd’s post work, finishing the Northern California Open Division quarterfinals with a 50-45 win.
Bishop O’Dowd came onto the court with high energy and focus, beginning the game with stellar offensive plays and tight defense. The Dragons kept Pinewood from driving to the basket, and as the Panthers were forced to rely solely on outside shots, O’Dowd began to take the lead. O’Dowd was also able to execute a much more clean defense than their opponent, not making a single foul until well into the first quarter, while Pinewood racked up several.
Senior Mylah Andrada and junior Myah Pace did an excellent job working together to push the ball down the court. Both guards were also the team’s lead scorers, Andrada contributing 15 points including two three-pointers and Pace using her size to finish with 14 points.
The Dragons’ defense was strong and put a lot of pressure on Pinewood, but the Panthers were able to catch up to their opponent by relying on precise outside shooting. The Panthers’ points in the first quarter consisted solely of three-pointers, but it was enough to tie them with O’Dowd 12-12 at the end of the quarter. Junior Erin Poindexter-McHan hit two threes while juniors Akayla Hackson and Mikaela Topper finished with one apiece.
“We wanted to take the threes away,” O’Dowd head coach Malik McCord said. “That [was the] main focus.”
Although O’Dowd had a significant size advantage, Pinewood came out in the second quarter ready to take the lead, no longer simply relying on outside shots but now putting up a strong fight in the paint. Senior Chloe Eackles drove to the basket with force and finesse, startling the Dragons’ zone defense.
“[O’Dowd] changed defenses,” Eackles said. “They were playing a zone, and once they realized that we were just going to shoot threes the whole time, they started pressing up on us. Then, we just took [the ball] to the basket more.”
No longer startled by the Dragons’ size, the Panthers refused to let O’Dowd out-rebound them or keep them out of the paint. Hackson and freshman Hannah Jump were key scorers, with Jump putting up 12 points including three three-pointers and Hackson finishing with 17 points, including two three-pointers. By the end of the first half, Pinewood had used their aggressive defense and strong offense to secure a 10 point lead.
“It [was] our energy,” Hackson said of what enabled Pinewood to pull ahead. “Our crowd was amazing out there, and we just fed off of everybody’s energy.”
O’Dowd began the second half determined to take back their lead, but Pinewood survived the third quarter untouched, finishing 10 points ahead again. As the Panthers prepared to push through the final quarter, the Dragons came out with a burst of energy, stealing several balls from Pinewood and finishing with easy layups. O’Dowd was able to come within two points of Pinewood with less than three minutes left in the game. However, the Dragons made several sloppy fouls and ended up in the bonus, during which Hackson made her way to the free throw line several times. Hackson hit five out of her six free throws, securing a five-point lead for Pinewood in the last 12 seconds of the game.
“[Pinewood head coach] Doc [Scheppler] says, ‘right when you bounce, say bounce, right when you shoot say shoot’”, Hackson said of what she was feeling during those critical free throws. “[I wasn’t] thinking about anything.”
The Panthers finished with a 50-45 win and a proud embrace from their crowded “Panther Pit”, as athletes and spectators alike rejoiced in the victory. Pinewood will be facing the number one team in the nation, St. Mary’s, in the Rams’ home gym in Stockton on Tuesday. The Panthers are looking forward to the semifinals.
“Every play counts,” said Hackson. “We’re not going to give up. We’ve played in that gym before, and we were hot, so maybe we can do that again.
