STOCKTON, CA - With its roster sliced in half due to injuries and a significant lack of height, Pinewood trailed behind St. Mary's-Stockton - the No. 1 team in the nation - in all aspects except one: heart. With unwavering determination and stunning execution, the underdogs stunned St. Mary's with a 72-69 win Tuesday night in the NorCal Open Division semifinals.
“When you look at us, we're not gonna look great at airports,” Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler said. “But it's about skill. It's about shooting. It's about driving. It's about passing. It's about handling the ball. And I know that our skill level is better than any team around.”
That skill was put to the test by the Rams (28-1), who did not go down without a fight at the end.
With just over a minute left in the game, St. Mary's senior sharpshooter Kat Tudor hit her only 3-pointer of the night, cutting Pinewood's lead to four points.
But the Panthers hit enough free throws down the stretch under the intense pressure of taking down the top team in the country.
"You can't think about it," Pinewood junior Akayla Hackson said of the final moments of the game. "Nothing's going through your head at all."
When the final buzzer sounded, Pinewood fans rushed the court and embraced their players, shedding tears of joy for beating the number one team in the nation on a foreign court.
“We haven't faced a team that has athleticism and skill like they do,” Pinewood junior Erin Poindexter-McHan said. “Getting to play against a team like that is such an honor.”
While the beginning and finish of the game belonged to the Panthers (24-5), St. Mary's had the upper hand in the second and third quarter. Pinewood got off to a strong start, scoring the game's first five points.
However, in the middle of Pinewood's streak, the scorer's table began experiencing technical difficulties, which put the game on hold for five minutes. After the break, the Panthers continued to execute their offense brilliantly, resulting in a game-high lead of 14-4.
Notorious for their unbreakable full-court press, St. Mary's (28-1) came at Pinewood with full force, forcing the Panthers to make several risky passes as they brought the ball down the court. Pinewood suffered nine turnovers in the first quarter as they struggled to keep up with the Rams’ fast and aggressive defense.
"We definitely could've cleaned up (the turnovers) a little bit, but (St. Mary's forces) 30 turnovers a game," Hackson said. "It's unbelievable, but I think we handled it well."
The Rams’ key scorer was 6-2 sophomore Aquira DeCosta, with such a strong presence in the post that the Panthers had a difficult time keeping her away from the basket. DeCosta finished with a game-high 27 points.
"We don't have the size," Scheppler said. "They hurt us with the boards and killed us with buckets."
Although the Rams put extreme pressure on them, Pinewood was able to fight just hard enough to stay within 4-9 points through most of the second and third quarters.
The Panthers were patient in working to unlock St. Mary’s press throughout the highs and lows of the game, playing tight defense in the key while spreading out on offense. Midway into the third quarter, the Panthers were able to tighten up their ball handling and as they executed several successful possessions, Pinewood began to catch up to St. Mary's.
"We wanted to try and stay away from turnovers," Scheppler said. "There was no game plan - it was just to break their press."
Poindexter-McHan went for 22 points including a whopping six three-pointers, and freshman Hannah Jump also put up 22 points including 5 threes. Both players contributed greatly to the Panthers' comeback, as the team built a steady lead before Poindexter-McHan twisted her ankle with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.
When senior Chloe Eackles also took a seat on the bench after collecting her fifth foul, it seemed like Pinewood was running out of options, but the Panthers had an answer for every St. Mary's run.
Although she had to be held up by her teammates as she limped her way to the crowd, a determined Poindexter-McHan insisted that there was no way she would be missing any games.
Pinewood will take on Miramonte (31-0) in the Northern California Open Division championship on Saturday at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.
Armed with precise execution, stellar condition, and a remarkable passion for the game, the small team of nine is looking forward to meeting again with Miramonte, to whom it lost in February.
