LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA –– Coming back from a blowout win against Crystal Springs Uplands School, Pinewood hosted Woodside Priory on Thursday night for their first home game in the annual “Panthers vs. Panthers” event. As the two teams played a tug-of-war, as each one edged ahead of the other throughout the game, Priory eventually proved unable to keep up with their opponents' efficient offense, and Pinewood prevailed with a 57-51 win.
Starting the final quarter with a 44-29 lead, Pinewood (8-5, 2-2 WBAL) tightened up their press and pressured Priory into playing a rough game, as multiple fouls were called on each side. The game stopped and started in a choppy manner throughout the last five minutes, and both teams found themselves in double bonus by the end of the game.
Relying on senior Ayo Aderoboye, Priory (9-5, 2-2) was able to push their way back up to being within four points of Pinewood with two minutes left, yet Pinewood’s freshman Logan Robles executed calm and steady plays as he made his way to the free throw line enough times to slow the game down enough for Pinewood to secure their lead. In the end, Priory’s spark of energy proved to be no match for their opponent.
“I told the guys, ‘We can’t worry about what somebody else is doing,’” Pinewood head coach Scott Alexander said. “‘It’s out of our control. We’ve got to just flush that play and go onto the next play.’ That’s what we preach every single day in practice.”
The game started off with a slow pace as Priory seized the first possession and struggled to pull together their offense. Each of the teams had trouble putting points up, but Pinewood in particular couldn’t keep up with Priory’s steady ball movement throughout most of the quarter. With two minutes left, Priory had secured a 10-3 lead, only to be broken by Pinewood senior Cache Fields, who was able to effectively break the Priory defense as he drove to the basket, bringing Pinewood up to a slight deficit of 12-8 by the end of the first quarter.
As the second quarter began, Fields was able to use his effortless three-point shot to edge the score up to a 24-18 lead for Pinewood.
As the third quarter started, Pinewood brought new energy onto the court in the form of Robles, who demonstrated phenomenal ball handling against players who had several inches on him as he created multiple scoring opportunities for his teammates throughout the second half and getting to the free throw line himself several times, finishing with six points.
Fields was a key scorer throughout the game, weaving around Priory’s defense, and demonstrated his natural command of the ball as he was able to execute a seamless inbounding play and score with 0.7 seconds left in the third quarter. Contributing 20 points, including four 3-pointers, Fields proved essential for Pinewood’s offense, along with senior Jaeden Bailey, who used his power both in and outside of the key to push through Priory’s defense, adding 12 points.
“These guys are not the biggest guys,” Alexander said. “They’re not the most athletic guys, but the heart that they give is something that a coach can only dream about. To have a group of guys that gives that much effort – you just can’t feel anything but a lot of pride.”
Priory also picked up its offense in the second half, with Aderoboye using his size to easily lay in balls and pick up enough fouls to make it to the free throw line seven times throughout the second half. Aderoboye finished with 25 points, including two 3-pointers. Seniors Adrian Lavalle and Emmanuel Ajanaku-Makun were also key scorers, finishing with 12 and nine points, respectively.
Pinewood travels to Eastside Preparatory next Tuesday, while Priory welcomes Sacred Heart Preparatory at home.
