March 17, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

NorCal hoop dreams end

by Keith Peters

The season, and dreams, have come to an end for the Eastside Prep, Sacred Heart Prep and Pinewood basketball teams. All three were eliminated last Thursday night in the CIF Northern California semifinals.

The second-seeded Eastside Prep boys (28-2) went down in shocking fashion, a 52-33 loss to No. 3 Branson (30-4) in Division V action at Sequoia High. When the same teams last met in the Branson tournament in December, the Panthers came away with a 42-31 victory.

In the other Division V boys' semifinal, No. 5 seed Sacred Heart Prep (26-4) saw its shot at a NorCal finals berth disappear in a 78-66 loss to top-seeded and host Modesto Christian.

And, in the Division V girls' semifinal, No. 3 Pinewood (18-10) went cold from the floor and fell to No. 2 Forest Lake Christian (29-4) in Auburn, 62-39.

The team with the best chance of reaching the NorCal title game Saturday at Delta College in Stockton was Eastside Prep. The Panthers took a 25-game winning streak into a game they had won the past two years while reaching the NorCal championships.

This time, however, Eastside Prep ran up against a team that mirrored the Panthers. Branson dictated the tempo by running ball-control offense, allowing Eastside just two fastbreak opportunities in the game. Branson shot better than 50 percent from the floor. And Branson forced Eastside into 14 turnovers.

Senior Keith Garner did have 15 points, but reliable senior forward/center Stephen Waller was held scoreless for the first time this season. Both teams had 13 field goals, but Branson beat the Panthers at the free-throw line by making 20 of 26 (including 17 in the fourth quarter) while Eastside was just five of 10.

"We knew going in they were the best team we had played all year," said Eastside coach Chris Bischof. "We knew we had to execute and be lucky if we were going to beat them. They are the best defensive team we've played."

Eastside Prep actually came into the game ranked No. 1 in the state in team defense, allowing just 33.4 points a game. Branson was ranked No. 6 at 41.3.

The Panthers had just 15 points entering the fourth period, by far their lowest total - as was their final score.

The Panthers will graduate senior starters Garner, Waller and Myron Jordan. They were the heart of Eastside Prep's remarkable 113-11 record during the past four years.

"It's hardest on the seniors," Bischof said of the setback. "But they can look and be proud of what they've accomplished."

That included three Central Coast Section titles in four years and berths in two NorCal finals.

Eastside Prep will return starters Gio Connor and Clarence Webster, but will enter next season with no player taller than the 6-foot Connor.

Sacred Heart Prep scored twice as many points as Eastside Prep did on Thursday night, but it still didn't prevent the Gators from being eliminated by defending NorCal champ Modesto Christian.

Senior Tyler Holland led the Gators with 27 points and had his team only five points down with two minutes remaining. When SHP 6-foot-6 senior Jamie Greene got into foul trouble, Modesto Christian's 6-7 Andre Glenn took over and wound up with 22 points. The Crusaders' starting five all scored in double figures.

"We executed our game plan pretty good," said SHP coach Lamont Quattlebaum. "But, when Jamie got into foul trouble, it was hard to stop Glenn. I don't think that Modesto was expecting us to put up a fight. But we fought."

Sophomore guard Pat Coffey added 16 points and senior Samer Sayigh contributed 11 as the Gators capped their finest season in school history. This was the first time any boys' team had reached the NorCal semifinals. The 26 wins and 24-game win streak (snapped by Eastside Prep in the CCS finals), also set school records.

In addition to Holland, Greene and Sayigh, Spencer Lucian also played his final game for the Gators.

In Auburn, Forest Lake Christian went on a 12-0 run in the first quarter for a 15-3 lead, forcing Pinewood to play catchup the entire game. The Panthers, however, never got closer than 20-12 as the host team went on a 7-0 run to cap the second quarter and take a 27-12 halftime lead.

Forest Lake's defense took away Pinewood's inside game in the second half, leaving the offense to freshman Samantha Field-Polisso and junior Daniela Roark. Field-Polisso did score 18 points and Roark added 15, but the rest of the Panthers combined for just six points.

Forest Lake's trio of sophomores - 6-0 Lauren Jackson, 5-9 Olympia Jacobs and 5-6 Brittany Allen - combined for 51 points.

For Pinewood, only senior Liz Ashby won't return next season. The Panthers will return starters Alissa Flesher, Liz Altmaier, Roark and Field-Polisso.

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