Pinewood Pinewood (March 11, 2005)hoping for title shot

Panthers joined by three local D-5 teams as first-round winners

by Keith Peters

His team made only six field goals in the first half and finished with 25 turnovers for the game, but Pinewood girls' basketball coach Doc Scheppler was nonetheless upbeat after watching his squad in a Northern California Division V opener.

"When shoot 30 percent in the first half and have 25 turnovers, you shouldn't be in the game," he said. "We played poorly and still won by 10."

The No. 3-seeded Panthers (23-5) began their quest for a possible state championship with a 49-39 victory over No. 6 South Fork (27-6) on Tuesday in Los Altos Hills. It was Pinewood's 16th straight victory.

The triumph put Pinewood in last night's semifinals against No. 2 Branson (28-6) at College of Marin. The Panthers are hoping to reach Saturday's NorCal Division V championship game at Stockton's Delta College at 1 p.m.

Most certainly, they will have to shoot better and defend better than in Tuesday's game. Scheppler believes his team will, having shaken off the rust of playing only three times in three weeks.

"We proved (against South Fork) that we could play well when we had to," Scheppler said. "The last time we played them, we played well and won by 17."

Pinewood overcame the 25 turnovers and a dismal first half of 6-for-20 shooting as junior Liz Altmaier scored 11 of her game-high 19 points in the third quarter to help lift the Panthers.

"We struggled," Scheppler admitted. "But, true to form, we find a way, found a spurt in the first part of the second half."

After scoring just 19 points in the first two quarters, Pinewood exploded for 23 in the third period. Altmaier sparked that run as she scored 14 points in the second half.

Pinewood held a 49-32 lead with 4:00 left to play and didn't score the rest of the game. Scheppler said managing the clock took stripped his team of its momentum.

In another first-round NorCal game, Sacred Heart Prep got 17 points from senior Jessica Pecota and its usual solid defense from seniors Emma Hoffacker and Rosemary Prince to defeat a tall Hayfork team.

The Gators (20-13) traveled last night to face top-seeded Forest Lake Christian of Auburn. An upset will earn Sacred Heart a possible rematch with Pinewood in the NorCal finals. SHP was beaten by Pinewood, 62-42, in the CCS Division V finals.
Boys Division V

Third-seeded Eastside Prep (28-6) won its 17th straight game by holding on for a 57-51 win over visiting International (San Francisco) in a NorCal opener.

The Panthers traveled to College of Marin last night to face No. 2-seeded Branson, a 52-39 winner over Capital Christian.

Eastside Prep also had plenty of vocal support from a home crowd in its win over International (29-4). The Panthers blew a 14-point lead as International went on a 16-8 in the fourth quarter to trim Eastside's lead to 53-49.

Senior Derrick Haynie gave his team breathing room with two big steals and 3-for 4 shooting from the free-throw line during the final minutes. He finished with a team-high 18 points with senior Clarence Webster adding 17.

"That fourth quarter was a little frustrating, and we talked afterwards that we have got to do a better job than that," said Eastside coach Chris Bischof. "Easier said than done when the other team is pressuring you."

A 15-4 third quarter put Eastside in position for the victory. The Panthers rallied from a 21-18 halftime deficit by forcing eight turnovers, finding the open player and hitting high-percentage shots. International finished with 23 turnovers.

Webster had a pair of buckets in that period and added nine more in the wild fourth quarter that saw the teams combine for 50 points.

In another opener, Sacred Heart Prep (23-6) survived a road trip to Northern California and pulled out a 64-59 victory over No. 4 Pierce (Arbuckle). The Gators traveled last night to play No. 1 Modesto Christian (26-6), a 100-67 winner over Portola on Tuesday.

The Division V championship game is Saturday at Delta College in Stockton at 3 p.m.

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