Publication Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2005
NORCAL BASKETBALL
A shot at hoop dream
A shot at hoop dream
(March 16, 2005) Pinewood girls reach Division V state title game
by Keith Peters
It was just a week ago that Pinewood senior Daniela Roark stood in the Santa Clara High gym holding her team's 2005 Central Coast Section Division V championship trophy.
"We have plans for NorCals and state," she said at the time, "I want to hold a state trophy in my hands."
Roark and her teammates may get that chance Friday when the Panthers (25-5) take on Pacific Hills (28-4) in the CIF Division V state championship game in Sacramento's ARCO Arena at 4 p.m.
This is Pinewood's first appearance in the state finals since 1999, when the Panthers captured the school's first state crown.
"Ever since I was a freshman (in 2002), it was my dream to win state," Roark said. "Now, we're one step away."
Third-seeded Pinewood kept that dream alive by toppling top-seeded Forest Lake Christian, 60-40, in the Northern California Division V championship game at Delta College in Stockton on Saturday.
Third-seeded Pacific Hills did likewise, winning the Southern California Division V tourney title with a 54-36 win over Rolling Hills Prep at Cal State Fullerton.
The Bruins are led by 5-foot-7 senior Helen Suarez, who averages 15.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. Simone Shellmire, a 5-11 junior, leads the team in rebounding (8.7) while scoring 7.3 points a game. Ashleyrose Lewis, a 5-9 junior, averages 7.5 points and 8.6 rebounds.
The West Hollywood-based private school of barely 300 students has won 10 straight since a 54-53 loss to Mission Prep on Jan. 29. Mission Prep, however, lost to Rolling Hills Prep (54-36) in the SoCal tournament and Pacific Hills topped Rolling Hills Prep in the SoCal championship game, holding the Huskies to 0-for-17 shooting from the field in the first half to grad a 28-10 lead.
One thing the Bruins don't do is shoot a lot of three-pointers. Suarez and Chelsea Ray have made only 17 apiece this season and the team has only 61.
Pinewood, on the other hand, has five players with more three-pointers. Roark leads the way with 78 while averaging 14.5 points a game. Junior Liz Altmaier has made 45 and averages 11 points while sophomore Sami Field-Polisso has made 41 treys while scoring 10.3 points a game. Freshman center Aly Geppert averages 11 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
That foursome, along with sophomore Tika Koshiyama-Diaz, is chiefly responsible for the Panthers' 18-game winning streak. Then again, they just follow the lead of coach Doc Scheppler who can draw up X's and O's with the best of them.
"We had a great game plan for them," Scheppler said of Pinewood's NorCal finals victim, Forest Lake Christian. "We identified shooters, limited them to just eight looks at three-pointers.
"We knew we were going to win. We had just played two great defensive teams in Branson and South Fork. Forest Lake Christian just doesn't play hard."
Despite the score, Scheppler said it wasn't easy. Pinewood did go on a 12-0 run as the Panthers held Forest Lake Christian scoreless for more than six minutes. That led to a 25-12 lead that grew to 15 in the third quarter. The Falcons cut it to six just before the end of the third quarter, when Pinewood's Thea Morin made a buzzer-beating basket for a 44-36 advantage.
Pinewood opened the fourth with sophomore Field-Polisso nailing a three-pointer for a 47-36 lead.
"That was huge," Scheppler said. "A momentum buster."
Roark cemented the victory by making all eight of her foul shots in the fourth quarter. She finished with a team-high 17 points and added nine assists while the 6-1 Geppert added 14 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) and nine rebounds, Altmaier contributed 12 points plus eight rebounds and the 6-foot Morin added 10 points.
Pinewood's swarming defense limited Forest Lake Christian to just 28 percent shooting from the floor. The Panthers also controlled the boards, 41-32.
"It feels awesome," Roark said after the big win, which avenged last season's loss to Forest Lake in the NorCal semifinals.
Pinewood's balance should help once again on Friday. The Panthers will take the three-pointer if given the shot, but can go inside to Geppert and Morin when teams successfully defend the perimeter.
In a 52-37 win over No. 2-seeded Branson in the NorCal semifinals last Thursday, Pinewood went inside to Geppert. She responded with a team-high 20 points. Against Forest Lake Christian, the three-pointer was available and Pinewood fired up 31 - making eight.
Scheppler knows his team can shoot a better percentage and probably better even better than the Panthers showed against Forest Lake Christian. That opportunity arrives Friday and the state finals.
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