After a slow start to the season the Priory girls basketball team is coming on.
Playing their fourth game in five days, the Panthers earned a big win Tuesday, a 60-50 victory at Menlo School.
It was the third win in the last four days and the first West Bay Athletic League victory of the season for Priory (7-9, 1-2).
“Hopefully we make a deep run in the playoffs,’’ Priory coach Buck Matthews said.
Last year Priory won the first Central Coast Section girls basketball championship in school history and advanced to the NorCal Division V finals, where it lost to fellow WBAL member Eastside Prep for the third time on the season.
Not bad considering Priory had been without a girls varsity team since 2007 before Matthews took over in 2014.
He’s now in his fourth season and so is star player Tatiana Reese, who has been with Matthews since the beginning.
Priory’s early-season struggles were directly tied to Reese being out with a sprained ankle. She’s back now and had 24 points and 11 rebounds against Menlo.
“She tries to get everyone else involved,’’ Matthews said. “I told her she’s got to take over. She’s a high IQ, very skilled player who helped build the program. Hopefully we can go far in the playoffs and send her off right.’’
Menlo (12-3, 1-2) was also playing its fourth game in five days.
“I felt we were a half-step slow and a half-foot short or long on our shots,’’ Menlo coach John Paye said. “We were a little worn out.’’
Priory is a team that tries to take advantage of the physical attributes of Reese and 6-foot-4 post Ila Lane in the half court.
Menlo is a non-stop pressing and running team, which helps explain why playing a fourth game in five days was probably more difficult for the Knights.
“We rely a lot on our energy,’’ Paye said. “We’re a little size challenged.’’
After a first quarter in which both teams were cold (shooting a combined 6 of 33 from the floor), Priory opened a 25-17 lead at halftime. And then the Panthers hit their first four shots of the third quarter to extend their lead to 35-20.
Freshman point guard Avery Lee made back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a Menlo run that cut Priory’s lead to 41-36. But the Panthers opened it up again in the fourth quarter, going up 48-36 after a 3-pointer By Dominique Robson.
Again Menlo battled back and a 3-pointer by Lee made it 52-47 with 1:32 left. But Priory put the game away by going 8 of 10 at the foul line over its next five possessions.
Lee made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, half of Menlo’s total.
“Avery is a dynamite player,’’ Paye said. “She’s just a great young lady. A first-class student and a first-class athlete.’’
Robson scored 15 for Priory. Lane had 14 rebounds.
Priory hosts Pinewood on Thursday. Menlo is back in action Friday against Notre Dame-Belmont.