Pinewood did it again.
Two years after traveling to Stockton to upset St. Mary’s, then the top-ranked team in the nation, the Panthers returned on Tuesday for an encore, opening a big lead in the first half and holding on for a 59-56 victory.
Pinewood will play Mitty, in a rematch of the CCS Open Division final, for the Northern California Open Division championship on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Santa Clara University.
Pinewood (26-2), which received a forfeit win when Carondelet pulled out of its NorCal quarterfinal game with the Panthers, came out with guns blazing, broke the St. Mary’s trap and opened a 39-20 lead late in the second quarter.
“I’m very proud of them, how they came out so strong after 10 days away from the game,’’ Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler said. “Playing in their first win or go home game, there’s a little bit of pressure. They showed how good they are.’’
St. Mary’s (27-3), which went into the game ranked No. 3 in the nation by MaxPreps, closed the half with a 7-0 run and then made a game out of it in the second half.
“We became a little tentative and they were extremely relentless,’’ Scheppler said. “We couldn’t stop them on the offensive boards. It became very dicey.’’
St. Mary’s cut Pinewood’s lead to one late in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie or take the lead after a questionable foul call on freshman Courtni Thompson, but missed both free throws.
Hannah Jump was fouled with seven seconds left and she made both foul shots to give Pinewood a 3-point lead.
A St. Mary’s shot at the buzzer missed and Pinewood escaped with another upset win at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton.
“It was so gratifying, so exciting for our girls, the team and the school,’’ Scheppler said. “It’s a great honor to be in the NorCal finals. But on the way home no one was dancing in the aisles. The atmosphere was not euphoric, which is good.’’
The team knows there’s some serious work still to be done.
The Panthers bombed in 16 3-pointers in the win two years ago. On Tuesday they made only nine, but did so on 20 attempts for 45 percent shooting. Jump led the team with 19 points.
Brianna Claros and Thompson scored 11 apiece.
Mitty, undefeated and the top-ranked team in the nation, beat Pinewood 76-62 in the CCS final. The Monarchs defeated Salesian 75-50 in Tuesday’s other semifinal.
By Glenn Reeves/Palo Alto Online Sports
By Glenn Reeves/Palo Alto Online Sports
By Glenn Reeves/Palo Alto Online Sports