Girls Basketball Hangs Tough with Undefeated Pinewood

The Gators, bolstered by the addition of newly eligible Kennedy Anderson, didn't have the best of shooting nights but were able to stay close due to some tough rebounding and an active defense.

Pinewood beat Sacred Heart Prep, 58-40, to remain unbeaten on the season. And if the margin of victory wasn't big enough for some observers, remember that Eastside Prep was within 14 points and Notre Dame Belmont within 17 points of the Panthers last year during league play and Pinewood managed to reach the state Open Division championship game.

"We can be better than that," Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler said. "We competed but maybe not with the usual intensity. Maybe we played on idle a little bit. Those are things we can clean up and I'm fortunate to have great girls who take pride in playing their best."

Sacred Heart Prep forced the Panthers into their earliest timeout in a long time, just over two minutes into the contest. With Scheppler reminding them that they're pretty good, Pinewood scored eight straight to force the Gators into a timeout.

Pinewood, which seems to thrive on end-of-quarter action, hit a shot at the buzzer to take a 13-12 lead after the first quarter.

The Gators opened the second quarter with a pair of quick baskets to take a 16-13 lead but it was all Pinewood afterward, missed shots and all. The Panthers went on a 14-1 run and never looked back.

Sacred Heart Prep coach Melanie Murphy took some positives out of the contest, including the play of Anderson, who transferred from Washington High in Fremont.

"She did really well," Murphy said. "She should help with our toughness. She's aggressive and she can rebound. She made some nice post moves and added to the pace. She's athletic and plays with intensity."

Denise Stine, still recovering from an injury, was often the best player on the court but her playing time remains limited.

"We don't want to push her," Murphy said. "She gave us good minutes."

Stine and Anderson combined to score 14 points for the Gators and with Megan Norris improving daily, could give the rest of the WBAL some problems.

Charlotte Levison, herself returning from an injury, scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the second half.

Pinewood was 8 of 34 from 3-point range, with three of them in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Karla Astrom, Kaitlyn Leung and Annika Decker each hit a pair.

"We had what I would call a clean look 31 times but we couldn't hit them," Scheppler said.

Leung's driving layup at the end of the third quarter also proved to be a big play, putting Pinewood on top by 13.

Hannah Jump scored 17 points, one of four players in double figures. Decker added 16 and both Astrom and Leung had 10.