GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pinewood Defeats Eastside Prep in WBAL Final

Pinewood 43, Eastside Prep 40

The Stars: Pinewood guards Miranda Seto and Hailie Eackles both finished the game in double figures. Seto rebounded from a six-point outing in the two teams last meeting to score 12 points in Saturday’s league tournament finale. Seto scored her team’s first seven points, while Eackles added 11 points and reserve forward Leeana Bade chipped in 10 points. Bade stepped in beautifully for starting post player Angelina Mapa. Mapa and Eastside starting center Hashima Carothers each were called for three fouls in the first four minutes of the game.

The Turning Point: Pinewood led by 10 points after one and by nine points at the halftime break. Things began to turn in the second half as Eastside crept its way back into the game. Eastside would get as close as one point late in the fourth quarter, but a timely corner triple from Pinewood senior guard Kelsey Morehead extended the lead back out to four points with 40 seconds left in the contest. Down by three, Eastside forced a steal on the sideline and had one final crack at sending the game to overtime. Eastside guard Ahjalee Harvey connected on a clutch triple to force overtime in the two schools last meeting, but her 3-point try didn’t fall on this night.  

The Quotes: “When I saw her (Harvey) get the ball I just tried to get inside and get ready to rebound if she missed it--- Pinewood senior Miranda Seto said. “I’m glad it didn’t go in. When we lost to them last time, our shots just weren’t falling.”

 The tournament final was a strong test for Pinewood heading into the Central Coast Section Playoffs. The Panthers won a CCS Division V crown and followed that up with a state championship a few weeks later. The two rivals could meet again in CCS and in the state tournament.

 “This year they’ve( Eastside) improved, but so have we,” Seto said. “For us, after we score we just need to get stops. We have a lot of the same players back. We just don’t have Jenna. This season is all for her now.”

 Pinewood senior and starting post player Jenna McLoughlin suffered a knee injury in December in a game against Presentation High. She has been out of the lineup since the serious knee injury.

 What's Next? Pinewood will await the announcement of the Central Coast Section Playoff seeding on Sunday. Both Pinewood and Eastside will compete in the Division V draw.

Bottom Line: For the veteran Pinewood squad it was another successful result in a big game. Gaining a little redemption from the 44-40 loss against Eastside on Feb. 1, Pinewood now will get ready to defend its state title. CCS play begins next week. Championship Saturday will be held on March 6^th.