Peninsula Falls to Host Mira Costa in Holiday Tip-Off Classic

The Peninsula Panthers reached the championship game of the Mira Costa Holiday Tip-Off Classic and earned the right to face the host team. The Panthers who are not a very big team with no player bigger than 6’-02” came out and stayed with the much bigger Mustangs for much of the 1st quarter when the Mustangs began to press the Panthers which caused unforced errors and the Mustangs ended the 1st quarter with a late run to lead 21-16.

The 2nd quarter began and the Panthers found themselves in some foul trouble, Freshman Jack Engstrom was addled with 2 fouls, freshman Won’ya Singleton 2 fouls and sophomore Braydon Evans collected 3 fouls. The Mustangs used their superior size to dominate on the offensive and defensive backboards and the smaller Panther guards struggled mightily against the Mustang press. The Panthers turned the ball over repeatedly against the Mustang press and the Mustangs converted all of the turnovers into points against the Panthers. The quarter ended with the Mustangs outscoring the Panthers 16-6 to lead the Panthers going into the half 37-22.

The Panthers came out in the 3rd quarter with a renewed effort and created numerous turnovers by the Mustangs but the Panthers could not convert any of the turnovers into points. The Mustangs calmed themselves down and systematically went about taking the Panthers apart and they continued to dominate the backboards often getting 2nd and 3rd opportunities at the basket. The Panthers tried valiantly in the quarter but found themselves down 53-35 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The Panthers were down by as many as 20 points as the 4th quarter began and the Mustangs stuck with what was working for them. The Panthers with 5 minutes remaining in the game suddenly kicked in with increased defensive pressure and they began to hold the Mustangs to one shot and the Panthers shooting touch returned. The Panthers were able to whittle the lead down to 8, but as fatigue set in the Panther shots began to fall short of the mark and the Panthers began to commit fouls. The Panthers lost freshman Jack Engstrom at the 3:43 mark when he picked up his 5th foul. The Panthers continued their best to hang with the Mustangs and as time expired the Panthers were on the short end of the score losing 66-56.

The Panthers now stand at 7-4 with their next game at home on 1-5-16 against West Torrance at 4:30 PM. The Panthers were led by freshman Won’ya Singleton who scored 26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists, freshman Jack Engstrom chipped in 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist, and Junior Nick Frasso added 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals. Won’ya Singleton was named to the All