Peninsula Frosh/Soph Boys Recover to Earn Hard Fought 3rd Place Game

The Peninsula Panthers Frosh/Soph team coming off a drubbing by Loyola HS was looking to get back on the right side of things when they faced off Saturday evening against Torrance HS at 6:00 PM at Price HS. The Panthers who were dominated in every aspect of the game against Loyola came out more determined and willing to do anything they could against a much taller Torrance team. The game began with Torrance jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead and the feeling in the gym was one of here they go again. Torrance was using their superior size in the front court to dominate the offensive and defensive backboards. Then suddenly the Panthers were able to work the ball around and score on a lay-up to get on the scoreboard. This was just what the Panthers needed as they went on to play with more and more confidence as the quarter wore on. The Panthers found themselves up by a score of 13-8 at the end of the first quarter.

The 2nd quarter began with the Panthers becoming sharper and sharper on the offensive end of the floor and the Torrance press was presenting numerous scoring opportunities that the Panthers were converting unlike the previous game. The Panthers also amped up the defensive effort and began coming up with steals and limiting the taller Torrance team to one shot only. The Panthers raced out to a 32-19 lead at the half. The Panthers were limiting the Tartars to one shot on their offensive end and the man to man pressure applied by the Panthers was causing Torrance to turn the ball over mostly in the back-court that led to easy buckets by the Panthers.

The 3rd quarter began and the Panthers continued to jump all over the Tartars and were able to increase their lead to 44-29. The Panthers appeared to be in control of the game but the Tartars had something totally different in mind. The Tartars began using a 1-2-2 half-court trap that through the Panthers totally out of whack and the Panthers were now the ones making turnovers which the Tartars were converting into easy buckets. The Panthers also became very soft and lax on their perimeter defense whcih resulted in numerous uncontested 3 pointers made by Torrance. The Panthers were outscored 23-12 in the quarter and both teams began the start of the 4th quarter as they had at the beginning of the game, tied at 44 all.

The 4th quarter began with both teams trading baskets and Torrance remained on their incredible run to take a 4 point lead. The Panthers showed resilience by never giving up and continuing to fight back each time Torrance would go up by 2 to 4 points. The Panthers also were able to reach the double bonus with over 5 minutes left to go in the game. The Tartars were not far behind and initially both teams struggled to make their free throws and the game stood at a stand still. The Panthers would go up by a basket only to watch the Tartars come down the court and tie the score repeatedly. The Panthers with less than one minute to go broke the Tartar half-court trap and moved the ball around to the right side of the court. Hudson Guagliano hit a cutting Rhys Hershberger who took the pass and went up and made the basket and fouled in the process. Hershberger missed the opportunity to complete the 3 point play but it did give the Panthers a 4 point lead with 34.6 seconds remaining at 58-54. Torrance came down the court and moved the ball around and got a wide open 3 point shot to fall to move to within one point of the Panthers at 58-57. The Panthers and Tartars would take turns going to the foul line and with 10.4 seconds remaining in the game Jacob Salceda walked to the line and made 1 of 2 foul shots to give the Panthers a 2 point lead at 59-57. the Tartars came down the court and threw the ball away giving possession back to the Panthers. The Panthers in-bounded the ball and were promptly fouled by the Tartars. Hershberger stepped to the line with 6.1 seconds remaining and made 1 of 2 free throws. The Panthers now led 60-57 with 6.1 seconds remaining in the game, after a quick timeout the Panthers came out and were not willing to allow the Tartars to get a clear shot from 3 point land, after a desperation shot that was off the mark the Panthers survived a valiant effort by Torrance in the 2nd half to walk away with a very hard fought victory and 3rd place in the tournament.

The Panthers were led by Rhys Hershberger (14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal), Hudson Guagliano (12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), Will Knebel (8 points, 3 rebounds). Rhys Hershberger was named to the All Tournament Team. The Panthers face a very good and talented Culver City team on Wednesday December 7th at the Peninsula Main Gym at 4:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you all there. The Panthers now stand at 3-1 on the season.