Peninsula Frosh/Soph Continue to Win

On 12-14-16 the Peninsula Boys Frosh/Soph Team took on a very good North Torrance basketball team in the Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse on the Peninsula campus. The Panthers were looking to improve upon their last victory which was over Culver City on 12-07-16. The Panthers and the Saxons squared off against one another at 4:30 PM and the Saxons, like all other Peninsula opponents, towered over the smaller Panthers. The game began with some sloppy play on each side and the Panthers were not willing to be patient and were settling for the first long range shot they got. Unfortunately for the Panthers their shots were not falling and they fell behind quickly to the Saxons 4-0. The Panthers then began to exert themselves on the defensive end of the floor and jumped out to an early 15-4 led by the end of the first quarter.

The 2nd quarter began and all semblances of a controlled and focused effort left the Panthers as the one on one competitions began and the total disregard for playing any kind of defense on the other end of the floor. The Panthers wound up being outscored and out rebounded in the 2nd quarter 10-9 to take a halftime lead of 24-14. The Panthers were never able to get their emotions or intensity back in the 2nd quarter and they struggled due to the selfishness they were playing with on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

The 3rd quarter began and the Panthers looked as if they were totally asleep, the Saxons came out with full court pressure and after surrendering a very easy lay-up the Panthers turned the ball over on successive possessions coming out of halftime to now only lead by 6. The Panthers called a quick timeout and after a stern talking to by their coach came out and appeared to be a different team. On the defensive end of the floor they began shutting down the interior of the lane, boxing out on every shot, limiting the Saxons to only one attempt at the basket and they began to fast break. The Panthers seemed to be hitting on all cylinders midway through the quarter and they were punishing the Saxons for pressing them with often wide open lay-ups. The Panthers ended the quarter on a flurry of baskets to outscore the Saxons 21-17 to take a 45-31 lead heading into the final quarter.

The 4th quarter began and the Panthers took over just where they had left off on the offensive end, however, on the defensive end of the floor they again abandoned their jobs of boxing out on every shot, turning the ball over with silly passes and just not staying focused throughout the game. This is indicative a very young and inexperienced team. The Panthers went on to win the game by a final score of 60-45 but the game was much closer than the score revealed. The Panthers need to figure out how to play consistently throughout the game if they are planning on competing in the Bay League this season. The time is fast approaching for league play to begin and the next opponent for the Panthers will be Torrance HS in the El Segundo Holiday Classic on 12-26-16.

The Panthers were led by sophomore Wyatt Chang (14 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal), freshman Ethan Ikegami (11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist), sophomore Chiweta Ajufoh (8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal) and sophomore Jacob Salceda (7 points, 2 rebounds).