GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pinewood Prepares For State Title Game

With a little history already in the bag, the Pinewood School-Los Altos Hills girls basketball team will look to capture another high honor Friday afternoon in Sacramento under the bright lights of an NBA arena.  

Pinewood (27-5), who defeated St. Joseph-Notre Dame in last weekend’s NorCal finals, will square off against another formidable foe in the CIF State Division V Championship Game held at Power Balance Pavilion, formerly known as Arco Arena, in the state capital.

The State Title berth is the third straight for the Panthers--a school record—and will be the sixth overall appearance in the championship finale in school history.

“We’ve already done something that no team at Pinewood has been able to do before in getting to three straight State Title games,” Pinewood head coach Doc Scheppler said. “Last weekend was our 11th NorCal Final in school history. We’re 6-5 in those. Let me tell you, it’s a lot more fun to win them than to lose them.”

St. Bernard High School (24-14) won the Southern California D-V title. The school is located in Playa Del Rey, California, a small beachside community on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

St. Bernard starts four freshmen and will come into the game riding a four-game winning streak. The Vikings also has five players listed at 6-foot or taller on its roster, a challenge that’s on the mind of the Panthers head coach.

“They(St. Bernard) attack the offensive boards,” Scheppler said. “The challenge for us this weekend is to neutralize their driving lanes and be disciplined guarding them, especially in the post.”

St. Bernard will play zone for the most part, a formula that usually spells big trouble when playing a veteran Pinewood team that loves to shoot from deep and moves the ball well on the perimeter.

“We’re going to have to shoot well in order to win, but that’s what we do best,” Scheppler said. “Most teams that play zone on us we light it up and hit our 3’s. They play the extended zone and have a lot of length. It’s a different look that we’re used to seeing.”

The Pinewood starting backcourt of point guard Kelsey Morehead and shooting guard Hailie Eackles will wrap up their storied careers at Pinewood Friday. The duo has started all four years and has a staggering 104 wins under their belts. During the seniors four-year career, Pinewood has gone 104-26, winning three Central Coast Section Championships, three NorCal titles and one State Championship.

“We’ve had quite a bit of success,” Scheppler said. “I’ve coached here 16 years. We’ve probably had a handful of players that have had similar success in their careers. When you average 25 wins a year like we tend to do, you’re going end up in that 100-win area.”  

After a freshman season that saw Eackles and Morehead fall to St. Francis CCC-Watsonville in the CCS semifinals, a trio of talented sophomores joined the pair the next fall to form a new wave of Pinewood hardwood excellence.

Miranda Seto, Caitlin Ciardella and Jenna McLoughlin all joined the Panthers ranks via transfer for the 2008-2009 campaign.

Since their arrival, Pinewood has gone 85-16.

All five players hope the final tally ends up with an 86 in the win column when all is said and done.

“They (St. Bernard) start four freshman, it will be interesting to see how they respond,” Scheppler said. “It’s 17-year-olds versus 14-year-olds. They could feel some of the pressure or just play like they have nothing to lose. We’re going to play our style no matter what. The girls are ready to go. They’ve worked very hard. This game is their dessert.”

Tipoff is set for 3:30 pm. The Division II championship game will follow at 6 pm.