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Published on 02/08/1999 All articles from this issue

Panthers prove playoff-ready with win over Lancers

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By Pete Borello / Town Crier Staff Writer

Prep Girls Hoop Scoop

inewood girls basketball coach Doc Scheppler got exactly what he wanted from last week's non-league game at St. Francis.

His Panthers came away with another win, 63-55, and they faced the kind of challenge that should help prepare them for the playoffs.

"That's why we scheduled it," Scheppler said. "A game like this gives us the feeling of urgency, intensity and importance we don't usually get in league play."

Pinewood has owned the Private Schools Athletic League this season, winning their first eight games by 21 points or more.

The Panthers (21-1) anticipated more resistance from St. Francis (19-3), a team undefeated in the more competitive SCVAL De Anza Division. They weren't disappointed.

In fact, St. Francis went into the fourth quarter of the Feb. 3 game with an eight-point lead. But the Panthers roared back, closing out the contest with a 23-7 run.

"It was neat the way we were able to come back and keep our composure," Scheppler said. "We willed our way to victory, and that's what good teams have to do."

Leading the charge were Lauren Smith-Hams and Sebnum Kimyacioglu, who combined for 21 points in the fourth. Smith-Hams scored 11 of her game-high 27 points in the period, while Kimyacioglu tallied 10 of her 22.

Smith-Hams didn't have one of her finer shooting performances - she was just six of 19 from the field - but the senior came through when the Panthers needed her.

She opened the quarter with a three-pointer, her fifth of the night, which started a streak of 10 unanswered points by Pinewood. Kimyacioglu scored the next five - on a reverse lay-in and a three-pointer - and Katie Collins converted a put-back to give the Panthers a 50-48 edge.

St. Francis finally scored with 4:31 left, as Christine Capuyan made a free throw to put her team within one. But the cold-shooting Lancers, who missed their first nine shots of the quarter, would get no closer.

Kimyacioglu made sure of that by hitting a running bank shot and then a three-pointer that pushed the lead to 55-49.

St. Francis soon helped seal its own fate by drawing a technical foul for having an extra player on the court. Smith-Hams nailed both foul shots, pushing the lead to seven with 2:31 to go.

"That was a real turning point," St. Francis coach Mike DeCarlo said.

With time running down, the Lancers were forced to foul. Problem was, they kept fouling Smith-Hams, who sank six free throws in the final minute.

And the St. Francis offense continued to struggle.

The Lancers didn't convert their first field goal of the quarter until the 1:00 mark when Becky Biniek scored in the low post. Biniek finished with a team-high 12 points.

St. Francis must have used up all its shots in third quarter when it out-scored Pinewood 22-14. Whitney Barker hit a pair of three-pointers, while Chrissy Hirsch and Dokesha Meacham contributed four points each.

Hirsch wound up with 10 points and Meacham tallied nine.

St. Francis bounced back on Friday, though, pounding host Palo Alto 70-49 in division play.

Hirsch led the Lancers with 12 points, while Meacham, Barker and Jami Himes added 10 each. The win kept St. Francis in first place at 8-0.

The Lancers have a big showdown with second-place Homestead Feb. 16. For a preview of this game, see "In the Sportlight" at the top of this page.

Other local action

Last week was one Los Altos would probably like to forget. The Eagles lost all three of their SCVAL El Camino Division games and star center Marisa Whitlock as well.

"It was a very tough week," said Los Altos coach John Mackey. "Playing three league games in a week is very hard and losing a great player like Marisa didn't help matters."

Whitlock suffered a left knee injury Feb. 3 in Los Altos' 46-32 home loss to rival Mountain View. Her status for the remainder of the season is uncertain, Mackey said.

The Eagles also dropped a pair of games to Cupertino last week, losing 37-24 at home Feb. 1 and then 37-19 on the road Friday.

Christina Fonseca scored six points to lead the Eagles (2-8, 3-17) in Friday's contest.

Mountain View, which received 18 points from Selena Lewis in the win over Los Altos, ran up against a tougher opponent last Friday. The host Spartans (1-9, 5-15) fell 41-25 to league-leading Gunn.

Junior Stephanie Stewart scored eight points to pace Mountain View. Gunn's top scorer was Katy Tripp with 12 points.

Gunn (9-1, 19-4) entered the week in sole possession of first place, thanks in part to a 53-49 win over Milpitas (7-1) Feb. 3 in Palo Alto.

Tripp again led Gunn, scoring 15 points. Correnda Perkins added 14 and Jacqueline Heler had 11.

Homestead remained a game behind St. Francis in the De Anza Division by spanking Santa Clara 69-34 Feb. 3 in Cupertino.

The Mustangs (7-1, 20-3) received 15 points from Los Altos resident Julie Speckels, while Marie Levey chipped in 12 and Julia Randall 10.