Peninsula Basketball still King of the Hill

The roars from the Zoo grew louder and louder. A steal from small forward Bo Prock; then a block by center Stanley Roberts. As senior captain and power forward Matt McFarland made shot after shot, the student cheering section slowly came to life and began to urge their team to victory.

After a slow start leading to a one point deficit, the boys basketball team finally pulled ahead in the second quarter. Down 12-11 at the end of the first quarter, the Panthers outscored the Seakings 20-7 in the second quarter to take a commanding 12 point lead into halftime.

McFarland was instrumental in the second, grabbing five rebounds and scoring ten points, on his way to team highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Prock also scored five points and had four rebounds in the second quarter.

“After that slow first quarter, we needed a run to take over the game,” McFarland said. “We played strong defense which led to good shots.”

Peninsula would not let up in the second half. The Seakings, led by sharpshooter Connor Mckeeve, cut the lead to six in the third, but McFarland and sophomore guard Matt Oh coolly drained five free throws to extend the lead back to comfortable double digits.

“It always feels good to get a solid win, even better if it’s over your rival,” Oh said.

Just like the boys team, the girls basketball team also enjoyed a dominant victory over rival Palos Verdes.

Led by center Sarah Schafenacker, with three blocked shots, the Panthers rode their strong defense to a 25-12 lead at halftime. They held the lady Seakings team, averaging 42 points per game, to only 18 at the end of the third quarter.

“Our defense was big,” Schafenacker said. “We got our hands up in the passing lanes and didn’t let them get any second chances.”

Guards Lauren Neeno and Paris Lucci provided offensive sparks off the bench, each scoring a team high 11 points. At a pivotal point in second quarter, Neeno drained back to back three pointers, eliciting boisterous cheers from the growing Zoo.

Point guard Erin Sato had four assists, while forward Hannah Bruno grabbed eight rebounds.

“These rival games are fun, but also really competitive,” Sato said. “We lost both games to them last season so it’s great to be king of the hill again.”

After the solid wins over rival Palos Verdes, boys basketball has a chance to clinch a spot in CIF with victories over Mira Costa and West. Girls basketball can finish second in Bay League with two wins also.