Peninsula Boys Frosh/Soph Gain Revenge in Big Win vs. Mira Costa

On Friday afternoon at 4:30 PM the Peninsula Panthers took on Bay League Rival Mira Costa to kick off the 2nd half of the season. The game was played at Peninsula HS and the Panthers were looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Mustangs when they lost 44-41 to start the 2017 Bay League campaign. The Panthers came out determined to make up for their very lackluster performance that caused the opening day loss to the Mustangs at Mira Costa. The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders and they were hitting their open shots and limiting the taller Mustangs to only one opportunity. The Panthers closed out the 1st quarter leading 10-4.

The Panthers came out in the 2nd quarter determined to make more of a defensive statement in the 2nd quarter and they came out in a 1-3-1 zone with a zone press and this caused Mira Costa some significant problems they began turning the ball over and were throwing the ball away due to the pressure the Panthers were putting them under. The Panthers were converting many of these mistakes into easy baskets and they did not let up on the pressure. The Panthers outscored the Mustangs 18-9 in the quarter to take a 28-13 lead heading into halftime. The Panthers were playing very unselfishly and everyone was contributing in the first half of the game.

After halftime, the Panthers and Mustangs both came out of the locker room with renewed commitment and both teams were shooting well from outside the arc on the court and the defensive pressure being exerted by both teams was far less than it had been in the 2nd quarter. The Panthers began to allow the Mustangs to drive almost straight to the basket on numerous occassions . The Panthers outscored the Mustangs 18-15 in the 3rd quarter to take a 46-28 lead as the 4th and final quarter was set to begin.

The 4th quarter saw the Panthers come out of the gate with a stern look of determination and they began pushing the tempo of the game. The Panthers switched from a zone press to man to man and the Mustangs had a very hard time adapting to this change of defenses. The Panthers were taking the turnovers by the Mustangs and pushing the tempo of the game to a higher speed and the Mustangs were having a difficult time trying to maintain their momentum. The Panthers went on to outscore the Mustangs 13-2 in the quarter to win the game by a final score of 59-30.

The Panthers are now 15-3 overall with a 5-1 league mark and are tied with Mira Costa for 1st place in the Frosh/Soph division of the Bay League. The Panthers were led today by freshman Tyler Shu (18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 steals), sophomore Rhys Hershberger (16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals). The Panthers played a beautiful style of offense where everyone touched the ball on almost every possession and they showed what a truly unselfish team they are. The Panthers next game will be on Tuesday at the Peninsula HS Main Gym and against the visiting Morningside Monarchs. The Frosh/Soph team plays at 3:00 PM followed by the JV Boys at 4:30 PM, the girls Varsity plays at 6 PM and the boys Varsity begins at 7:30 PM.