The Voice » Winter Sports

Game of the Month: Varsity Basketball vs Westmont

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:16:26 +0000

Senior Chelsea Punian began the game against the Westmont Warriors with the tip off, knocking the ball away from the opposing player, but the Warriors gained possesion of the ball scoring the first point of the game.

The Panthers quickly took control of the ball and passed it down the court and the game began. Getting to the game, the score was Panthers 10- Warriors 5. The Panthers rapidly passed the ball back and forth between seniors Nici Gilday, Stephanie Rechenmacher, sophomore Courtney Danna and freshman Joeseta Fatuesi until on a two point shot by the Panthers, Danna was fouled by a Warrior while attempting a lay-up. Danna took two foul shots from the top of the key and made both altering the score to 12-9 Panthers.

The Warriors took possession of the ball, only to drop it between passes and Fatuesi snatched it away passing to Gilday and the rest of the team. Passing and scoring commenced for the rest of the first quarter with 30.7 seconds left on the clock, the Panthers possessed the ball after a change of possesion via a passing offensive foul and Gilday made a huge three-pointer. But the Warriors took the ball with seconds to go and their number 30 made a three-pointer that ended the quarter with a tied score of 14-14.

The second quarter commenced similarly to the first but with the Panthers always having the lead. The Warriors always seemed to have the ball but the Panthers time after time stole possession and made the baskets. With 4:27 left in the second quarter, the Westmont coach called time out. The Warriors brought the ball back into play with a hard pass to another player who missed the ball, leaving junior Amanda Dung to swoop in dribbling the ball down and passing it off to Gilday and Fatuesi with Gilday attempting a shot but on the rebound a Warrior claimed the ball. She travels and Dung throws the ball in from the side lines continuing the game until the Warriors had the ball, but out of nowhere senior Molly Pearson glides in, snatching the ball and completing a lay-up.

The whistle calls for half time with the score Panthers 32, Warriors 25. Both teams leave to go to the locker room and return after the one minute warning bell sounds.

New players are substituted in for the 3rd quarter with speedy passes and points scored by both teams. At 2:35 seconds left in the quarter, some close calls occurred where the Warriors had possession, lost it to the Panthers. The Panthers lost the ball but Punian quickly recovered to score the point. The accuracy of three point shots from the Panthers was amazing as was the speed with which the players passed the ball back and forth between each other. The fourth quarter continued similarly to the first three with the Panthers continuing to hold control over the game to the dismay of the Warriors. Their coach called time out with minutes left in the game while the Panthers ran smiling to their end of the court.

With seconds left in the game, the opponent had possession of the ball but missed the pass and Rechenmacher and Dung navigate towards the hoop and Rechenmacher completes the lay-up just as the whistle sounds ending the game 67-41.

The Panthers, following winning CCS Semi-Finals, went up against the Monarchs (Mitty) on March fourth at Santa Clara University. The game was a nail-bitter because the team’s scores were neck-in-neck until the end where the Panthers won 44-41 becoming WCAl and CCS Division II champions for 2011. Great job Panthers!

February Game of the Month: Presentation vs. Sacred Heart

admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:44:37 +0000

Presentation’s varsity soccer team dominated against the Irish (Sacred Heart) on Jan. 29 finishing the game 4-1. The game showed the young team’s potential for the upcoming WCAL tournament and CCS.

Sacred Heart started off with the ball, but junior Maire Rooney quickly took to dominating the center field and feeding balls wide to junior Megan McArthur. After a few ping pong minutes in the beginning, plays started developing in the back.

Defense was on point with junior Rachel Ometer controlling the back in the sweeper position, clearing everything in sight. Freshman Sarah Lipscomb raised the game’s energy by flying past an Irish and feeding the ball to Rooney who took a strong shot on goal, where it bounced off the crossbar. Freshman Maile Washington came hard to follow, planting the ball in the top right corner. 1-0 Panthers.

With some shots on goal and brilliant saves by captain senior Jennifer Randazzo, the half ended with Ometer and defender junior Julia Schon attacking two opponents at the top of the box and both ended on the ground, later having to leave the field, but the Panthers’ defense line held up.

The second half started with a quick shot by Rooney while McArthur and Washington kept following. Juniors Stephanie Maniglia and MC Guidoux stepped up in the wing and midfield position to get some strong shots off as well.

Fouls started flying until Ometer had one in the box, creating the opportunity for the Irish to score through a penalty kick. Randazzo almost had the stop, but it redirected into the goal off her feet. With the score 1-1 with 26 minutes left, the Panthers started crashing the goal.

Three minutes later, after Sacred Heart’s goalie failed with a punt, Lipscomb took a quick look and fired from almost midfield, flying over the goalie’s head into goal, making the game 2-1. Three minutes after that, Guidoux attacked through the defense and Maniglia came from behind and placed the ball over the goalie’s head again.

Without laying off the defensive pressure, with 16 minutes left, McArthur took a quick throw-in to the top of the box where Guidoux was ready to fire, nailing the ball into the back of the net.

Confident in their position, Randazzo went out in exchange for senior Andrea Tomlinson at goal. Finishing the game with heads held high, the Panthers walked proudly off the field with smiles of jobs well done. Check them out at their next game this Saturday, Feb. 5 at Presentation at 11 a.m. against Notre Dame Belmont.

February Game of the Month: Varsity Basketball vs. Mitty

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:40:20 +0000

The rivalry between Presentation and Mitty is legendary, especially on the basketball court. On Jan. 13 this rivalry was played out in a basketball game that ended in the score Panthers 47, Monarchs 81. Opening the game with a solid starting lineup, the Panthers upheld a four-point lead against the powerhouse Monarchs following a three-point shot by junior Chelsea Punian in the last three seconds of the first quarter. This left the score Panthers 16, Monarchs 12.
Both teams played with a tight defense, asserting themselves on the court in an aggressive manner. At first the Monarchs struggled to make their bank shots and lay ups. However, they began to sink their shots both inside and outside of the key. The Panthers checked such advances with adept dribbling skills and passing. Despite such efforts, the Panthers lost their lead to the Monarchs with a score of Panthers 24, Monarchs 28 in the first half.
The second half aroused a challenge as the Monarchs scored a series of baskets, fast breaks, outside shots, and three pointers. The Monarchs stepped onto the court with a dangerous, penetrating offense which proved difficult to match. Chelsea Punian, the Panther’s leading scorer, scored a total of 22 points followed by sophomore Kayla Bose with eight points and senior Savannah Morgan with seven. Even these numbers could not match those of the Monarchs.
Off the court, the team was at a loss as junior Nici Gilday was out with a severely sprained ankle. Gilday said, “We need to play consistently during each game. We need to be aggressive. Hopefully we’ll make it to CCS and win.”

February Game of the Month: Varsity Soccer vs. Saint Ignatius

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:37:52 +0000

Presentation varsity soccer faced off against Saint Ignatius on Friday, January 22 and gained a major 2-0 win. The team is now ranked 5th in CCS this season.
The game started at 3:20 p.m. after the teams both warmed up and put their game faces on. Seniors Michelle Kay and Taylor Johnson started the kickoff. In the first 10 minutes, senior Shelby Galaviz continually attacked the ball even when the ball was mostly in the defensive end. Junior Jennifer Randazzo, the star goalie of the varsity team, kept everything out of the box with her punts passing over half the field.
Michelle Kay’s headers and Julia Shon’s throw-ins teamed up to start the attack towards St. Ignatius’ goalbox. Sixteen minutes into the half, Megan Mccarthur scored off of a rebound right over the goalie’s head giving Presentation a 1-0 lead.
Eight minutes later, St. Ignatius had a close call off of a corner kick, but Jennifer Randazzo gobbled up the soccer ball once again. After this moment, the momentum shifted into a major offensive attack for the Panthers.
With two minutes left of the first half, Taylor Johnson took the corner kick that landed right in the box where Maire Rooney ripped a shot from the top of the six-yard line, landing in the back of the top right corner of the goal. This ended the half with the Panthers up 2-0.
The second half began and, after 11 minutes, sophomore Megan Mccarthur went down with a kick to the side of her shin, taking her out for the rest of the game. When asked how she was doing, she commented, “I’m on Motrin right now, but I’ll be fine!” Sophomore Rachel Ometer went down later near the end of the game after she collided with last month’s athlete of the month, senior Emma Caringello, for a header. She is recovering well now, too. Ometer commented, “I am out with a concussion at the moment. But I will not give up, and I will keep supporting my team.”
For the last 30 minutes of the game, arms were flailing and fouls were being handed out right and left, but the Panthers dominated and kept SI out of their box. The game finished with the score of 2-0. Junior Aneska Alino after the win said, “It was amazing! We worked so hard to keep our title for first place.”

Game of December: Varsity Basketball

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:38:08 +0000

The Panther’s Varsity Basketball team took on the Evergreen High School Cougars on December 8, 2009, and came out with a strong win of 76-43 by the end of the night, making their league count 2-0-0.

Nici Gilday, a guard who has been on the Presentation Varsity team since her freshman year, was proud of the game and the outcome. “The second half really picked up. What it all really comes down to is that we are a lot more disciplined than all the other teams we have been playing. We keep fighting until the end.”

As the team started every home game, senior Savanna Morgan led the team out of the gym foyer of Presentation High School by jumping up and hitting the sign of hope written on the gym wall. It says ‘Hard Work + Determination = CHAMPION.’ When Gilday was asked why the team did such a ritual, she commented, “We started that last year, and we hit it because it is a true testimony of what we believe. A creed, really.”

The starting lineup strutted onto the court, confident with their size and skill. Molly Pearson towered over Evergreen’s center for the tip-off, taking the ball for Presentation for the start of the game. Within the first couple of plays, the Panther’s energy shone, although shots were falling short and no shots made it in the basket. By the six minute mark, the only score on the board was 1-0 from a foul shot. Soon after, Gilday put up a shot from a breakaway, making the score 3-0. Evergreen kept fighting, but by the end of the first quarter, Presentation still came out on top.

The second quarter consisted of a lot of fouls and baskets. At the end of the half, the score was 34-15. The crowd was happy with the first half, but left room for improvement. One person in the crowd, Taylor Johnson, said, “I love going to support my friends on the team, and it’s a good feeling when your team does better because they know you are there supporting them. The second half had so much more energy in the air.”

The foul list for the home team reached up to 19 team fouls by the end of the night, showing their aggression and desire to win the game at any cost. Forward Chelsea Punian’s aggression tallied up four fouls. Cooling was very happy with the speed of the game, and how the team has been doing this season. “Our team is just winning everything in dominating fashion.” With the crowd’s support, who wouldn’t want to show their panther pride?

Credit for the win not only goes to the Varsity Basketball team, but also to the coaches, Wade Nakamura and Adam Blightman. Assistant Athletic Director Stacey Mallison, who was there to support her team, found the game exciting and was proud to see their success. “So far this season, everything looks good. There is a lot of potential and talent out on that court,” she said. “The game showed me that their speed of play has increased exponentially.”

Congratulations to the mighty strong basketball team, for not only did they defeat Evergreen, but they won the Pinewood Classic Tournament, winning the championship game 50-33. This leaves their current record at 5-0-0. The whole school is waiting to see how the Varsity Basketball team will do the rest of the season! After Christmas break, check out the following games: Valley Christian at Presentation on Wednesday January 6, 2010 at 7:30 pm AND Archbishop Mitty at Presentation on Wednesday January 13, 2010 at 7:30 pm.