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!

For those who are not familiar with WCAL, CCS, and all of the workings of the high school sports league, here is a little background. The WCAL stands for the West Catholic Athletic League and consists of eleven Catholic schools. CCS stands for Central Coast Section Championship and starts after WCAL is finished.

For basketball and soccer, the teams play the regular season, known as Round Robin, and then participate in the league playoffs. The winner of the most games during the season is the winner of Round Robin and WCAL champion. If a different team wins the league playoffs, then the two teams are co-champions, but if it is the same team only one champion remains.

The soccer team’s season consisted of nine wins, two losses, and one tie. The team advanced to WCAL holding the highest seed. The team played St. Ignatius in the final round of the tournament, finishing with a 3-0 win over Saint Ignatius. Seniors Shelby Galaviz and Emma Caringello, as well as junior Aneska Alino, scored the three goals. Seniors Michelle Kay and Taylor Johnson performed two important assists.

The soccer team finished off the season with a nail biting game against Aragon High School. They played into double overtime and finished with a tie, making the Pres soccer team CCS Co-Champions. “Our team was very focused and composed from the start. We knew that if we wanted it, we had to work for it,” said senior Taryn Phillips.

The basketball team finished the league season with five wins and seven losses. The team finished fourth at the WCAL championships with a one point lead over Valley Christian. “It was a close game all the way through, but we were able to keep our lead and pull it out,” said senior Savannah Morgan.

“At the beginning of the year the basketball team was undefeated,” said Athletic Director Ryan Cooling. “Then they had a couple key injuries and went into league down a couple of players. They played hard and did really well, but having these key players back again has really helped them out.”

Good luck to the basketball team who will be advancing to the NorCal Championships, and congratulations to the Pres champion soccer team.