On Tuesday afternoon at 4:30, the Peninsula Panthers Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Team took on the mighty Warriors of West Torrance in a Bay League contest.
The Panthers were looking to continue their winning ways, and West Torrance had other ideas about that. The game began with West Torrance winning the jump ball and they came down and hit a 3 point shot to take the early lead. Peninsula seemed to be lethargic and out of sorts on the first 3-4 possessions and struggled to maintain the ball and make easy shots. The Panthers shortly after that began to get their stride and with intense defensive pressure the Panthers raced out to a 19-9 first quarter lead.
The 2nd quarter began and the Panthers picked up right where they left off out-scoring the Warriors 23-10 to take a commanding 42-19 lead. The third quarter began and the Panthers once again lost their focus after halftime and they made numerous unforced errors and began settling for jump shots instead of working the ball inside like they had in the first half. The Panthers out-scored the Warriors 14-9 to lead 56-28.
The Panthers and Warriors battled throughout the 4th quarter and finished the quarter with each side scoring 13 points. The Panthers came away with a 69-41 victory.
The Panthers are now 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the Bay League. The Panthers travel down to Redondo Beach on Friday for a contest against the Sea Hawks, who are currently in 1st place in the Bay League. The game Friday is at 4:30 p.m., and the Panthers would love to see you there.
The Panthers were led by Sophomore Kurt Milch who scored 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and 2 steals. Joining Milch in the scoring barrage were Junior Fola Saliu and Sophomore Brennan Smith each had 8 points. In all, there were 11 Panthers who scored in this win, and they will need an all-around performance if they wish to compete with Redondo on Friday.
