Peninsula Panthers Continue to Roll Against Mira Costa Mustangs!

On Tuesday afternoon the Peninsula Panthers JV Boys Basketball Team traveled down to Manhattan Beach to take on the mighty Mira Costa Mustangs. The Panthers were coming off of an emotional win against Palos Verdes with the hopes of not repeating what happened last season at Mira Costa. Last season in the Bay League game at Mira Costa the Panthers had just finished a grueling week of mid-term exams and were out scored 14-0 in the 1st quarter of the game. The Panthers came back and won a very tight game 44-42. This time around the Panthers were determined not to be held scoreless in the first quarter.

The game started late and the delay definitely had an impact upon the Panthers as they came out sloppy and lacking emotion. The Panthers made numerous mistakes and turned the ball over too many times and trailed the Mustangs 12-6 at the end of the 1st quarter. The Panthers were reminded that they can not play as if they are afraid to lose, they had to overcome this attitude and go about playing the game the way they had been playing all year. The Panthers were slow to correct their style and turned a 6 point deficit into a 1 point lead at half time 19-18.

The second half began and it was apparent that both sides had suddenly found their offensive footing as each team began to hit most of their shots with regularity. The Panthers and Mustangs traded lay-ups and 3 pointers as the quarter went on and at the end of the 3rd quarter the Panthers had increased their halftime edge by one point and led the Mustangs 40-38 with 8 minutes remaining in the game.

The Panthersa came out in the 4th quarter and everyone could see that they were far more focused than they had been for the first 3 quarters of the game and now they were beginning to impose their will on the Mustangs from the defensive end of the floor. The Panthers began to force the Mustangs into unforced errors and the Mustangs became an outside shooting team due to the intense defensive effort the Panthers exhibited. The much taller Mustangs could not muster the numerous offensive rebounds they had in the first 3 quarters of the game and the Panthers remained hot from the field. The 4th quarter ended and the Panthers came out victorious with a hard earned 60-49 victory.

The Panthers were led by Sophomore Kurt Milch who scored 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Joining Milch in the scoring column was Junior Donte Buchanon who added 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Junior Cameron Tong chipped in with 6 points, 1 assist and 1 steal as did Sophomore Grey Goodman who had 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Almost all members of the Panthers team scored in this game and everyone made positive contributions in the game.

The Panthers travel to West Torrance for the final game of the season against the West Torrance Warriors on Thursday afternoon at 4:30. The Panthers are currently 14-5 overall and 7-2 in Bay League action, the Panthers would love to see as many people as possible in the stands for the final game of the 2012-2013 season. We will see you there!