The girls Junior Varsity (JV) basketball team showcased an impressive defensive outing against the visiting Presentation Panthers, winning 43-13. The game was held in the new gym on Dec. 4, tip-off occurred at 5:30 p.m.
Woodside scored first, and strong defense from the Wildcats saw them keep the Panthers to just two points throughout the first quarter for a score of 6-2.
“We installed a new defense yesterday at practice,” coach Nick Fiorentinos said. “The girls executed it perfectly as well as we could after only one practice.”
The Wildcats maintained a lockdown defense in the second quarter, keeping the Panthers to just two points, while the Wildcats put up 13 points by capitalizing off of layups and offensive rebounds to keep the score 19-4.
“It was absolutely a team effort, whether it was somebody helping bring the ball up the court and somebody making a great pass or a rebound,” Fiorentinos said. “It’s never about who scores.”
Woodside, with a fresh set of players on the court, continued to put up layups and bring down offensive rebounds. However, Presentation was able to put up seven points in the third quarter by putting up their own rebounds and taking advantage of free throws, making the score 32-11.
“The fouls [were a problem],” sophomore guard Leslie Bamaca said. “I shouldn’t have made that last foul, that’s why I got taken out.”
Still, the Wildcats found their defensive rhythm once again in the fourth quarter by holding the Panthers to just two points yet again and continuing to score in the paint.
“We pretty much split the time evenly between the two squads and we had them working on the new defense we installed yesterday, and it worked out,” Fiorentinos said. “The defense did great, and I was really proud of them.”
The Wildcats closed it out against the Panthers for the rest of the game, coming out with a final score of 43-13 and valuable improvements and momentum for the rest of the season.
“We want [the team] to just make the smallest improvements each time,” Fiorentinos said. “And eventually, by the end of the season, it’ll lead to big results.”
