After a long and hard-fought season, the girls’ basketball season concluded following a 52-38 loss to Ann Sobrato High School in the first round of the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs on Friday, Feb. 20. The Panthers finished the season with an 11-14 overall record and went 6-6 in league play, placing seventh in the league standings.
According to senior co-captain point guard and forward Haleh Ansari, the Panthers entered the game with the mindset of winning because they were a lower seed.
“It was a big deal for us to make CCS, because we had a rocky start, especially because we lost a lot of seniors last year, so our team [was] kind of coming together, but it was a big win,” Ansari said. “We beat Woodside to go to CCS, and so, we were just happy to be there.”
The Panthers had a strong first-quarter performance, playing aggressively and scoring despite pressure from the opponents, according to head coach Ned Diamond.
“It was tight. I think it was maybe a two-point game. We came out strong, and it was back and forth. We didn’t flinch when they scored,” Diamond said. “They scored right off the open tip. They have an opening tip play, and they beat us on it, and we just fought better.”
Diamond said Ann Sobrato had taller players and blocked many of the Panthers’ shots, forcing them to pivot and use different strategies.
“It was hard. We went and tried a box-in-one on one of them to push one out, but it didn’t really work,” Diamond said. “Then we just tried to be aggressive. Every time the ball got in there, tried to go in there and try to double-team or try to make them kick it back out.”
Senior center Kendall Gorshen also said the team struggled with communication on offense, which negatively impacted them throughout the game.
“We had some miscommunications on our plays that kind of cost us, and we had a few bad passes, and we had a lot of turnovers,” Gorshen said. “So I feel like if we were able to keep our turnovers to a minimum, that would have definitely benefited us.”
Despite the loss, sophomore Brooke Arce played a pivotal role in the Panthers’ defense, engaging in multiple steals to help turn over possession to the Panthers.
“Brooke, the sophomore, really came in and changed the game by playing the front of the 1-3-1 and kind of getting their point guard out of sorts. Had a few steals, so kind of led to a little comeback,” Diamond said.
The Panthers’ defeat in this game not only marked the end of their season but the conclusion of several players’ high school basketball careers. Ansari and Gorshen, who have both played basketball since childhood, said finishing this season was a sentimental moment for them.
“I was pretty sad, because I’ve been playing basketball my whole life, and it’s hard to know this is the last game I was going to play,” Ansari said. “All my memories at BHS of playing with these girls throughout the years, and it was really fun.”
Looking back, one of Gorshen’s favorite moments from this season was senior night on Jan. 30, against Westmoor High School. She said the large crowd, excitement, and atmosphere made it a memorable experience.
“It was super fun,” Gorshen said. “It was a super close game. And I just remember we had a huge crowd, and just winning in front of everyone was just such a cool experience that I’ll probably never experience anything like that again.”
With the departure of seven seniors, Diamond said he plans to work with the team to improve shooting and ball handling next season.
“We’re going to have to improve our outside shooting, for sure, in the gym, because we’re gonna be much, much smaller,” Diamond said. “So the number one thing is to work on ball handling, shooting, and then boxing out. They’re a great group of kids, and we’ll do the best we can.”
Ansari said she holds a positive and hopeful outlook for her teammates next season.
“We have a lot of really good shooters and great players that didn’t even get that much playing time this year that I’m excited to see what they’re going to do and how they’ll play,” Ansari said.
