Peninsula Wins the Pool, Plays El Segundo in Championship Game Friday at El Segundo

The Peninsula Panthers came into the final game of pool play in the El Segundo Holiday Classic depleted from a flu virus and injuries.

The Panthers who usually suit 16 players were down to 11 1/2 players due to one player being suspended for receiving a technical foul in yesterday's contest for the first half of this contest.

From the beginning of the contest it was obvious that if the Panthers played controlled and within themselves they would have no worries about losing this game. The Panthers came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and forced LACES into numerous turnovers that the Panthers usually turned into points. The first quarter ended with the Panthers leading, 27-9.

The second quarter began and it was apparent that the Panthers were beginning to lose their focus and it quickly showed up on the defensive end of the floor. The Panthers were not sprinting back on defense, they were not the first ones to the loose balls and they stopped boxing out.

The Panthers also became selfish on the offensive end of the floor as their shot selection went from good to poor as each member was looking out only for themselves. The Panthers were fortunate to outscore LACES 14-7 in the quarter to take a 41-16 lead at the half.

The third quarter began and the Panthers again set about regaining their focus, they amped up their defensive effort and they again were causing all kinds of turnovers and they converted these turnovers into easy buckets. The Panthers were operating so efficiently that they did not attempt a single 3 point shot in the 3rd quarter. The Panthers outscored LACES 22-3 in the quarter to take a commanding 63-18 lead.

The fourth and final quarter began with the Panthers not running at all and they were content to try and run their offensive sets to perfection. This lead to more buckets by the Panthers and LACES fought valiantly but just did not have the horses to compete on a balanced playing field. The sportsmanship exhibited by LACES is something to emulated by the other teams. Peninsula is also to applauded for not continuing the scoring barrage and to hold back in the fourth quarter and work on their execution.

The final score was 77-23 and Peninsula will now face El Segundo High in the Championship Game at 6 p.m. Friday in the Main Gym at El Segundo.

The Panthers are now 8-1 on the season and they were led by sophomores Vinny Gallegos (18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals), Jacob Salceda (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal and 1 block), Rhys Hershberger (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals) and Hudson Guagliano (8 points, 1 assist, 1 block), Wyatt Chang (6 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block) and freshman Matt Lagleva (7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals).