Tiny Pinewood seeks big title
History repeated itself in a good way Tuesday for Pinewood’s small but mighty girls basketball team.
Now, the Panthers from Los Altos Hills hope it doesn’t happen again.
Pinewood (26-2) tangles with the nation’s No. 1 team, Mitty (29-0), in Saturday’s 6 p.m. CIF Northern California Open Division title game at the Leavey Center on the campus of Santa Clara University.
Two weeks ago, on the same court, Mitty overcame an early 10-point deficit to beat the Panthers 76-62 for the Central Coast Section Open title.
It was Pinewood’s seventh straight loss against Mitty. The average margin of defeat in those games has been 19 points, but Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler, who has led his team to eight NorCal titles and six lower-division state crowns, isn’t about to concede anything.
The Panthers are coming off a 59-56 win at national No. 5 St. Mary’s-Stockton, the second time they’ve beaten the Rams on the road in three years (both in the NorCal Open semifinals.
So clearly, Pinewood, led by 5-foot-11 Stanfordbound junior Hannah Jump, is capable. It’s just that recent history hasn’t been favorable against the Monarchs, a 12-time NorCal and six-time state champ at the highest level.
Mitty, led by Junior All-American Haley Jones and Penn Statebound guard Karisma Ortiz, is a school of 1,800 students. Pinewood’s enrollment is 210.
“I certainly feel we’re on the same level,” Scheppler said. “We’re not playing God’s gift to basketball. But we are playing a great high school team. Just like us.”
Scheppler has great respect for Mitty and its coach Sue Phillips, named the Naismith National Coach of the Year earlier this month. The two exchange texts often.
“They’re long and athletic and well coached, everyone knows that,” Scheppler said. “But it’s more about their mind-set. How they handle failure, missed shots, turnovers. It’s never a pity party. They show toughness and resilience and no fear of failure. There’s no tentativeness. They truly compete. They are the model in that regard.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t compete right along with them.”
Besides the long and athletic part, Scheppler’s description of Mitty applies to Pinewood, too.
But during the current seven-game losing streak to Mitty, the Monarchs’ depth and inside work have been a big part of the difference. In the game two weeks ago, Mitty held a 44-28 edge on the boards, leading to a 23-11 advantage in second-chance points.
That will need to change. But as MaxPreps national girls basketball writer Clay Kallam said: “If (Pinewood) has one of those miraculous 17-of-25 nights on threes, which they’ve been known to have, everything changes.”
It’s possible. Among all of Scheppler’s coaching skills, his best might be as a shooting coach. He’s credited with improving the stroke of NBA guard and Palo Alto alum Jeremy Lin, among countless others.
“Pinewood always has a puncher’s chance,” Kallam said.