Basketball

Panthers close out pre-league schedule with tournament win

Submitted photo

The McKinleyville girls won all three of their games at the Enterprise tournament this week, including a 47-37 win over Modoc in the championship game on Thursday afternoon.

And more impressively, they are getting contributions from throughout the entire roster, with the seniors and their younger teammates all rising to the challenge.

With Thursday’s win, the Panthers improved to 12-4 as they get set for their Big 5 opener at home against Eureka on Tuesday night.

“Just as a team, this is one of my favorite teams I’ve had in my five years (with the program),” McKinleyville head coach Jacob Cheek said. “They’re all buying in and they all want to get better.”

Seniors Gabby Watson and Tatum Fisher continue to help set the tone for their teammates and led the Panthers in scoring in Thursday’s win.

The ever-dangerous Watson scored a team-high 16 points and helped get the Panthers going with seven points in the opening quarter.

Fisher was equally impressive early in the game, scoring nine of her 13 points in the first half.

But that’s nothing new for the influential duo.

“Gabby Watson and Tatum Fisher have been leaving their mark for four years on this program,” Cheek said. “And I’m excited to see how they finish their high school careers.”

Fellow seniors MaryAnn Som, Bailee Box and Sarah McCray each also have been playing key roles for the team through the first month of the season.

Som added 11 points in Thursday’s win, including three 3-pointers, while Box added five points.

And the impressive senior class helped the Panthers overcome some adversity during the game.

“We had some ups and downs, but you know when things got tough we really answered the call and we stepped up when we needed to,” Cheek said.

Some of the team’s younger players also have impressed ahead of conference play.

Freshman Olivia Murphy scored 12 points in a win over Fall River on Wednesday, while sophomore Lili Loomis and freshman Lily Battilocchi have been making their presence felt in the paint.

Likewise with junior Ahty Allen, who has been rebounding well, while fellow junior Grace Pimentel has been effective creating opportunities for herself and her teammates.

“I think our youth is showing a lot of growth,” Cheek said. “Everyone on the team has really impressed.”

In addition to Thursday’s win over Modoc, the Panthers also defeated Weed 48-28 and Fall River 45-29 on their way to the tournament final.

Leave a Reply