Lucy is going to the Semi Finals! Again!

Hello Hodge fans! Well our little Lucy is going back to the Section Semi finals! After a great volley ball season, they actually made it to the final and lost to Hamilton High School. Well, if they beat Colusa next Tuesday, they will be in the final for basketball, most likely against Hamilton. Colusa will be a very tough game for the girls, but they have a chance. Hold on, I am getting ahead of myself. Week before last, the girls final league game was cancelled due to a snow storm, so they started the playoffs last Tuesday. Here is my story.

Lucy packs a Durham layup!

The Portola Lady Tigers basketball squad advanced to the North Section semi finals last week with a pair of playoff wins at home. The girls defeated the Durham High Trojans 47 to 43 on Tuesday February 22, and then whipped the Quincy Trojans 55 to 33 on Saturday, February 26.

The Durham girls came to Portola Tuesday looking to avenge an early season loss to the lady tigers. However, the Cats pounced on the Trojans early pulling to a 4 point lead by the end of the opening act, 10 to 6. In the second quarter, the fighting tigers outscored Durham by 5 to lead 24 to 15 at intermission. A key factor was Portola's aggressive full court trapping press. They kept relentless pressure on the Lady Trojans, nabbing 15 steals in the first half. After the break, Durham came back hard and gained 3 points on the Tigers closing to within 6 points after the third period. The final frame was intense as both teams turned up the heat. The referees were busy, and both squads went into double bonus as the fouls piled up. Durham took advantage of numerous trips to the foul line to chip away at the lead, but the Cats hit their share of free throws as well. Overall, Durham hit 20 out of 35, while Portola drained 17 out of 37 giving Durham a 3 point edge. It wasn't enough however, as the Tigers kept the defensive pressure up, and made the shots every time it looked like Durham was on a run. At the buzzer the Lady Cats were on top 47 to 43.


Lindsay Compton picked off 5 steals to lead Portola, while Senior Ellie Kibble, Senior Anna Roach, and Freshman Rachel Wehrman swiped 3 each. Lucy Wilbanks blocked two shots, and snagged 2 steals as well. Total steals for the Cats was 24. Leading the scoring for the purple and white was Sophomore Center Kaitlin Boyd tallying 12 points, Roach, Kibble, and Compton sank 7 apiece, and Lucy Wilbanks netted 5. The Tigers were strong under the glass as they have been all year with Roach grabbing 8 rebounds, while Marissa Wehrman, Boyd, and Wilbanks pulled down 7 each.

Next on the Tigers dance card was a rematch with the Lady Trojans from Quincy. The Red and White spoiled Portola's perfect record at home on February 8th, 34 to 47, and the Lady Cats were looking for revenge. Once again the Tigers came out hard and fast in their full court trapping press. Their aggressive defensive play caused numerous Quincy turnovers, 16 in the first half, and 30 for the game. The Portola girls capitalized on most  of the steals putting 27 points on the board to Quincy's 14 at the halftime break. In spite of two power outages , the Cats kept the pressure on in third period, outscoring Quincy by 5 to lead 42 to 24 going in the the last period. The Lady Tigers smelled victory as the clock ticked down, and kept up  the pressure on the Trojans. At the final horn, the Tigers closed the book on Quincy 55 to 33.

Hodge drives left, lays it up...and in!!

Scoring for Portola was well distributed. Once again leading the Cats in scoring was Boyd with 11, Emma Briggs drained 10, Marissa Wehrman tallied 7, Roach and Rachel Wehrman, netted 6, while Compton, Bailey Holt, and Wilbanks notched 5 each. Roach led the Tiger rebounders collecting 9, Compton and Boyd grabbed 3 apiece, and Marissa Wehrman, Holt, and Wilbanks wrestled down 2 each.

The two victories improve the Lady Tigers overall record to 24 and 3, and put them in the Northern Section Division 5 semi final against Colusa on Tuesday March 1. No scores were available at press time.

Lucy was absolutely awesome against Durham, She had 7 rebounds, and she had to fight for every one. No "easy bouncers" for her this time. I have never seen her play with as much intensity. It was a wonderful game for me to watch. Looking forward to next Tuesday's game. Colusa is ranked 3rd, and we are ranked 4th. However, they are beatable, as Durham beat them earlier this year. So, stay tuned!!

That's All!