Undefeated Tigers rule the court and the league, 10-0
Senior Emily Sheridan keeps her eye on the basket despite the Maxwell Panther trying to get in her way, and hits her mark for PHS on Jan. 31. Photo by Mari Erin RothThe Portola girl’s basketball team has left no doubt that they are the best team in the Mountain Valley Girls Basketball league. They have come out the victor against league teams from Biggs, Quincy, Esparto, Maxwell and CORE Butte.
The Tigers head to the Northern Section Division 5 playoffs to meet winning competitors along the playoff ladder.
In the order of best record first, teams in the Northern Section Div. 5 are from Durham, Biggs, Trinity, Colusa, Hamilton, Mt. Shasta, East Nicolaus, Los Molinos, Esparto, CORE Butte, Modoc and Williams.
The Tigers have three losses (and 25 wins) but none of the three teams that got the best of the Tigers will meet the Portola ladies in playoffs because they are in division six (Etna and Loyalton) or out of state (McQueen).
Durham has the second best record, 7-1, after Portola, then Biggs at 7-2 and Trinity at 5-4.
The competition dribbles off after that with Hamilton at 5-3, East Nic at 4-4, Mt. Shasta at 4-5, and Colusa at 4-3, and so on decreasing in win/loss ratios for the balance of the division.
It will be interesting to see how the ladder lines up; hopefully the toughest challengers will meet each other toward the end and not in the first rounds.
Tigers 65, Spartans 20
The Tigers tore through their final league game Feb. 13 when their Spartan opponents arrived from Esparto.
The Tigers took off in the first quarter to lead 21-10 and never looked back. They continued the steam-roll, 40-13 by the half.
The lady Tigers slowed a tad in the third and fourth quarters scoring 12 and 13 points to end the third quarter, 52-15, and wrap up with the final score 65-20 to take the Mountain Valley League completely undefeated. This game also marked 14 wins in a row for the Tigers!
Senior Margaret Canseco was unstoppable scoring 21 points. Junior Mya Wilson added 10 points and senior Emily Sheridan scored 9. Sophomore Mikayla Segna added 8 points, Sophie Ward 7, Michaela Coronado and Sophia Dutton 4 points each and Abby Klemesrud scored with 2 points. Wilson landed two 3-pointers, Ward, Sheridan and Segna all scored on a long shot.
“The girls will have a bye for their first round in the Northern Section championships,” said Portola head girl’s basketball coach Chip Wilson.
Tigers 53, Trojans 25
Energy was up as the rivals took to the court Feb. 12, but the Tigers lapped the Trojans and that’s just the way it was. The parking lot and the areas surrounding Quincy High were packed. The stands held some of the most enthusiastic fans of the season, from beginning to end, they cheered.
Winning points for the Tigers came from the whole team led by Sheridan who shot 13 points onto the board. Tiger Canseco landed 11 and Portola Wilson added 10. Segna put up 8 points, Klemesrud 5, Ward 4 and Annie Folchi 2.
Shooters for the Trojans were also spread out; Annie Froggatt, Jaeden Stephens and Lexi Baumgartner all landed 6 points for Quincy. Emmary Wingfield added 3, Brystol Beatley 2 points and Kayla Thackeray and Natalie Davis both put a mark on the board with a free throw shot.
Tigers 59, Lynx 15
CORE Butte hosted the Tigers on Feb. 7. The Portola team burned up the scoreboard with 24 points in the first quarter and 26 in the second to lead by the half, 50-8. The pace slowed the third and fourth quarters. The Tigers scored 6 points to the Lynx 5 in the third and 3 points to the Lynx 2 in the fourth quarter.
Scoring for Portola was Sheridan with 20 points, hitting the sweet spot on four 3-pointers! Canseco landed 17 points. Tigers Coronado and Segna scored 6 each, Ward added 5, Dutton 4 and Folchi scored on a free throw shot.
Tigers 66, Wolverines 36
Portola took the lead and held tight for the balance of the game, adding a surge in the final quarter. The Tigers scored 19 to the Biggs 6 in the first quarter, 17 to the Biggs 11 in the second, 10 to the Biggs 7 in the third and a big 20 points to the Biggs 12 in the final period.
Wilson took the lead in the game scoring 17 for the Tigers supported by Canseco scoring 16. Ward came up with 13 points and Sheridan scored 5. Coronado, Dutton and Segna all scored 4 points. Klemesrud scored 2 and Folchi hit a free throw shot. Wilson landed a trio of long 3-pointer shots and Ward scored on a pair of 3-pointers.