A.M. PANTHER POWER

By Haisten Willis
VSP Contributing Writer

In a game with a sleepy 10 a.m. tipoff, the matchup of two powerhouse teams for the Division IV Central Section Championship proved to be anything but.

The Corcoran Panthers had already won the section title four times this decade, while the Kingsburg Vikings won it in 2007.

Make it five section titles for the Panthers, in a 63-58 win over the pesky Vikings at Selland Arena.
The contest pulsed with excitement the entire 32 minutes. Corcoran quickly jumped to a 10-1 lead, but Kingsburg refused to go down easy, bringing the score to 13-12 midway through the first quarter.
Corcoran dominated in the second quarter, taking a 41-29 lead into halftime. Tabitha Torres led the way for Corcoran, scoring 13 points in the first half.

Doug White, Corcoran’s fiery head coach, stayed on top of his players the entire game, never letting his players get too comfortable with their lead.

Kingsburg roared back in the third quarter, ignited by Fighting Spirit Award winner Shaylee Yano. Yano scored 20 points in the second half alone and 30 for the game, leading all scorers.

The Vikings scored five points in the last minute of the third quarter to close the gap to 51-48. The Kingsburg fans erupted as the buzzer sounded to end the third period.

The fourth quarter began with some Corcoran players on the bench because of foul trouble.
Things would only intensify, as the game raced to a finish. At one point, Kingsburg managed to miss three 3-point shots in one possession, while Corcoran missed 4 layups in a row a few minutes later.
Kingsburg pulled to within three again with 27 seconds left, but Corcoran guard Ariel Pruitt made two crucial three throws to extend the lead to five as time ran out. The Panthers never trailed.

Corcoran players stormed the court, celebrating the school’s first section title in four years. They will now move on in pursuit of a state championship.

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