Winter Sports Season Wrap Up

Last week, Poly Athletics wrapped up its Winter season after many teams finished their playoff runs.

Boys Basketball

The team returned to the court after earning themselves the titles of 2021 CIF-SS Division 4AA Boys Basketball Champions. After a successful 2021 season, the team was re-ranked and moved up to Division 2A. They finished the regular season with an overall record 14-6, 5-3 in league. They were able to extend their season and played in the first round of the 2022 CIF-SS Division 2A Boys Basketball playoffs where they faced the Lancers from Lakewood High School. The Panthers had a tough road ahead of them since they were playing without one of their starters. The team fought hard but their season came to a close after a 42-64 loss. With a lot of rising talent, the team hopes for another playoff run next season.

Girls Basketball

This season was filled with newness with a new coaching staff and a handful of new faces. The team fought hard throughout the season finishing with a 11-10 overall record and placing fourth in the Prep League. Their fourth-place finish put them in the wild card game of the 2022 CIF-SS Division 3A Girls Basketball playoffs. They played the Brahmas from Diamond Bar High School for their chance to play in the main bracket of the playoffs. The girls played well and fought hard. By the end of the third quarter, the Panthers were down by one point, 45-46. They pushed in the fourth but fell to the Brahmas 52-58. The team was led by junior veteran Paige L. ’23 who finished the game with the team high of 32 points. Without a single senior member of the team, they hope to take this years’ experience playoff with them to next season.

Boys Soccer

Riding on the experience of its 10 seniors, the team was hopeful about this season. They had a near-perfect season going undefeated until their very last game of the season. They finished with an overall record of 10-1-2 and as Prep League Champions for the third consecutive year. They had a lot of momentum going into the first round of the 2022 CIF-SS Division 5 Boys Soccer Playoffs. There they hosted the Royals from Quartz Hill High School. It was a back and forth game with strong defense on both ends. The Royals scored first and kept the 1-0 lead until the last two minutes of the game. James G. ’23 scored with less than two minutes left in regulation tying the game. The Panthers and the Royals continued to battle for two overtime periods taking the game to penalty kicks. The game came down to the very last Royals kicker who found the back of the net. The Panthers ended their season with a nail-biter.

Girls Soccer

The girls soccer team returned to the field under the leadership of its five seniors. They started their season with four straight wins. They had a tough mid-season but finished strong outscoring their opponents 5-1 in the last two games of the season. With a tough midseason schedule, the team narrowly missed a playoff berth by one place. They concluded their season with an overall record of 8-7-1 and fourth in the Prep League.

Girls Water Polo

Going into this season, there were many unknowns. Without having much of a season last school year, the team returned to the Aquatics Center with a nearly completely new squad. They relied heavily on their two junior veterans with strong support from the rest of the team. After starting the season 0-3, the team found their game and quickly went on a five-game winning streak. They ended up finishing the season 12-7 overall, 9-3 in league and tied for second in the Prep League. Junior Liz F. ’23 broke the school record of 135 total goals scored in a season and scored 145 goals this season. This earned the team a wildcard game in the 2022 CIF-SS Division 2 Girls Water Polo Playoffs. There they faced the Knights from Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks. The Panthers played a hard fought game, but fell to the Knights 10-20. Without a single senior on the roster, the team looks forward to returning the full roster next season.