JACOB BAILET ’16
With high expectations heading into the season as always, head coach Mike Kelly and the youthful prep basketball squad rose to the occasion and competed in a tough Metro Mountain division; tallying a 17-4 (overall) record and an 12-3 (metro conference) record.
Finishing the regular season with a hard fought loss to the defending state champion Rainer Beach Vikings, the Panthers ranked 7th in state and 5th in the 3A class among a plethora of other talented teams in Washington.
The Panther boys seemed to find success wherever they played, winning eight of ten at home and nine of eleven on the road. Talented young sophomores Collin Welp and Aaron Nettles stepped into their roles providing key offensive production both in the paint and beyond the arc. Nettles led the team averaging 14.3 points per game and 4.3 assists per game. Surprisingly enough, lengthy freshman J’Raan Brooks became a spark for Prep on both sides of the court, playing aggressively above the rim grabbing 6.1 rebounds per game and providing height and depth to the offensive attack adding 11.5 points per game.
Scorching hot from three point range all year, senior point guard Jack Stewart scored 13.2 points per game along with 3 assists per game. Head coach Mike Kelly stated that he is “very pleased with how well the boys have competed and improved over the course of the season. Each has sacrificed a bit of their personal wants for the good of the team and I look forward to watching them compete in the playoffs…”
As the season comes to a conclusion, senior captains Jordan Kitchen (forward) and Jack Stewart (PG) look to continue the teams winning ways as they head into the Washington metro tournament; and beyond that, making a run to claim the state title as champions.
During a season of ups and downs, the Seattle Prep Panthers girl’s basketball team kept an even keel in order to cap off yet another strong campaign. Battling tough opponents in a very competitive Metro division, the Panthers managed to finish the regular season around par at 8-8 (overall) and 4-5 in (metro conference). The team found success in close games winning four games by a small margin of five points or fewer.
Among those were three notable nail biters, Prep being the visiting team in all contests, with a 45-44 win over Ballard, a 44-42 win over Roosevelt, and a 57-53 win in overtime over Bainbridge. The team’s success is founded around senior leaders Olivia Morrow (guard), Kate Loy (forward), and Andreya Flor (forward/center). Senior forward Andreya Flor was a physical presence in the paint, leading the team averaging 15.5 points per game and gathering 16 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Chinwe Ezeonu found her stride this year for the Panthers collecting 9.7 points per game and 7 rebounds per game. Assistant coach Anne Kramer observed: “Though small in numbers, our team has the ability to compete with anyone on any night. We have high hopes [for] our post-season prospects this year.”
The Panthers have their sights set on a successful Metro tournament run in the upcoming weeks and look to extend a recent tradition of consecutive Washington state tournament appearances.
