Newbury Park girls’ basketball trying to hop on winning track

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It’s been an up-and-down season for the Newbury Park girls’ basketball team. The Panthers lost seven of their first eight games, but opened up Marmonte League play last week with victories over Calabasas and Agoura.

However, a potential three-game winning streak was obliterated Wednesday when Newbury Park was forced to forfeit its game against Perris in the first round of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions. A fatal accident closed the 101 North and the Panthers had no way of getting to the Santa Barbara area.

Still, don’t be fooled by this team’s 3-8 record. The Panthers have played some pretty decent competition -- Ventura, Oaks Christian, Inglewood, Hart -- and they could be the next-best team in the Marmonte League behind Royal and Westlake. They also have two talented players in junior Doris Park-Sherman (12.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.8 steals per game) and Sarah Godfrey (11 ppg, 8.8 rpg)

So, redemption time could begin as early as this afternoon at 4:30 when the Panthers take on Santa Barbara in the consolation quarterfinals. This is a game Newbury Park can definitely use to tack a win on its misleading record.

-- Austin Knoblauch