School Rally Peps Up Girls’ Basketball Team : Sports: Newbury Park High gives its squad a spirited send-off before today’s state championship game in Oakland.

Outside Newbury Park High School, a billboard facing Reino Road announces that the Panthers are going to the state championship. Inside, articles about the girls’ team virtually wallpaper the school office.

And Friday, in the school’s main courtyard, the Panthers themselves basked in the glory of a final pep rally before jetting off to Oakland for today’s big basketball game.

“We’re going to go up to Oakland and give it our best shot to bring back a state championship to Newbury Park High School,” Coach Nori Parvin told hundreds of students and teachers gathered for the rally.

It was hard to tell that it was St. Patrick’s Day at the high school Friday, as the team colors of yellow and black all but swallowed up the occasional splotch of green.

The players wore yellow and black warm-ups. They clutched yellow daffodils. They stood on a stage under an arc of yellow and black balloons. They toted poster-size “encouragement cards” covered with candy bars and inspirational messages.

Junior class President Hollie Henderson, who made the cards, said she planned to fly to Oakland Friday to cheer the team. Her parents will drive north early this morning, she said.

“I would definitely not miss it,” said Hollie, who was dispensing the cards along with hugs to team members leaving the rally for classes.

The Panthers lost only one game this season and won 31, including their last 26 in a row.

Hollie said she thinks the girls’ team is good enough to beat the boys’ varsity.

Marcus Lee, 14, a ninth-grade student who attended the pep rally, said he was not sure that the girls could beat the boys, but acknowledged, “the boys didn’t do as good this year.”

The boys, however, do attend the girls’ games, said Meredith Mangum, who said support for the team has been overwhelming from boys, girls, parents and even teachers.

“They write little notes on my papers, like, ‘Good Luck,’ ” Meredith said.

Dozens of parents and fans are expected to drive north today for the 2:30 p.m. game in the Oakland Coliseum Arena. Other students interviewed at school Friday said they would like to travel to the game, but could not because of the distance and cost.

The Newbury Park team is led by five seniors, all of whom play other varsity sports in addition to basketball. The only player taller than 6 feet is 6-foot-1 senior center Kara McKeown, who leads the team in rebounds.

This year marked Parvin’s first championship season in 21 years as coach. Last year, the team won the Southern Section Academic Award for being the girls’ athletic team with the highest grade-point average.

On Sunday, the Panthers beat Santee Santana to become Southern Section Division III-AA champions and win a spot in today’s state Division III championship game.

The Panthers’ opponents, the Monarchs of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, have a record of 27 wins and three losses.