STROUDSBURG Halftime is often a welcome break.

But for Pleasant Valley on Friday night, intermission couldn't have come at a worse time.After closing the first half on an 8-0 run that turned a deficit into a one-point lead, the buzzer not only ended the second quarter but it also signifield a halt to the Lady Bears' momentum.Northampton, on the other hand, took full advantage of the respite and came out hitting on all cylinders in the third quarter. The Konkrete Kids scored on six of their first seven possessions of the second half and eventually pulled away for a 53-44 victory in the consolation game of the District 11 Class AAAA playoffs.The loss ended PV's season at 14-10 while Northampton advances to the state tournament."That's what hurt us halftime," said Pleasant Valley head coach Nadia Gauronsky. "Halftime killed us more than they did. We were on a roll and then halftime came."We also had some miscommunication on our part when they hit a couple three-pointers to start the third quarter. We didn't get somebody out on her. We did in the first half but didn't in the second."Those three-pointers, both from Kayla Csencsits, came during a 14-2 stretch that put the Kids ahead 34-23. The threes not only did damage on the scoreboard, but it also opened the inside for freshman Aja Blount.As the Bears chipped into the lead, whittling the deficit to three on a couple of occasions, Blount's presence in the paint during the fourth quarter allowed Northampton (14-12) to stay on top. The 5-10 center tallied 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the final frame."We thought going into the game with her strength and size that she should be able to take it to them down there," said Kids mentor Jeff Jacksits. "We finally executed in the third quarter ... Aja just takes up space and she can clear. Kayla knocked down those threes as well and that set the tone.""The first time we played them (during the regular season) we got the big girl in foul trouble," said Gauronsky. "This time obviously it was tougher for us. She takes up so much space and our girls have trouble getting around her ... She's just a freshman, but she's a good freshman. You have to hand it to her. She had a big game."Mackenzie Dorney also had a big game for her team, helping Pleasant Valley rally late. The senior center finished the contest with a team-high 13 points and eight boards. She hit two buckets from inside early in the fourth and her free throw with five minutes to play trimmed Northampton's lead to 41-38. Kiki Russel's driving basket and a pair of free throws from Julia Craig (12 points) kept the difference at three (45-42) with 2:37 to play but Blount (19 points, 16 rebounds) and Leandra Sterner (16 points) combined for eight points down the stretch to seal the victory."We played pretty good defense and held down (Keri) Dekmar," said Jacksits. "(Dorney) surprised us a little bit, though. She shot the ball well and we had to adjust to that."The Bears didn't have a hard time adjusting to Sterner exiting the game in the second period.The skilled Northampton point guard picked up her third foul and had to spend the rest of the half on the bench. Without her on the floor, PV pressured the Kids' guards and forced six straight turnovers to end the half. Russel had two steals and Dekmar one, which resulted in layups at the other end.Sterner, however, returned in the second half and was a key figure in ending Pleasant Valley's season."She's quick with the basketball and low to the ground," said Gauronsky. "It's kind of hard to stop her penetration. When she got by us, she created a lot of things for herself and her teammates. She's a talented player and I wish them well at states."As for my girls, they're great girls and they worked hard all year," said Gauronsky. "It was a nice senior class and it's going to be sad to see them go."NORTHAMPTONReppert 0-0-0-0, Klucsarits 0-0-0-0, Csencsits 3-0-0-8, Le. Sterner 7-2-4-16, Farnholtz 0-0-0-0, Sanders 1-0-0-2, Filipovits 4-0-0-8, Blount 7-5-8-19. TOTALS: 22-7-12-53.PLEASANT VALLEYMeckes 0-5-8-5, Dekmar 1-0-0-2, Krcic 0-0-0-0, Miller 2-0-0-4, Russel 4-0-0-8, Dorney 6-1-2-13, Craig 3-6-6-12, Fields 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-12-16-44.Northampton 8 12 19 14 - 53Pleasant Vy. 8 13 9 14 - 44Three-pointers: Northampton - Csencsits 2; Pleasant Vy. - None.