In Tamaqua's recent loss to Schuylkill League Division 1 opponent Minersville, head coach Jim Barron thought his team was too relaxed on defense.

On Tuesday night against Panther Valley, the Raiders were certainly anything but relaxed.Tamaqua didn't let up on the defensive side of the ball and turned in one of its most impressive performances of the season with a 64-29 non-league win over the Panthers."This was a really nice turnaround for us because I don't think we played with much effort against Minersville," said Barron. "Tonight everyone was hustling and was physical on offense, defense, and on the boards. This is the best we have played all year collectively, and I'm proud of these guys for bouncing back."It was defensive pressure and turnovers that got things started for the Raiders. An early switch to full-court pressure gave Tamaqua a four-point lead halfway through the first frame. The Panthers had nine turnovers in the quarter, which was a sign of things to come, but they trailed by just three points going into the second.That is when the Raiders offense, combined with strong defense, would help them pull away. A 13-2 run, led by Tamaqua junior guard Thad Zuber, helped the Raiders gain a 14-point advantage with 2:43 left to go in the half. Zuber was responsible for 11 of Tamaqua's 19 points in the frame.Zuber was dominant in the first half, getting to the basket at will, scoring 17 of his game-high 21 points. At the end of the half, Tamaqua had a commanding 31-16 lead."Thad is our leader and he can do so many things for us, which he showed tonight," said Barron. "He really got us going tonight on offense, and then we just turned it up defensively. We didn't let them dictate on the offensive side of the floor, we played great help defense and we were physical on their cuts."The Raiders carried that physicality into the second half. A Tamaqua 23-8 run in the third put the game away, as the Raiders held a 20-point advantage heading into the fourth. It was just one of those nights for the Panthers where nothing went their way. It was also a tough night in the turnover department, as they committed 19."I don't think our effort was there, and if you don't play with effort against a tough team like Tamaqua, the result is what you see here tonight," said Panther Valley head coach Keith Gogal. "We did not play good fundamental basketball, we didn't box out, and we didn't do a good job of helping when their players were driving to the basket. We have to play with more intensity and effort."Josh Inama was the only other Raider in double figures, as he chipped in with 12.For Panther Valley, Anthony Micholik led the team with 11, while Tristan Blasko added 10.REBOUND HOUND ... Zuber did his job of getting to the basket, scoring a game-high 21 points, but he was also a force on the glass. The junior collected 12 rebounds, including five defensive and seven offensive.TOUGH D ... Tamaqua certainly amped up its defensive effort after a recent loss to Minersville. The Raiders did not give up double digits in any quarter against Panther Valley, holding it to 29 total points.PANTHER VALLEYMicholik 4-1-2-11, Turner 2-0-0-6, Figueroa 1-0-0-2, Depew 0-0-0-0, Distler 0-0-0-0, White 0-0-0-0, Blasko 4-2-3-10, Morgans 0-0-0-0, Rohlfing 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 11-3-7-29.TAMAQUABonetsky 0-0-0-0, Stianche 0-0-0-0, Wassell 3-0-0-6, Kurek 1-0-0-2, Zuber 8-5-6-21, Knoblauch 2-0-0-5, Scott 0-0-0-0, Rother 1-0-0-2, Inama 5 -2-2-12, G. Gregoire 2-1-2-5, L. Gregoire 4-1-4-9, Griffin 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 27-9-14 -64.Panther Vy. 9 7 8 5 - 29Tamaqua 12 19 23 10 - 64Three-pointers: PV - Micholik 2, Turner 2; Tamaqua - Knoblauch 1.