STROUDSBURG - Rivalry game. Rubber match. Elimination game.

The contest between Pleasant Valley and Stroudsburg in the opening round of the District 11 Class 6A playoffs was all three of those things on Tuesday night.After the teams split during the regular season, each with a narrow two-point victory, it was the Mounties whot found the winning recipe when it mattered most, defeating the Bears 42-22.Coming into the game, Pleasant Valley (11-12) knew it had to cut down on its turnovers to have a chance in this one, having averaged 22 miscues per game on the season. A feisty Stroudsburg defense continued that trend, however, forcing 10 turnovers in the first quarter to gain a 10-point advantage after one."Our girls did a good job of executing something different. Usually, we play a match-up zone, but tonight we went man-to-man to try and create some pressure, and our girls just did a great job," said Mounties head coach Matt Field. "Overall, I think we just did a great job preparing, and the girls were focused, and each girl took it upon themselves to not let anybody hurt us."Pleasant Valley didn't get on the board until the 7:33 mark of the second quarter after a pair of Natalia Salmon free throws made it 10-2. The Bears would then get within six after a Salmons inside bucket a few possessions later, but that's as close as they would get on the night. Continued turnover woes for Pleasant Valley aided the Mounties in another 10-0 run as they opened a 20-4 halftime lead."First, you have to give credit to Stroudsburg's defense because they put us in positions where we weren't comfortable, and it resulted in a lot of turnovers," said Bears head coach Nadia Gauronsky. "Taking care of the ball has been an issue for us this season and in the games we've lost, it's been a big reason why.We're a young team, and I think we learned a lot from tonight, so we'll really get after it in the offseason and try to be back here again next year."Stroudsburg (17-7) didn't take its foot off the gas pedal to start the third, keeping the Bears at bay. The third was all about tempo, and the Mounties controlled that aspect of the game.Stroudsburg point guard Tamia Hines (10 points) was the catalyst on the offensive end in the transition department as she pushed the ball on almost every possession. The result was a 34-11 lead for Stroudsburg heading into the final quarter."We thought we had the speed advantage, and any time we were fortunate enough to get a turnover, we wanted to push the ball," said Field. "Any time we can get out in transition and get a good shot, we're going to try and take advantage of that."UP NEXT .... Stroudsburg will now face No. 1 seed Nazareth at Catasauqua at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.BUSY BYRA ... Angie Byra was the difference on the offensive end for the Mounties early in the game, as she scored seven of her game-high 11 points in the first half, finding the soft spots in the zone and converting.TURNOVER TOWN ... The Bears turnover woes on the season continued as they committed 24 on the night.PLEASANT VALLEYO'Neil 0-0-0-0, Sullivan 1-0-0-2, B. Clark 1-0-1-2, Covart 0-1-2-1, Miller 1-0-0-2, Rosenberg 1-0-0-2, A. Clark 2-0-0-4, Bolds 0-0-0-0, Francis 0-0-3-0, Borden 0-0-0-0, Duviella 0-0-0-0, Caffrey 1-0-0-2, Schwenck 0-0-2-0, Salmon 1-5-8-7. TOTALS: 8-6-16-22.STROUDSBURGHines 4-1-2-10, Barro 0-0-0-0, White 3-2-2-8, Wright 0-1-2-1, Johnson 1-0-1-2, K. Worsley-Wooten 0-0-0-0, Byra 2-6-8-11, M. Worsley-Wooten 2-3-6-7, Correia 0-0-0-0, Fenn 0-0-0-0, Powlette 0-3-5-3. TOTALS: 12-16-26-42.Pleasant Vy. 0 4 7 11 - 22Stroudsburg 10 10 14 8 - 42Three-pointers: PV - None; Stroudsburg - Hines 1, Byra 1.