If Lehighton and Panther Valley boys basketball teams were cars in a race, Panther Valley would be the car that needed a pit stop for fuel, while Lehighton's reserve tank powered it to the finish line. The two teams ran neck and neck throughout a majority of the contest. However, Lehighton managed to have more horsepower, pulling in front late in the game for a 68-51 Schuylkill League win.

A 1-3-1 half-court, trapping defense employed by the Tribe forced the hosts into too many turnovers in the second half, which led to easy fast-break buckets for the winners. After Matt Hudicka's corner jumper pulled the Panthers within three at 50-47, three straight turnovers led to Indian lay-ups, sparking a decisive 13-2 run to make it 63-49 with 2:11 left."The turnovers really changed the game for us," Lehighton head coach Rich Oertner said. "We made two adjustments at halftime and one of them was to put off trapping their guards until after they crossed half-court and it seemed to get to them."At the intermission, both teams had committed nine turnovers, but the Panthers made 14 more in the second to spell certain doom."I thought we did a better job against their pressure this time around," Panther Valley coach Pat Crampsie said. "But still, there were too many points off turnovers and Lehighton did a great job of running that trap. Plus, they're just so athletic and passes that you think would get through."Tyler Williams and Tyler Crum had four points apiece in the late run, while Nick Chambers added three to power the Tribe to the victory.Early on, there six ties and 12 lead changes."We told the kids that they needed to play with some more intensity than in recent games, and not roll over for teams," Crampsie related. "In previous games, two bad plays would turn into a huge run for our opponents. But tonight, I thought they did a great job of fighting, playing with intensity, and it was a better performance overall for us."In the first, Williams hit for seven points. Chambers had five, including two dunks, to help the Tribe out to a 17-15 lead. Freshman Tristan Blasko nailed seven to keep the Panthers right in it.However in the second, the hosts managed to attack more, limit their miscues, and eventually surge ahead for a 28-27 halftime lead. Matt Hudicka's five point, along with four more from Blasko provided the Panthers some punch. The Indians' Hunter Green nailed two treys to keep his team in it.The third frame consisted of runs, as Lehighton reeled off a 7-0 run, only to be answered with a 11-4 spurt by the Panthers. That's when the winners rattled off a 10-4 run for a 48-43 lead after three sessions.Oertner seemed pleased with his squad's ability to rise when it needed to."Give credit to Panther Valley because they came to play and they hustled on each play and made us make some plays," he said. "But we made some good traps in the second. Also, the guys started to go to the basket more instead of settling for the outside shot."Blasko who had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Panthers, while Chad Dubosky scored 16 and Hudicka added 12.For the Tribe (10-4, 4-4), Chambers had 17 points and 13 boards. Williams had 16. Jordan Knappenberger tallied 12 and Green hit for 11.LEHIGHTONCrum 3-2-3-8, Zwetolitz 1-0-0-2, Ortiz 0-2-2-2, Williams 7-1-1-16, Scrincosky 0-0-0-0, Buchinsky 0-0-0-0, Chambers 5-7-9-17, Knappenberger 4-4-4-12, Green 3-2-2-11. TOTALS: 23-18-21-68.PANTHER VALLEYKeo 0-0-0-0, Dubosky 7-2-3-16, Vermillion 1-0-0-3, Stanko 0-0-0-0, Micholik 1-0-0-3, Miller 0-0-0-0, Hudicka 5-0-0-12, Blasko 8-1-2-17, Morgans 0-0-0-0, Eickoff 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-3-5-51.Lehighton 17 10 21 20 - 68Panther Valley 15 13 15 8 - 51Three pointers: L - Green 3, Williams 1; PV - Hudicka 2, Vermillion 1, Micholik 1.