Early in the season, teams often look to build confidence and continuity.

Coaches frequently are tasked with adjusting to roster turnover, while players are forced to adapt to new roles.Such is the case for the Pleasant Valley and Palmerton girls' basketball teams, two programs that have experienced great success in recent years and are looking to remain contenders this season.The Lady Bears took another step toward achieving that goal Saturday afternoon with an impressive 59-36 non-league victory over the Lady Bombers."I thought we played well today," Pleasant Valley head coach Nadia Gauronsky said afterward.The Lady Bears started fast, boasting a 24-10 lead after the first quarter and a 40-18 advantage at halftime.Pleasant Valley was able to utilize its size, forcing the Lady Bombers to adjust their lineup and defensive game plan."We knew they were going to be bigger than us, as most teams are. So we tried to use a zone to kind of get them to pack it in," said Palmerton head coach Rodney Strohl. "We put Taylor Hirochek, who is a sophomore, into the starting lineup to try to give us a little more size, and she did a great job."But they just made shots and we weren't able to."Renee Milos (12 points) and Mackenzie Borger (11 points) did most of the damage underneath for the Lady Bears."We knew we would have a little bit of an edge in size, and that was definitely something we wanted to take advantage of," Gauronsky said. "Palmerton tried to take that away with a zone, but our girls were able to adapt and take what they were giving us."Kalla Borden proved to be a threat on the outside, scoring nine points on three three-pointers for Pleasant Valley."When they weren't going underneath, they were able to kick it out and she hit some big shots," Strohl said of Borden.After posting an 18-5 mark a year ago, the Lady Bombers have been forced to adjust to losing their top three scorers this season.Sophomore Linnea Leister (12 points) has taken on more responsibility as the team's starting point guard."There's a lot of pressure on her," said Strohl. "But she's done a great job. We're trying to get the other girls to take some of the load off her shoulders."There's only eight of them (on the varsity roster), but they're really playing well together."Tyra Frantz posted eight points for the Lady Bombers, while Hirochek finished with five.Despite some early season struggles, Palmerton has made strides, highlighted by a 35-31 Colonial League win over Saucon Valley on Thursday."That was a big confidence booster for them," said Strohl. "We're just hoping to improve and get better as the season goes on."The same is true for Pleasant Valley, which snapped a two-game losing streak with its victory Saturday."We still have some work to do, but they're getting better," said Gauronsky. "We're simply looking to improve each and every game. If we can do that, we'll have success."SIDELINED … The Lady Bears were without starting point guard Kiki Russell, who injured her ankle earlier this week, though Gauronsky indicated the senior shouldn't miss significant time.HIGH-WATER MARK … The 59 points scored by Pleasant Valley matched its season high. The Lady Bears had the same total in a 59-20 win over Delaware Valley on Dec. 12.PALMERTONHirochek 1-2-2-5, Shupp 0-0-0-0, Leister 3-3-7-12, Frantz 1-6-7-8. Wentz 1-2-2-4, Muniz 0-3-4-3, Beers 2-0-2-4, Goodhile 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 8-16-24-36.PLEASANT VALLEYBorger 4-3-7-11, Sullivan 3-0-0-6, Miller 0-0-0-0, Jones 1-0-2-2, Iovino 1-0-0-2, Francis 3-0-0-6, Borden 3-0-0-9, Salmon 0-1-2-1, Milos 6-0-0-12, Rosenberg 1-0-0-2, Ramirez 1-2-2-4, Schwenck 2-0-0-4. TOTALS: 25-6-13-59.Palmerton 10 8 10 8 - 36Pleasant Vy. 24 16 10 9 - 59Three-pointers: Pleasant Valley - Borden 3; Palmerton Leister 3, Hirochek 1.