Reward the big man.

When the biggest guy on the floor runs and finishes in transition, it's a dimension that most teams find difficult to defend.Panther Valley's full court pressure defense was stifling in the first half of a Schuylkill League contest with Pine Grove on Monday.The Panthers forced 13 turnovers during the sequence thanks to strong guard play. As a result, they created countless high percentage looks for center Tristan Blasko, because he was relentlessly motoring to the bucket on every opportunity he had.Blasko's game-high 21 points was a big reason why Panther Valley was victorious on senior night, 70-58."We need him to get up and down the floor, especially with someone like Rene (Figueroa) at the point," explained PV head coach Patrick Crampsie. "There are times that he (Figueroa) can break a defender down, and Tristan is athletic enough to beat a lot of big guys down the floor."When the Panthers' transition game stalled, it was Figueroa who took the initiative in the halfcourt offense. The freshman flashed his ability to make space for himself and chipped in 17 critical points. All six of his field goals came from inside the paint, as the point guard absorbed a ton of contact and got to the line seven times during the win."Fearless is a good word for him," Crampsie said of Figueroa. "He brings a dynamic that we haven't had. Getting to the basket, it puts pressure on the defense and only makes everyone else better. As the season has gone on, he's done a better job of keeping his head up and kicking out to an open man. He's made a lot of progress on the floor, we're real happy with his game right now."Crampsie's squad shot 57 percent from the floor in the first two quarters, but cooled off after intermission. It was Pine Grove that heated up in the third frame, draining eight of its 11 attempts.The Panthers once had a 23-point lead in the second quarter, but Pine Grove rallied behind Andrew Griffiths, and on two different occasions in the second half were within four.Anthony Micholik and Blasko combined for 17 of PV's 21 fourth-quarter points, and it never relinquished the lead."I think back to the Palmerton game (earlier this year) when we were up seven early in the fourth quarter," Crampsie said. "Palmerton's experience came through then and they were the ones making plays. Tonight, you saw our experience pay off."I think that shows a lot of progression of our kids throughout the year. We lost a lot of close games. To get in that situation tonight, when the chips were down, our kids were the ones making plays."BUCKET BINGE… Panther Valley's 70 points on Monday were a season-high. The Panthers' previous high total of 68 occurred just a few nights ago during Saturday's loss against Shenandoah.SENIOR NIGHT SURGE ... PV stormed out of the gate with a quick 12-2 run that caused Pine Grove to take an abrupt timeout. The Panthers kept momentum on their side and never once trailed.PINE GROVEIbarra 3-3-4-9, Pena 2-0-0-6, A.Grifiths 8-1-1-19, Leininger 2-2-2-7, C.Griffiths 2-2-3-6, Omlor 2-2-3-6, Routledge 2-1-1-5. TOTALS: 21-11-14-58PANTHER VALLEYFigueroa 6-5-7-17, Stanko 0-0-1-0, Micholik 4-6-10-16, Miller 2-0-0-4, Hudicka 4-0-0-10, Fisher 0-0-0-0, Blasko 10-1-1-21, Emmert 1-0-4-2, Taras 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 27-12-23-70.Pine Grove 7 20 15 16 - 58Panther Valley 18 22 9 21 - 70Three-pointers: PG- Pena 2, A.Griffiths 2, Leininger 1; PV- Micholik 2, Hudicka 2.