Defense was the difference in the Jim Thorpe basketball program getting back to the postseason a year ago. On Friday night, in its opener against Panther Valley it looks like defense could carry the Olympians once again.

After a stagnant offensive start, the Olympians (1-0) used pressure "D" and a transition attack to come away with a 65-46 victory over the Panthers (0-1).The Panthers gained the early momentum in this one, getting out to a fast start, holding an 8-1 advantage with 2:36 to go in the first quarter. After a timeout by Thorpe head coach Jason McElmoyle, the Olympians pulled a bit of a foreshadowing act of what was to come. Five turnovers by the Panthers in the last two minutes helped Jim Thorpe finish the quarter on a 7-0 run to lead by three after one."I thought we were getting good shots early on, we just didn't finish. Once we started to finish, that's when we had some success," said McElmoyle. "That was the boost that we needed going into the second quarter and the first half. First game jitters happen and once we started finishing, we settled down."The Olympians once again struggled at the beginning of the second quarter and the Panthers took advantage. Triples by Anthony Micholik and Trey Turner helped spur a PV 12-3 run as it then looked to be in control with a 24-18 lead.It's well known that basketball is a game of runs and the next run in the ball game would be the decider. The Olympians turned up the pressure on both offense and defense, going on a huge 19-1 run that was not only momentum changing, but also a confidence breaker for the Panthers.Olympians' veteran guard Brendan Carroll was huge in the frame as well, serving as the catalyst to their comeback. Carroll scored 12 of his 19 points in the quarter, helping the Olympians head into intermission with a 12-point lead."More than half our lineup was getting their first significant varsity time tonight and I think you could see our inexperience at times. There were some definite positives and there were things that we were disappointed in," said Panther Valley head coach Keith Gogal. "We just turned the ball over way too many times tonight and it lead to their big run. Against a team like that you can't give them that many opportunities."The Panthers were never able to recover from the Olympians big run. A big reason why, was Thorpe's play in the second half in the rebounding department. The Olympians dominated the glass, gaining second chance opportunities and extending their offensive possessions.Jim Thorpe forward Matt Elmore was a force on the inside throughout the night, especially on the boards, collecting 16 rebounds to go along with a game-high 22 points."We were good on the boards in the second half, overall we just played looser and we also played more discipline," said McElmoyle. "We started to gain some confidence and play more aggressive and once we did that we played much better. If we can just play fundamental basketball for four quarters we'll be just fine this season."Chris Micciche also finished with double figures for Jim Thorpe, scoring eleven points.Micholik led the Panthers with 13, while Turner and Tristan Blasko chipped in with 10 apiece.JIM THORPECarroll 7-3-4-19, Elmore 6-10-17-22, Micciche 4-2-2-11, Burkhart 0-2-2-2, Searfoss 0-0-0-0, Swartz 0-0-0-0, Joyce 1-0-0-3, Forman 0-0-0-0, Marykwas 1-0-0-2, Na. Rosahac 0-0-0-0, Ni. Rosahac 2-0-0-4, Fikenstcher 1-0-0-2. Totals: 22-17-25-65.PANTHER VY.Rodriguez 1-0-0-2, Micholik 2-7-10-13, Turner 3-2-4-10, Mehmeti 0-0-0-0, White 1-0-0-2, Blasko 5-0-2-10, Perez 2-2-4-6, Rohlfing 1-0-0-2, Morgans 0-0-0-0. Totals: 15-11-20-46.Jim Thorpe 15 18 12 16 - 65Panther Vy. 12 13 5 16 - 46Three pointers: Jim Thorpe - Carroll 2, Micciche 1, Joyce 1; Panther Valley - Micholik 2, Turner 2.