EASTON – Panther Valley boys’ basketball coach Pat Crampsie’s eyes swelled with tears when he spoke about the impact of his team’s first District 11 title since 1986.

“We wanted this more for our school and our community than anything,” said Crampsie. “I grew up in (the) Panther Valley area and watched every game of the 1986 team.

“Panther Valley doesn’t always get the best things said about it. But we have a great group of kids who are as tough as nails, and a great community that gives us a tremendous amount of support. For us to hold up the trophy in front of them means the world to us.”

From the opening tap to the closing seconds, a large contingent of Panthers’ supporters watched their team withstand and overcome surges from Notre Dame of Green Pond to post an impressive 59-53 victory in the District 11 Class 3A championship game at the Easton Area Middle School Saturday afternoon.

It was a game that was a microcosm of the Panthers’ explosive, balanced attack all season.

Panther Valley (13-11) took advantage of Notre Dame’s poor shooting – and awkward play – in the opening half as it build a 12-point lead before halftime, but became embroiled in an intense second-half battle.

“Panther Valley came out and hit a lot of shots early, and we knew they would keep firing,” said Notre Dame head coach Pat Boyle.

Boyle then described a critical sequence in particular in the game.

“It was a scramble situation at the end (of the game) and they had the ball and a one-point lead. There were about 45 seconds left, and we were trying to get them to turn it over,” he said. “We figured they were going to hold the ball and shoot foul shots. But one of their guys bangs a three.

“It pretty much typified that it wasn’t going to be our day.”

Boyle was referring to junior Brandon Stilitino, who drained a three-pointer that gave the Panthers a 57-53 advantage with 43.1 seconds remaining. He then helped ice the game with a free throw with 16.4 left on the clock.

Stilitino felt the Panthers’ early momentum was crucial, figuring that Notre Dame’s leading scorer Brenden Boyle – who was held to 16 points after a 38-point effort in a semifinal – could take over the game at any point.

“It was big to get out early, especially with Boyle,” said Stilitino. “He (Boyle) gets on runs when he just doesn’t miss. A team like that is similar to us because they space the floor well.

“We knew they would make a run in the second half. We knew they would keep throwing everything they could at us. For us, it was about just keep fighting and keep swinging.”

The Panthers did exactly that, fighting back from Notre Dame’s second-half runs.

“There isn’t anything close than winning this district championship,” Stilitino said. “This is something that I have thought about since I was 11.”

Aaron Gutierrez scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, and he was dominant on the boards with eight of 13 rebounds after halftime.

With momentum shifting and the Crusaders holding a 43-39 lead, Gutierrez had a pivotal putback that he turned into a three-point play. He later gave his team back the lead on two occasions with layups in the final two minutes.

He truly cherished the moment.

“It feels really, really good to win this,” the senior said. “This was our goal from the start. We expected them to press and to have Boyle hit some big shots. It helped us a lot to get some momentum early. We just knew we had to stay positive.”

Senior Blake White kept Boyle in check while handing out five assists and collecting seven rebounds. Boyle had three three-pointers, but he didn’t have a two-point basket in the game.

“Blake was a complete stud guarding Boyle, running the offense and grabbing rebounds,” said Crampsie. “He was a monster out there and is such as gamer. All our kids all did a great job contesting their jumpers.”

For White and his fellow seniors, it was a long time coming.

“We (seniors) have been working together since fourth grade. Now, we finally went out and got it.”

PANTHERS’ CITING IN POTTSVILLE ... The Panthers will open the PIAA Class 3A state playoffs against Dobbins Tech, the fifth seed from District 12, at Pottsville’s Martz Hall Saturday at 4 p.m.

BRYCE IS RIGHT ... Junior Bryce Krapf came off the bench in the first quarter and drilled home a pair of threes and free throws that gave the Panthers a 16-10 lead after the first stanza. Crampsie credited Krapf, Tommy Edwards, and Shawn Hoben for their meaningful minutes off the bench.

KEEPING IT BALANCED ... The Panthers once again had a balanced attack with Gutierrez leading the way with 16 points, Stilitino adding 15, and White and Krapf scoring 10 apiece.

PANTHER VALLEY

Marchorro 1 0-0 2, Gutierrez 7 1-1 16, Stilitino 5 2-3 15, Eidie 3 0-2 6, White 3 4-6 10, Krapf 3 4-6 10, Hoban 0 0-0 0, Edwards 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 22 9-14 59.

NOTRE DAME

Damo 0 0-0 0, Campbell 3 4-7 11, Galle 3 1-3 9, Boyle 3 7-10 16, Rickert 7 1-1 17, Rodgers 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16 13-21 53.

Panther Valley 16 14 7 22 - 59

Notre Dame 10 15 13 15 - 53

Three-pointers: Panther Valley - Stilitino 3, Krapf 2; Notre Dame - Boyle 3, Galle 2, Campbell 1, Rickert 1.