READING - For three quarters, Panther Valley was able to hang with a big, strong and fast High School of the Future squad.

But Future’s persistence in the paint and on the boards proved to be too much for the Panthers to overcome in the fourth quarter.

The Firebirds leaned on their substantial size advantage and post prowess to pull away for a 75-51 victory over the Panthers in a PIAA Class 3A second round match-up Wednesday.

Like it has throughout its historic 2019-20 postseason run, Panther Valley got hot from the perimeter early. The Panthers hit five triples in the first quarter and held a 17-16 lead after one.

Brandon Stilitino – who has averaged almost five three-pointers per game in the playoffs – was responsible for three trifectas and the PV offense was once again rolling.

“Moving the ball and sharing the ball ... that’s what has been the key to our success over the last few weeks,” said Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie. “We got out to a great start, and despite some uncharacteristic turnovers, we were hitting our shots and had things going our way.”

Turnovers were an issue for the Panthers in the first half, especially in the second quarter, which helped give control to the Firebirds. Eight turnovers in the second, paired with strong offensive rebounding performances from 6-5 Aleem Lee and 6-5 Hadir Boswell, helped Future go on a 20-10 run to lead 36-27 at the half. Second chance opportunities also helped setup Firebirds’ sniper Ali Brown, who stroked four three-pointers in the quarter.

It was evident that Future’s size was starting to disrupt the Panthers’ rhythm on both sides of the floor.

“We knew they were going to be a challenge in the post for us. They’re not only big, but very physical, and they battled on the boards and outplayed us in that department,” said Crampsie.

Panther Valley once again showed why its been so tough to defeat in the postseason with its energetic play in the third quarter. The Panthers went back to the three ball, hitting five in the frame — with three from Stilitino — to stay within striking distance. Future extended its lead to double digits a few times in the quarter, but PV wouldn’t go away, cutting the lead to six late in the third.

“We knew they could shoot, and we knew they were going to have some runs, but I told our guys we just needed to stay patient and stay in the game,” said Future head coach Stan Jones. “We thought our pressure and physicality would eventually get to them.

“Once we started to get the ball inside and hit some shots from the outside, we were able to execute our game plan.”

For three quarters, the Panthers did their very best to disrupt Future’s plan, but at the start of the fourth that plan started to come to fruition.

A 7-0 run, spurred by an Abdoulaye Diallo three extended the Firebirds lead to 13 at the 7:01 mark. The Panthers would never again get within double digits, as Future continued to attack and score at the rim throughout the quarter, putting an end to Panther Valley’s magical postseason run.

“We’re obviously disappointed that our season has come to an end, but what this group has done is truly special,” said Crampsie. “These guys have united a community; our support has been amazing. This place was filled with black and gold tonight.

“I’m just so proud of everything we’ve accomplished. These will be moments we never forget.”

RECORDS ... Future advances to the PIAA 3A quarterfinals with a record of 17-11. The Panthers finish their season with a mark of 14-12.

RECORD BOOKS ... Stilitino padded her Panther Valley career record for three-pointers with six more against the Firebirds. He ends his career with 170.

HISTORIC ... The 2020 senior class has had a successful three years for the Panther Valley basketball program with 45 wins in three seasons — most since the class of 1993 (46 wins). Three straight District 11 appearances, a Schuylkill League Division 3 title, two District 11 finals, two state tournament berths, the first District 11 championship since 1986 and the first state tournament win since 1986 are part of the class’ resume.

HIGH SCHOOL OF FUTURE

Lee 5-7-11-17, Simmons 3-2-3-8, Brown 7-6-6-24, Boswell 5-2-2-12, Muhammad 1-0-0-3, Diallo 3-0-1-7, Green 1-0-0-2, Fair 0-0-2-0, Vasquez 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 26-17-25-75.

PANTHER VALLEY

Marchorro 4-0-0-10, Gutierrez 3-0-0-8, Stilitino 7-0-2-20, Eidle 0-0-0-0, White 3-4-4-10, Krapf 1-0-0-3, Edwards 0-0-0-0, Hoben 0-0-0-0, Juracka 0-0-0-0, Roig 0-0-0-0, Berk 0-0-2-0, Roth 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-4-8-51.

Future 16 20 16 23 — 75

Panther Vy. 17 10 17 7 — 51

Three-pointers: HSF - Brown 4, Muhammad 1, Diallo 1; PV - Stilitino 6, Marchorro 2, Gutierrez 2, Krapf 1.