Age is just a number.

This season’s young Panther Valley squad is proving that to be quite true.

The Panthers - who graduated 84 percent of their scoring output and four starters - have seemingly picked up right where they left off from a season ago.

A lineup that features three freshmen has been explosive, and on Monday in a Schuylkill League Division 1 matchup with Tamaqua, PV continued its impressive play.

A big first half, combined with a solid night from beyond the arc, helped the Panthers (2-0) come away with a 64-53 victory over the Raiders (0-2).

The three-pointer has been key to the Panthers success this season, but early on their focus was getting the ball inside to freshman Stephen Hood. Hood, who had 26 points in PV’s opener, was able to get position in the paint, scoring eight of the Panthers’ 15 first-quarter points as they held a seven-point advantage after one.

In the second, Panther Valley started to heat up from deep. Two three-pointers by Ben Kindt got the barrage started as the Panthers connected on five triples in the frame. Drew Kokinda added two, and Hood another, to help PV extend its lead to 17 points. Kokinda ended the half as time expired with a deep trey from the right wing.

“Our kids came in really focused, and getting out to a good start was a primary focus for us,” said Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie. “There are certain things we want to establish right off the bat, and our kids did a great job of executing. Defensively in the first half, I thought we did a real good job as well.”

The Panthers continued to build off their momentum in the third, heading into the fourth with their largest lead at 18. But in the fourth, the Raiders came to life after looking to be left for dead for the first three quarters of play.

Trailing 53-35, a Tamaqua 10-0 run got it within eight with 3:34 left to play. Eight points from Nate Gregoire helped the Raiders get back in it, and they would continue to force the issue. Finding itself within striking distance, Tamaqua went to full-court pressure - which gave PV some fits - and the Raiders cut the lead to five around the 40-second mark.

“We talked at halftime about how Panther Valley was playing harder than us in the first half. We should never have to question our intensity or effort, but that was definitely questionable in the first half,” said Tamaqua head coach Jim Barron. “But, we responded well in the second half, and we were able to get back in the ballgame. We did a good job of pressing them, and against younger teams, you can have success doing that.

“Right now, we just need to work on finding a solid rotation where we don’t need to depend on two or three guys to be out there for the entire game. But, I was real pleased with the effort and intensity in the second half.”

That’s when a freshman once again came up big for the Panthers as has been the case throughout the season. Frosh point guard Chase Weaver saw an opening in Tamaqua’s pressure and was able to go coast to coast for a lay-in to give Panther Valley the cushion it needed to pull out the win.

“You have to give Tamaqua credit for battling back in the fourth. They were doing a good job of trapping in their full-court pressure,” said Crampsie. “We may be young, but this group competes and plays hard, and they were able to close it out tonight.”

LEADERS … Hood led the way for PV with 18 points and 11 boards. Weaver added 16 and Kokinda chipped in with 12. For the Raiders, Gregoire scored 18 and Luke Verta had a nice game with 14.

THE FOURTH … After trailing big for most of the ballgame, Tamaqua outscored PV 21-12 to make the final minutes interesting.

LIVE BY THE THREE … The three-ball was a major catalyst for the Panthers’ magical 2019-20 run, and this season it looks to be just as key to their success. After hitting nine in its opener, PV connected on eight in this one.

TAMAQUA

Lewis 1-2-2-5, Hoffman 1-3-4-5, Verta 4-5-9-14, Davis 0-0-0-0, McLaughlin 1-0-0-3, Sherry 1-0-0-3, Andrews 0-0-0-0, Gregoire 7-2-2-18, Berg 3-0-0-6. TOTALS: 18-12-19-54.

PANTHER VALLEY

Orsulak 0-0-0-0, B. Hood 0-2-3-2, Pascoe 3-0-1-6, S. Hood 7-3-4-18, Hadley 1-1-1-3, Kokinda 4-0-0-12, Weaver 5-5-6-16, Kindt 2-0-0-6, Fatzie 0-0-0-0, Berk 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-11-15-63.

Tamaqua 8 10 15 21 - 54

Panther Vy. 15 20 16 12 - 63

Three-pointers: Tamaqua - Gregoire 2, Lewis 1, Verta 1, McLaughlin 1, Sherry 1; Panther Valley - Kokinda 4, Kindt 2, S. Hood 1, Weaver 1.