Joe Berezwick knows how important finding a flow at both ends of the floor can be.

The Lehighton girls basketball team gave their coach the groove he was looking for Tuesday night against Panther Valley.

A few early baskets and defensive stops helped the Indians take command en route to a 50-31 Schuylkill League victory over the Panthers.

Lehighton scored the first 12 points of the game – and led by as many as 25 in the first half – as Panther Valley struggled to knock down shots, going 4-for-30 from the floor during the first two quarters.

“We played a diamond and one (defense) and I thought Ashley Marchessault did a really good job in the diamond being the one,” Berezwick said of the senior. “But I thought all of them were very scrappy, very aggressive and we caused a lot of problems for them.

“In the first quarter and going into halftime, we put ourselves in a really good position. We didn’t give up many second-chance shots and shots were contested.”

Lehighton took advantage of its opportunities, shooting 8-for-14 from the field in the first quarter to build an 18-2 advantage, and finishing the first half 16-of-34.

The Tribe’s scoring attack was balanced, with three players hitting double figures. Hailey Miller, Taylor Bowman and Abigail Meckes all finished with 10 points, while Aaliyah Fisher finished with eight, all in the first half, which ended with Lehighton in front 34-9.

“A big thing for us was getting our offense going,” said Berezwick. “The defense did a really good job for us, and then the offense just picked up the defense by knocking down shots and getting us that separation early.

“Having that kind of space at halftime certainly made us feel pretty good, so we just stuck with the gameplan. But give PV credit, they slowed us down a bit in the second half and played with a lot of heart.”

The lead swelled to 43-11 midway through the third quarter and was 45-16 at the end of the period.

“Going into this, we knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Bowman. “But we just clicked. We knew who we had to cover - we knew who their shooters were - and I think we did a really good job with that.”

“Ashley (Marchessault) is really good at staying with them,” added Meckes. “And I think that really helped us.”

It made life difficult for Panther Valley, which struggled to get into any kind of rhythm.

Maddison Maynard paced the Panthers with a game-high 14 points. Riley Wehr added eight points, while Erika Dubosky finished with seven.

Dubosky had been averaging 20.6 points per game so far this season.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Panther Valley (3-3). The Panthers had scored at least 43 points in each of their past three games.

“They’re improving, but we can’t start games like this,” said Panthers head coach Dapper Lynn. “In the games that we’ve lost, we can’t put the ball in the basket.

“And that makes it harder getting back on defense. We had nine air balls in the first half alone.”

In its three losses, Panther Valley has averaged 35.3 points per game compared to 43.7 in its victories.

After opening the season 0-3, the Tribe have now won two straight.

Two of their first three opponents - Jim Thorpe and North Schuylkill - are a combined 9-3. Their other loss was a 67-66 setback against Pottsville.

“We’re playing good basketball,” said Berezwick. “We’re on the right track. I’m just hoping we can keep getting better and better. I think we have a high ceiling and are just getting started.

“I’m just really excited about where we’re at.”

NAME GAME … Several of Panther Valley’s play calls paid homage to the Coal Region as Lynn yelled out “Lansford” and “Coaldale” during the game.

HONORED … While Tuesday marked Lehighton’s Senior Night, athletic director Kyle Spotts also recognized Panther Valley’s seniors before the start of the game.

HEATING UP … Since a 61-33 loss to Jim Thorpe in the season opener, the Indians are averaging 57 points per game.

UP NEXT … Lehighton visits Jim Thorpe on Thursday, while Panther Valley hosts Blue Mountain.

PANTHER VALLEY

Dubosky 3-1-2-7, Robin 0-0-0-0, Maynard 5-3-6-14, Wehr 2-1-4-8, Vermillion 0-0-0-0, Krapf 0-0-0-0, Shreffler 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 11-5-12-31.

LEHIGHTON

Gustafson 0-0-0-0, McHugh 0-0-0-0, Haley 0-1-2-1, Williams 0-0-0-0, McGee 1-0-0-2, Marchessault 1-0-0-2, Miller 5-0-0-10, Bowman 5-0-0-10, Wojton 1-0-0-2, Meckes 5-0-1-10, Fisher 2-2-2-8, Gaston 1-3-4-5, Hauser 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-6-9-50.

Panther Vy. 2 7 7 15 - 31

Lehighton 18 16 11 5 - 50

Three-pointers: Panther Valley - Maynard 1, Wehr 1; Lehighton - Fisher 2.