Eight minutes - the length of a quarter in high school basketball.

A lot can happen in just eight minutes, and on Tuesday night in an important Schuylkill League Division 1 matchup between Panther Valley and North Schuylkill, the Spartans made the most of their eight minutes in the third quarter.

A huge run in the third by North Schuylkill gave it a sizable advantage heading into the fourth and helped the Spartans get out of “The Black Hole” with a 57-41 victory over the Panthers.

Panther Valley kept things tight in the first half. PV led 12-8 after the first frame and went into the half knotted at 22-22. Chase Weaver and Stephen Hood each scored seven points in the opening half for the Panthers.

“In the first half, we were patient. I thought we did a nice job of moving the ball well and playing inside-out,” said Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie. “We weren’t forcing things and we didn’t turn the ball over, so that kept them from getting out in transition.

“But in the second half, I think we started settling a bit. They forced some turnovers, and then they were able to get out in transition and put together a big run.”

North Schuylkill opened the third frame with back to back buckets - a deuce from Adam Scott and a three from Jack Dean. Then, in the blink of an eye and a few buckets later, the Spartans held a 34-24 lead with 4:14 remaining in the quarter.

North Schuylkill (9-7) kept the pressure on after extending its lead to 10, using its physical man-to-man defense to force five PV turnovers and get its fast-break offense going. When it was all said and done, the Spartans finished the frame on a 12-0 run, and outscored the Panthers 26-7 in the third.

Seven different North Schuylkill players scored in the quarter, with Zane Zulkowski leading the way with seven.

“The guys’ effort in the third quarter was outstanding. We definitely stepped up our intensity in that quarter,” said North Schuylkill head coach Will Bracey. “I thought we really moved the ball well and much better in the second half. We were able to get it into our big man a little bit, and we were able to pass from the inside out to our guards, and that opened some things up for us.

“Just proud of our guys tonight. PV is a well-coached team, who has been hot and shooting well. That was another key for us tonight, which was limiting their quality looks from the three-point line.”

After outscoring PV by 19 in the third, the Spartans carried a 48-29 lead into the fourth, which proved too much for the Panthers to overcome.

LEADING SCORERS ... Jack Keiter had 14 points, and Zulkowski added 12 to pace North Schuylkill. Both Stephen Hood and Weaver led the Panthers with 12 apiece.

LEAGUE STANDINGS ... North Schuylkill is 6-3 in league play, currently in second place in Division 1, while the Panthers sit at 4-5.

COLD NIGHT ... The Panthers - who had won six straight coming into their game with the Spartans - have been shooting the three ball extremely well, hitting double-digit triples in numerous games during that stretch. PV hit just five against North Schuylkill’s tough man-to-man defense.

NORTH SCHUYLKILL

Fisher 1 0-0 3, Wallace 2 0-0 5, Balicki 2 0-0 4, Cuthie 0 0-0 0, Grow 0 0-0 0, Keiter 5 2-4 14, Zulkowski 4 4-6 12, Miller 1 2-2 4, Conti 2 0-0 5, Carl 0 0-0 0, Dean 1 0-0 3, Scott 3 1-1 7. TOTALS: 21 9-13 57.

PANTHER VALLEY

Kokinda 0 0-0 0, Weaver 3 4-4 12, Orsulak 0 0-0 0, B. Hood 1 1-2 4, Kindt 2 1-3 5, Pascoe 0 0-0 0, S. Hood 4 2-2 12, Hadley 2 2-4 6, McAndrew 0 0-0 0, Maynard 0 0-0 0, Goida 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 13 10-15 41.

North Schuylkill 8 14 26 9 - 57

Panther Valley 12 10 7 12 - 41

Three-pointers: North Schuylkill - Keiter 2, Fisher 1, Wallace 1, Conti 1, Dean 1; Panther Valley - Weaver 2, S. Hood 2, B. Hood 1.