Rob Kovac knows what it takes to win consistently. He also knows what it takes to win championships.

Kovac - who had tremendous success during his two previous head coaching stops - said this year’s Panther Valley team hasn’t reached either of those levels yet, but he’s excited about its potential to eventually get there.

Tuesday night against Tamaqua, Maddison Maynard flashed her versatility with a triple-double, Morgan Orsulak added a double-double, and Sera Robin provided the perimeter firepower as the Panthers rolled to a 61-46 Schuylkill League victory.

“We’re getting better. We’re a young team, so there’s a lot of room for growth, and I’m seeing that as the season goes on,” Kovac said. “We are on our way to being a good basketball team.

“The improvement from last year to this year has been tremendous. A year ago, we were getting mercy-ruled on a pretty consistent basis. This year, we’ve been in every game but one. But we didn’t just improve from one year to the next, the reason I’m so excited is because I’m seeing that improvement from practice-to-practice, and from game-to-game this season.”

It’s no secret that Panther Valley (7-5, 2-4) has relied on Maynard to do much of the heavy lifting for the last season-and-a-half - and she rarely has disappointed. Last night, she once again displayed her talent and versatility with a 15-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist performance.

“Maddison is a special player,” said Kovac. “She is just as good a passer as she is a scorer, and that is saying a lot, because she’s an excellent scorer. She’s also a powerful rebounder.

“She’s just a great athlete who does so much for us on the court.”

But while Maynard once again dazzled, she was far from a one-person show against the Raiders - something that is starting to become the norm.

Orsulak was strong in the paint with a 19-point, 10 rebound effort, and Robin drilled a trio of three-pointers and finished with 17 points.

“Morgan struggled finishing around the basket early in the season,” Kovac said. “But that’s not unusual for a freshman stepping up to the varsity level. The light really came on for her right before the holidays, however, and she looks so much more comfortable the last few games.

“She is now giving us a third consistent scorer to go with Maddison and Sera, and when you have three girls who can score, you have the potential to be a really good offensive team.”

Panther Valley showed that scoring ability early, jumping out to a 20-12 first quarter lead behind nine points from Orsulak and six from Maynard. The Panthers stretched their advantage to 34-19 at halftime as Orsulak added six more points.

The margin grew to 50-26 midway through the third quarter, as Robin drilled a pair of three-pointers and Maynard and Natalie Vermillion added one each in the frame.

“I thought we had played our best basketball of the season in our three games prior to this one, but this was a step backward,” said Tamaqua coach Erika Davis. “We were sloppy early with turnovers and mistakes, and we just didn’t match Panther Valley’s physicality.

“If there was a bright spot, it was the play of Kendle Miller. We had been telling her that she needed to be more aggressive offensively and shoot the ball more, and tonight she did that. I thought she had a nice game.”

Miller’s strong game wasn’t enough to prevent a comfortable Panther Valley victory, however.

“This is the way we like to play,” explained Kovac about the Panthers’ high-octane approach. “We have a lot of really good athletes, so we want to keep the game up-tempo to take advantage of that.

“We are really doing some nice things offensively. The key for us to take that next step and become a consistent winner is improving defensively. It’s a process, but the girls know how important it is and we are working on getting there.”

IMPROVEMENT ... Panther Valley, which won just three games last year, already has seven victories this season.

LEADING RAIDERS ... Miller had 13 points and 14 rebounds for Tamaqua (3-10, 0-6). Sarah Hope had 15 points and Makayla Bartenope added 10.

PANTHER VALLEY

K. Krapf 0-0-0-0, Vermillion 2-0-0-6, Robin 6-2-2-17, Maynard 7-0-0-15, Breslin 0-0-0-0, Orsulak 9-1-2-19, Yuricheck 1-0-0-2, McAndrew 1-0-0-2

TOTALS: 26-3-4-61

TAMAQUA

Robb 0-0-0-0, Gormley 0-0-0-0, Scott 0-0-0-0, S. Plasha 0-1-2-1, Fannock 0-0-0-0, Hope 5-2-4-15, L. Plasha, 3-1-2-7, Miller 6-1-2-13, Bartenope 5-0-0-10. TOTALS: 19-5-10-46

Panther Vy. 20 4 22 5 - 61

Tamaqua 12 7 10 17 - 46

Three-pointers: Panther Valley - Robin 3, Vermillion 2, Maynard 1. Tamaqua - Hope 3.