A strong shooting start and improved physical play by Panther Valley gave Schuylkill League Division 1 leader North Schuylkill all it could handle on Friday night in front of a packed Panthers’ gymnasium.

But there’s a reason why the Spartans sit atop the Division 1 standings, as they were able to put together a big second half on both offense and defense to escape Summit Hill with a hard-fought 71-63 victory.

Panther Valley (9-8, 3-8) has been at its best this season when it has gotten hot from beyond the arc, and that’s what the Panthers were able to do against North Schuylkill in the first quarter. The Panthers hit four triples in the first period – three from Stephen Hood and one from Drew Kokinda – which helped them jump out to a 22-15 lead after one.

Panther Valley, which has struggled against the more physical teams this season, came out playing aggressive basketball, and it helped the Panthers throw an early scare into the Spartans (15-3, 10-1).

“We talked about it before the game today, that we were sick and tired of being pushed around, so we came out angry tonight, and you could see that in the way we played. That was one of our more physical performances this season,” said Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie. “Credit to North Schuylkill though in the second half. They came out and played a great second half, especially the fourth quarter, where they shot the ball extremely well and hit some big three-pointers. Still, liked our effort in the game.

“We’re not into moral victories, but if we can harness that energy and physicality we played with tonight, we can finish the season strong.”

North Schuylkill was able to close the gap in the second to two after forcing eight PV turnovers in the frame to trail 32-30 at the half. The Spartans were able to get it going quickly in the third, going on a 4-0 run to take a 34-32 lead. A 6-0 run later in the quarter – two of them off offensive rebounds – helped put the Panthers down seven (44-37) and helped North Schuylkill carry a 44-42 lead into the fourth.

The Spartans outscored PV 14–10 in the quarter as they forced four more Panthers’ turnovers.

“I was really happy with our energy in the second half. PV came out and played great and they punched us right in the mouth, but our guys were able to battle through it,” said North Schuylkill head coach Will Bracey. “I like how we picked up our focus in the second half defensively. We were able to force them into a few mistakes, and we were able to take advantage and then convert on the offensive end.”

North Schuylkill’s play on the offensive end in the fourth quarter was the difference in the game. The Spartans were able to jump out to a 58-52 lead midway through the frame, starting the fourth 6-for-7 from the field, which included two huge back-to-back three-pointers from Jack Dean and Joey Flail.

The Panthers kept trying to stay in the game with two triples from Kokinda and one from Bradley Hood, which kept them within striking distance late in the fourth (64-59). But North Schuylkill was able to hit its free throws down the stretch to keep PV at arms length, as the Spartans finished the game on a 5-0 run to close out the win.

“I thought this was one of our better wins this season. We knew PV was going to come out and play hard and give us their best shot,” said Bracey. “These late season league games you have to grind out. And you can’t replicate having to make plays late in a game to close out a win, so this was an important win for us.”

SCORING LEADERS

… Stephen Hood led Panther Valley with 20 points while Kokinda added 12. Jack Keiter led all scorers with 23 for the Spartans with Dean adding 16.

BIG SHOTS

… North Schuylkill made a lot of big shots in the fourth quarter, but it was its efficiency that was the key, as the Spartans shot 8-for-12 from the field in the quarter, while the Panthers shot 8-for-21.

NORTH SCHUYLKILL

Miller 1-0-0-2, Maziekas 2-0-0-5, Keiter 4-11-14-19, Marcinowski 5-6-8-16, Dean 5-5-9-13, Flail 4-2-4-13. TOTALS: 21-24-35-71.

PANTHER VALLEY

B. Hood 3-2-2-10, Pascoe 2-0-0-4, S. Hood 8-0-1-20, Kokinda 4-0-0-12, Weaver 4-5-6-13, Hadley 0-0-0-0, Orsulak 0-0-0-0, FIsher 1-0-0-2, Goida 1-0-0-2, Buyce 0-0-0-0, Jones 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-7-9-63.

No. Schuylkill 15 15 14 27 - 71

Panther Vy. 22 10 10 21 - 63

Three-pointers: North Schuylkill - Flail 3, Dean 1, Maziekas 1. Panther Valley - Kokinda 4, S. Hood 4, B. Hood 2.