Think Panther Valley girls basketball, and Maddison Maynard’s name comes to mind.

But the Panthers are more than a one-person team, and other clubs are finding that out.

On Friday night at Lehighton, Kaidence Krapf got PV off to a fast start and the visitors went on to post a 51-37 Schuylkill League victory.

“Kaidence, the last two games, has really gotten us off to good starts,” said Panther Valley head coach Rob Kovac. “She did it in the Tamaqua game, as well.

“Everybody’s giving Maddison extra attention, and she’s finding other people. It makes us very tough to defend because people are going to realize that we have more capable players and capable shooters. And Kaidence has answered the bell.”

Krapf drained a pair of three-pointers in the game’s opening minutes and hit a driving shot later in the first quarter, which ended with PV holding a 17-4 advantage.

“Maynard ended up having her normal game, but they had other kids step up,” said Lehighton mentor Joe Berezwick. “As role players, that’s what you need to do - step up. It was really good on (Krapf’s) part, because we didn’t plan on that. And when things come into play that you don’t plan on, that hurts you more.”

The Indians were not only hurt by not counting on Krapf’s production, but they couldn’t buy a basket early in the contest. Panther Valley’s zone defense, coupled with an off night shooting, resulted in a 1-of-20 effort in those first eight minutes.

“None of (our early success) happens if not for the way we came out and defended,” said Kovac. “We kind of played a 3-2 and matched up out of it. We were very intelligent as to who we guarded for them.”

“You have to give Panther Valley credit,” said Berezwick. “Their length caused us problems in the zone, and we just couldn’t get anything going. That was the story.”

Lehighton did finally manage to get something going late in the first half.

Mikayla Yurichek’s inside bucket with 2:17 until halftime gave PV its biggest lead at 28-9, but three points from both Charli McHugh and Leah Uyvari helped the Indians end the second quarter on an 8-0 run to trim the deficit to 11.

“We talked about getting it under 10 by halftime, and with how well Panther Valley played us, that would have given us some momentum but we just couldn’t do it,” said Berezwick. “Our kids certainly could have quit, and didn’t. You have to give Panther Valley credit with their game plan, and how they executed tonight at both ends of the court.”

The Panthers quickly took control again to open the second half, thanks to a pair of inside baskets from Morgan Orsulak and another driving shot from Krapf. The closest Lehighton could get the rest of the way was the final margin of 14 points.

“We made a couple little adjustments at halftime,” said Kovac. “We went to more of a two-guard look against their zone. We were able to answer the bell early again to start the third quarter. We spread them out and got some good looks ... which helped us.

“The first half of the season is over, and I’m pleased with where we are. With the exception of one game this season, we’ve gotten better. And I’m excited to see where we’re headed in the second half.”

STAT CHECK ... Krapf and Orsulak both finished with 16 points to lead the Panthers, while Maynard added 15. Orsulak and Maynard both added 14 rebounds. The Indians’ McHugh ended with a game-high 23 points. “Charli had quite a game for us,” said Berezwick. “I can’t say enough how hard she worked to keep us as close as we were.”

RECORDS ... Panther Valley improved to 10-4 overall and ran its winning streak to four games. The Panthers are also 5-2 in the league, which currently has them in a playoff spot in the league. Lehighton dropped its third straight and are now 7-7 overall and 2-5 in the league.

PANTHER VALLEY

Krapf 6-1-2-16, Vermillion 0-0-0-0, Kosciolek 0-0-0-0, Maynard 5-5-7-15, Breslin 0-0-0-0, Orsulak 5-6-10-16, Yuricheck 2-0-0-4, McAndrew 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-12-19-51.

LEHIGHTON

McHugh 8-6-7-23, Klotz 0-0-0-0, Uyvari 3-1-3-7, Trotman 0-0-0-0, Repsher 3-1-2-7, Costenbader 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-8-12-37.

Panther Valley 17 11 15 8 - 51

Lehighton 4 13 9 11 - 37

Three-pointers: Panther Valley - Krapf 3; Lehighton - McHugh 1.