Execution.

Consistently running a half-court set or an inbounds play can be the difference between winning and losing.

That was the case Monday in a Schuylkill League Division 1 matchup between Mahanoy Area and Panther Valley.

The Bears connected on several key three-pointers off inbounds plays, including the game-winner — a deep triple by sophomore Connor Bowman with 6.2 seconds left — to edge the Panthers 65-64.

“I’m not going to tell you what we call it. But we just put it in a few weeks ago. And we haven’t even really been able to work on it much because we spend so much time on defense at practice, but it clicked in their heads when I called it and we executed the play and Bowman knocked it down,” Mahanoy Area head coach Teddy Styka said.

“The kids are getting better. They’re a young group. They’re growing.”

Both teams struggled offensively early, with Mahanoy leading 14-10 after one. The Bears leaned on 6-7 senior Ryan Zilker, who scored three straight buckets late in the quarter to give them the lead.

Panther Valley faced multiple deficits throughout the night — and repeatedly answered. The first push came in the second quarter after the Bears went up 11 with two minutes to go. Freshman Cameron Smith buried two threes during the stretch and Zilker added two inside scores.

PV responded by using full-court pressure late in the quarter to force three turnovers, sparking a 7-0 run. Danny Wehr came up with a steal in the open court and found Brody Breiner in transition for a layup just before the half to cut the deficit to 26-22. Breiner and Wehr combined for nine points in the period.

“At times in our first three games of the season, I thought our fight and our intensity was questionable. But tonight, we were down by double digits a few times and our kids showed a lot of guts in fighting back and even taking the lead,” Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie said.

“I was really happy with our pressure. It caused them some problems, so that is something we need to build off of. We need to build off the positives from this game, and continue to play with that effort and intensity that we played with tonight.”

Mahanoy seemed ready to pull away in the third, using a 12-0 run to build a 49-33 lead. Bowman scored nine points in the quarter.

PV again turned to pressure — and again it worked. Eight Mahanoy turnovers fueled a 14-3 run to make it 52-47 entering the fourth. A three from Jake Moyer started the push, while Breiner’s dribble penetration and ability to draw contact proved crucial. He went 8-for-12 from the line in the quarter.

The fourth quarter was back-and-forth, with Mahanoy playing most of it without Zilker, who fouled out with 5:52 remaining. Trailing 54-47, PV closed the gap quickly with threes from both Ben Baneravage and Breiner. Breiner’s three made it 54-53, and an Edison Mitchell finish inside gave the Panthers a one-point lead with 3:54 left.

Lead changes followed, and Panther Valley capitalized on Mahanoy miscues — the Bears turned it over seven times in the fourth — to go ahead 64-62 with 6.2 seconds left. A Wehr basket and a Breiner free throw had given PV the lead moments earlier.

Then came the decisive inbounds call.

Bowman looped from the left arc to the right wing, curling off a screen, caught the over-the-top pass in rhythm and buried the go-ahead three.

After a timeout, PV attempted to advance the ball quickly, but couldn’t secure the pass as it went out of bounds, sealing the win for Mahanoy.

“That’s a great character win for these guys. I think even if we wouldn’t have been able to win this one tonight our young guys would’ve learned a lot from the game,” Styka said. “Moving forward we can learn a lot from this one, that’s for sure.

“And credit to PV — their pressure worked well. Turnovers against a press are something you’re going to have to endure at times with young guards. We’re starting three sophomores and a freshman, so again it’s a growing thing for us.”

LEFTY ASSASSIN … Bowman, the left-handed sophomore shooter, delivered a career night with 27 points and five three-pointers. He scored 13 in the fourth, including three triples.

STAT LINE … Breiner led PV with 23 points, going 13-for-18 at the foul line. Wehr posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. For Mahanoy, Zilker added 16 points and Smith scored 15 with four three-pointers.

PRESSURE PACKED … PV’s full-court press forced 21 turnovers, including 15 in the second half.

MAHANOY AREA

Bowman 10-2-5-27, Perez 0-0-0-0, Dicasimirro 1-3-5-5, Smith 5-1-2-15, Contreras 0-0-0-0, Corona 0-0-0-0, Ramos 0-0-0-0, Byrne 1-0-0-2, Zilker 7-2-9-16. TOTALS: 24-9-21-65.

PANTHER VALLEY

Moyer 3-0-0-8, Crampsie 1-0-0-2, McArdle 2-2-5-7, Hall 0-0-0-0, Breiner 4-13-18-23, Mitchell 2-0-0-4, Revell 0-0-0-0, Wehr 6-0-0-13, Baneravage 1-0-0-3, Thomas 1-2-8-4, Maynard 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-17-31-64.

Mahanoy Area 14 12 26 13 - 65

Panther Vy. 10 12 25 17 - 64

Three-pointers: Mahanoy Area - Bowman 5, Smith 4; Panther Valley - Moyer 2, Breiner 2, Wehr 1, Baneravage 1, McArdle 1.

Records: Mahanoy Area (2-2); Panther Valley (0-4).