The Panther Valley boys’ basketball team has a new energy.

After opening the season with an ugly 0-6 start, the Panthers have turned things around, winning five of their last six games. On Monday night, Panther Valley rolled past struggling Tamaqua, 60-44, before the Schuylkill Boys’ Basketball League Division I reached its halfway point.

A new approach has transformed the Panthers into a more aggressive, confident team. The offense is balanced, the pressure defense is forcing turnovers, and momentum is building.

Coach Pat Crampsie has four legitimate scoring options. Athletic junior Broady Breiner is emerging as a key piece, a development that has not gone unnoticed.

“He’s really coming into his own,” the veteran coach said. “What he does for us is give us that shot of energy we had missing early on. Plus, we as team has become more aggressive, forcing turnovers and using our (quickness) out front and with Jarell (Thomas) getting better, it is a big factor on why we’ve won five of our last six games.”

Thomas, a 6-foot-9 junior, continues to anchor the defense and protect the rim.

“He can really intimidate you,” Tamaqua coach Jim Barron said. “He had his share of blocks.”

Thomas recorded eight blocks, another sign of his growing impact as Panther Valley’s play has surged in recent weeks.

“We’re getting play from our bench; Chase McArdle, who is only a sophomore, led us in rebounding in our last game,” Crampsie said of the 6-foot-3 forward.

Breiner, McArdle, Thomas and Danny Wehr led the charge early and often against Tamaqua. Breiner scored 21 points, McArdle added 13, Wehr finished with 11 and Thomas chipped in 10, providing the balance that keyed the victory.

Panther Valley shot 8-for-16 from the floor to start the game and swarmed Tamaqua’s offense, forcing 18 first-half turnovers — nine in each quarter.

“I told all those guys that we are diffidently a different team right now,” Crampsie said. “It’s not easy to bounce back from the start we’ve had.”

The Panthers jumped out quickly, outscoring Tamaqua 11-4 in the opening minutes. Breiner, Thomas, McArdle and Wehr all contributed as Panther Valley set the tone. The Blue Raiders answered behind Terrance McDowell and Brady McCabe, who scored 10 points apiece. McDowell and Ace Schickram hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 13.

Panther Valley responded with another surge, as Wehr hit a 3-pointer and McArdle closed the quarter with a basket to give the Panthers a 20-15 lead.

The decisive stretch came in the second quarter. Tamaqua struggled with turnovers as Panther Valley caught fire, ripping off 15 unanswered points. McArdle hit two free throws, Breiner scored six straight points in transition and Thomas capped the run with a two-handed dunk. By halftime, Panther Valley had built a commanding 44-23 lead.

“They just buried us in that (period),” Barron said.

Indeed, it was impressive.

“Yeah, it was pretty good,” Crampsie said.

Panther Valley became sloppy at times in the second half, committing 17 turnovers, but Tamaqua was unable to capitalize. The Blue Raiders did put together a 10-point run, led by Schickram, McDowell and Gavin Edmonds.

“The way we played at times in the (second) half wasn’t pretty, but we’ll work on it,” Crampsie said.

The Panthers will need to clean things up quickly with league-leading Pottsville visiting Summit Hill on Thursday.

SHOOTING ... Panther Valley shot 23-for-58 from the floor. Tamaqua finished 18-for-55.

TURNOVERS ... Tamaqua struggled early with ball control and passing, which proved costly.

REBOUNDING ... The teams were even on the glass at 37. McArdle and Wehr led Panther Valley with 13 rebounds apiece, while Schickram had eight for Tamaqua.

TEMPO ... The game was played at a fast pace. Panther Valley’s improvement has been most noticeable in its aggressive halfcourt defense, and ability to force turnovers.

PANTHER VALLEY

Breiner 8-5-6-21, McArdle 4-4-6-13, Wehr 5-0-0-11, Thomas 4-2-2-10, Baneravage 2-0-0-5, Moyer 0-0-0-0, Mitchell 0-0-0-0, Gjoca 0-0-0-0, Revell 0-0-0-0, Maynard 0-0-0-0, Williams 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-11-14-60.

TAMAQUA

McDowell 4-0-0-10, McCabe 4-1-3-10, Edmonds 3-0-0-7. Schickram 2-0-0-6, Makovec 2-0-0-4, Shannon 1-0-0-2, Tamagini 1-0-0-2, Broadway 1-1-2-3, Fronheiser 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-2-5-44.

Panther Valley 20 24 5 11 - 60

Tamaqua 14 9 14 7 - 44

Three-pointers: Panther Valley - McArdle 1, Wehr 1, Baneravage 1; Tamaqua - McDowell 2, Shickram 2, McCabe 1, Edmonds 1.

Records: Panther Valley (5-7; 1-5); Tamaqua (1-10; 1-5).