Small, but mighty.

That’s been the motto of this season’s Panther Valley basketball squad.

Often undersized, the Panthers run-and-gun style has helped them to a 13-5 record and a No. 2 ranking in District 11’s Class 3A.

PV certainly didn’t deviate from its proven winning strategy on Friday night against Schuylkill League Division 1 rival Jim Thorpe. The Panthers, despite being considerably undersized in the paint against the Olympians, outworked Thorpe (8-11) in the offensive rebounding department, leading to plenty of second-chance opportunities and a 62-57 victory.

“I’m just real happy for our seniors,” said Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie. “Everyone that was on the floor tonight contributed to the win, and our seniors had a great atmosphere to play their last home game in. It’s always good when kids get a win over a rival. It’s something these seniors will never forget.”

Thorpe actually led for a majority of the first half (until the 4:50 mark in the second quarter), playing patient offense and pounding the ball inside. The Olympians were also helped by a struggling shooting effort from the Panthers in the first quarter (1-for-12). The JT lead was one (16-15) when PV upped the pressure, going full-court.

The result was a 12-8 run to give the Panthers a three-point advantage at intermission. Panther Valley picked up the shooting in the second quarter, hitting four triples, and Times News area leading scorer Rene Figueroa paced the Panthers with eight points during their surge.

“After the first quarter we started to get in a rhythm offensively and we shot the ball much better. We were able to get into our pressure,” said. Crampsie. “We went to some pressure, not necessarily to get a turnover every possession, but to speed them up and make them uncomfortable. We were able to do that and then hit shots as well.”

The start of the third quarter gave Panther Valley the cushion it needed. Leading by three, an 8-0 PV run — fueled by back-to-back three-pointers by Figueroa and Brandon Stilitino — gave it an 11-point lead. The deep balls were aided by key offensive rebounds, which plagued Thorpe throughout the second half. The Panthers time-and-time again were able to get second-chance opportunities and they made the Olympians pay, often times with a trifecta.

“Communication and offensive rebounding simply killed us tonight,” said Thorpe head coach Jason McElmoyle. “We didn’t communicate well in many facets of the game and we didn’t box out on key possessions.

“When they got second, and sometimes third-chance shots, they knocked them down.”

Panther Valley carried an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter and continued with a strong rebounding effort, which aided it in getting to the foul line 23 times in the frame. That helped keep the Olympians at arms length. Thorpe tried to get back in the game, cutting the lead to six and then five late in the fourth, but could never make the big shot it needed or get the big stop it needed to mount a serious charge.

RISKY BUSINESS ... PV did make it interesting in the fourth by missing 13 fouls shots, letting the Olympians hang around.

OFFENSIVE BOARDS ... The undersized Panthers came through with double digit offensive rebounds in the game, which helped them on their big runs throughout the game.

LEADERS ... Figueroa led the way for Panther Valley with 27, while Stilitino added 14. For the Olympians, Nathan Rosahac scored a team-high 22. James Adames finished with 10.

JIM THORPE

Searfoss 3-0-0-7, Burak 1-0-1-3, Cannariato 1-0-0-2, Hurley 2-0-0-6, Condly 1-0-0-3, Adames 3-4-5-10, Lauer 2-0-0-4, Rosahac 9-4-11-22, Marykwas 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-8-17-57.

PANTHER VALLEY

Marchorro 2-2-8-7, Stilitino 3-5-8-14, Buzzard 0-0-0-0, Turner 1-1-2-3, Figueroa 8-6-9-27, White 3-0-0-6, Brettle 0-0-0-0, Krapf 0-0-0-0, Eidle 0-0-0-0, Miller 2-1-5-5. TOTALS: 19-15-32-62.

Jim Thorpe 8 16 11 22 - 57

Panther Vy. 5 22 14 21 - 62

Three-pointers: Jim Thorpe - Hurley 2, Searfoss 1, Burak 1, , Condly 1; Panther Valley - Figueroa 5, Stilitino 3, Marchorro 1.