Schuylkill Valley relied on its stifling defense on Monday night to remain undefeated with a 43-21 win at Hamburg.
The Panthers (2-0 Berks III, 6-0) protected the paint and allowed few uncontested shots to Hamburg (0-2 Berks III, 2-3) in a Berks Girls Basketball League Division III matchup.
Schuylkill Valley’s defense was strong from the onset, forcing several turnovers and allowing the Hawks very few open shots. The Panthers led 18-2 at the end of the first quarter and remained in the lead for the remainder of the contest.
“Good defense leads to some easy baskets,” Schuylkill Valley coach Jason Bagenstose said. “(We) came out and set the tone right away.”
Schuylkill Valley relied on points off turnovers to take a 31-5 lead into halftime. The Panthers also made five 3-pointers in the first half.
“(We played) really good defense in the first half,” Bagenstose said. “We came out and tried to set the tempo with some full-court pressure and it worked.”
Hamburg outscored Schuylkill Valley 16-12 in the second half, but the Panthers remained in control throughout the final 16 minutes. The Hawks generated 10 of their 21 points in the game via free throws.
“One thing we really want to take pride in is our defense and really getting after it, getting up on the other team and making them uncomfortable” Bagenstose said. “They’ve really bought into that.”
Senior Madison Ziska led Schuylkill Valley with 13 points. Sophomore Juliana Stichter scored 11 points for the Panthers.
“I thought she came out tonight and was really good right from the start,” Bagenstose said about Ziska. “She’s just very active and she’s so athletic, so she’s a matchup problem for people.”
Source: Berkshire mont