Helen Kreschollek takes the opening tip for the Panthers.
Sixteen hours after a tough loss to District XI preseason favorite Jim Thorpe, the Lady Panthers traveled north to battle the Pocono Mountain East Cardinals. The Cardinals were the East Penn Conference Mountain Division champions last season and are led this year by senior guards Khyasia Caldwell and Marianna Maldonaldo. Caldwell is an East Penn Conference All-Star from last season and Maldonaldo is a three-year starter. It was another tough task for the young Lady Panthers.
Coming into the game veteran Panther coach Jerry Calabrese was looking to simply keep the improvement process trending in the right direction.
“We want to improve on last night and just get a little bit better,” Calabrese said before the game. “Hopefully we can make a few more shots.”
Coach Calabrese and company were expecting to see half-court pressure from the Cardinals and that was exactly what they got. Not surprisingly, East utilized the athleticism and quickness of their guards to pressure the young Panthers with a 1-2-2 half-court press. Saucon Valley practiced breaking the press, but the Panthers had trouble adjusting to the speed of the game. The quickness of the Cardinals was much different than the practice speed with which the Panthers were accustomed.
The opening quarter favored the Cardinals as they were able to outscore the Panthers 14-4. The difference was not the offensive execution of Pocono Mountain that allowed for the advantage. Rather, it was the Saucon Valley errant passes and turnovers to the Cardinal defense. Saucon played well defensively, but it was the giveaways forced by Cardinal pressure that made the difference.
Panther coach Jerry Calabrese calming and teaching his young Panthers.
After making a few adjustments to start the second quarter, Saucon fought back. The Panther defense hustled and created turnovers of their own. The Panthers were also able to grab a few defensive rebounds.
On consecutive possessions Saucon Valley capitalized on their defensive efforts with junior Shannon Williams and sophomore Olivia Williams hitting a couple of mid-range jumpers that cut into the Cardinal lead. Then, after another Panther defensive stop, Saucon sophomore Kat Naiburg buried a three-pointer with 4:37 remaining in the first half. The Cardinal lead evaporated and they were forced to call a timeout holding a 14-13 lead.
Pocono Mountain regrouped and were able to steal back the momentum with their high-pressure defense. The Cardinals went on a 9-0 scoring run that put the Panthers down 23-13 at the halftime break.
The third quarter started with East bringing more pressure leading to six unanswered points. The Cardinals built a 29-13 lead. Coach Calabrese wisely utilized a timeout to settle his squad. Saucon Valley came out and answered with back to back jump shots from sophomores Olivia Williams and Brooke Riefenstahl. Riefenstahl’s strike with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter cut the Cardinal advantage to 29-17.
The Panthers, however, climbed no closer. East finished the third quarter with a strong 11-2 run, extending their lead 40-19.
Even though the fourth quarter scoring was a slight 10-8 advantage to the Cardinals, it was a 50-27 loss for the Panthers.
Helen Krescholek hitting one of her team high seven points.
East was paced by seniors Khyasia Caldwell and Marianna Maldonaldo. Caldwell created 18 points for the Cardinals while Maldonaldo smoothly added another 14. The quickness of this dynamic duo was also responsible for causing numerous Panther turnovers.
Saucon Valley was led by the scoring of Helen Kreschollek and Olivia Williams. Kreschollek finished with 7 points and Williams added 6.
The process continues for the Lady Panthers. Coach Calabrese certainly was not discouraged by the efforts of his maturing group. “We got some shots to fall when we didn’t turn the ball over,” Calabrese said. “Young nerves will settle themselves with more experience.” The process continues.
Saucon Valley will next travel to Moravian Academy on Monday night where the Lady Panthers will battle the Lady Lions. Good luck Saucon, the Source is with you!
