It was a first half backboard scuffle between the Panthers and Warriors.
Friday night the Lady Panthers courageously competed with the Wilson Warriors for the first half. But their efforts slowly slipped away as the Warriors gradually took control of the game and pulled away. A 17-14 halftime deficit grew to a 38-25 loss for the Panthers.
Sophomore Kat Naiburg drives to the hoop for two.
It was a promising start for Saucon Valley. Katherine Naiburg opened the game with a sweet drive to the hoop and converted a layup. Wilson responded, but Naiburg hit a free throw to reclaim the lead at 3-2. At 5:26 Saucon sophomore, Brooke Riefenstahl converted a layup of her own to put the Panthers up 5-2. Wilson, however scored on consecutive possessions with under a minute to play in the first period to go up 7-5. With time running out in the first period Panther junior, Helen Kreschollek scored to lock the game at 7-7.
Lady Warrior Sydney Gillen looking for an opening in the Panther defense.
Wilson struck first to start the second period but the Lady Panthers fought right back. Kreschollek hit another layup at the 5:28 mark to knot the game at 9-9. Panther sophomore Katie Kramer then hit a short jumper at 5:08 to take the lead 11-9. The Panthers and Warriors exchanged free throws but Wilson scored five unanswered points to claim a 15-12 lead with 1:05 remaining in the first half. Panther sophomore Olivia Williams popped a jumper with 41 seconds left to claw the Panthers back to 15-14. However, Wilson sophomore Sydney Gillen had the final say when her hustle led to a put-back as time expired in the first half. The Warriors led at the break 17-14.
Panther sophomore Olivia Williams working hard to get her shot off.
Wilson came out in the second half and scored first, but Saucon Valley answered right back with an Olivia Williams jumper to keep pace at 19-16. The Warriors replied with a 7-0 spurt to extend their lead to 26-16 with 4:25 left in the third quarter. Saucon finally broke a five minute scoring drought with Helen Kreschollek’s layup at 2:24 making the score 26-18. The Warriors quickly recovered with a layup of their own to put their lead back to double digits. Kreschollek grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to finish the third quarter scoring. It was a 28-20 Warrior advantage.
The Panthers trying to stop the Warrior offense at crunch time.
Any hopes of a Panther comeback were methodically put to rest due to a 10-0 Warrior run that chewed over four minutes off the clock. Saucon finally scored when Panther sophomore Kiele Riefenstahl hit a free throw with 3:30 remaining in the game to make the score 38-21. Saucon Valley freshman Abbey Soltysiak finished all scoring in the final two minutes with a couple of hard earned buckets. It was a 38-25 win for the Warriors.
Wilson’s strong start to the fourth quarter put a stop to the Panther’s comeback effort.
Wilson (6-4) was led by the scoring of junior Gabby Vega and her 10 points. Seniors Morgan Casciole and Paige Dreyer along with sophomore Sydney Gillen each added seven points for the Warriors.
Helen Kreschollek had nine points for the Panthers (1-9) while Olivia Williams and Abbey Soltysiak each added four.
The Panthers got knocked down, but will surely get back up again.
Up Next: Saucon Valley travels to Slatington on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. tipoff against Northern Lehigh. The Bulldogs have a 2-7 Colonial league record. Aside from winless Pen Argyl it’s as winnable as it gets for the Lady Panthers.
