The Lady Panthers getting after it on Senior Night.
Tuesday night was Senior Night and the Saucon Valley Lady Panthers were looking for back to back wins. The Panthers came out swinging and fought hard during the early stages of their season finale against the Palisades Lady Pirates. But, as time wore on, the Panthers seemed to wear down. Trailing by only three points at halftime, the Panthers’ momentum sputtered leading to a 40-28 defeat.
The Panther defense held Palisades to only five first period points.
Palisades punched first building a 5-0 lead during the first three minutes of play. Saucon Valley sophomore Brooke Riefenstahl finally got the Panthers on the scoreboard at 5:05 when she drove hard to the hoop and hit a layup. Shannon Williams then hit a a free-throw to make it 5-3. The final points of the period came courtesy of a Brooke Riefenstahl steal that she converted into another layup for points. The score after the first period of play was knotted 5-5.
The Panthers looking to score on Senior Night.
The second period exhibited a little more offense by both teams. Panther junior Helen Kreschollek snagged an offensive rebound and put it back to give Saucon Valley a 7-5 lead only 3o seconds into the second period. Palisades tied it and the Panthers responded when Brooke Riefenstahl converted another drive to the hoop. The Pirates again scored which was quickly answered when sophomore Kiele Riefenstahl raced coast to coast for another Saucon score halfway through the period giving the Panthers an 11-9 advantage. Palisades followed suit and hit the equalizer at the 3:46 mark. On the very next Panther possession, sophomore Kat Naiburg buried a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Saucon Valley a 14-11 lead. The advantage, however, was short lived as the Pirates finished the first half on a 5-0 run to make 16-14 at the break.
Panther junior Shannon Williams looks to create space against the Palisades Pirates.
Aside from another Naiburg bomb and a bucket by Brooke Riefenstahl, the Panthers hit an offensive drought in the third period. Palisades, on the other hand, was able to manufacture just enough offense against a tough Panther defense to extend their lead to 26-19 at the end of the third period of play.
Up for grabs!
Naiburg converted at the start the fourth quarter for the Panthers to shrink the Pirate lead to five. Palisades answered by hitting the front end of a “one-and-one” to reclaim a their six point lead. Saucon sophomores Olivia Williams and Kat Naiburg capitalized on consecutive Pirate fouls by hitting a couple of free-throws that cut the Palisades lead to four points. But, that was all the closer the Panthers would get. Palisades ventured on a 9-0 run that gave them a 36-23 advantage with 2:41 remaining in the game. Panther sophomore Katie Kramer hit a couple of free-throws to end the Pirate run, but it was a lost cause. The Lady Panthers fell to Palisades 40-28.
Panther coach Jerry Calabrese tries to rally his troops one last time.
Palisades was led by senior Alexa Parks and her 16 points. Sophomore Claire Olmstead added 8 for the Pirates.
Sophomores Kat Naiburg and Brooke Riefenstahl each had 9 points for the Panthers.
A Saucon Source Salute to the Panther seniors Brianna Estojak and Carly Souders!
Seniors Carly Souders (left) and Brianna Estojak were honored Tuesday night along with their parents.
Senior Carly Souders and her parents being honored by Coach Calabrese before Tuesday’s game.
Senior Brianna Estojak and her parents being honored by the Panther players on Senior Night.
Up Next: The Lady Panthers 2016-2017 season has come to an end. The ‘Ballers will be back next year!