Pope John Paul II beats Daniel Boone for first win of the season

BIRDSBORO >> In the transition of graduations and new combinations, it can take basketball teams much of December to find their identity.

Pope John Paul II began finding its way Wednesday night, controlling much of the second half en route to a gutty 44-39 triumph at Daniel Boone.

The Golden Panthers (1-2) used a strong third quarter to gain the edge on the Blazers (3-1) in this non-conference, PAC-Berks clash, and it came in handy because the Blazers made a late-game run, trimming a 12-point deficit to three with 14 seconds left. Elise Sylvester’s two free throws with seven seconds remaining iced it.

Sophomore forward Lauren Ciuba led the Panthers with 13 points. Sylvester had 11 and her senior backcourt running mate Rachel Yerger added nine. The Blazers’ Madison Spitko figured big in their spirited late comeback, scoring nine of her 14 in the fourth.

Coming off a season in which they won the PAC’s Frontier Division and qualified for states, the reshaping Golden Panthers jumped right into challenging competition to start the 2016-17 campaign. They faced perennial power North Penn and Central Bucks West in the North Penn Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-off, allowing 60-plus points in each large double-digit loss.

It was time to hit the re-set button with conference play just around the corner.

“Those first two games were tough,” Yerger said. “We’re very young, and we were ready to make a statement.”

With some key returnees and also some key graduation losses, especially Gabby Troisi, now playing at West Chester, the Panthers bring quickness and tenacity to the floor. Yerger and forward Shannon Mullen, who was superb defensively Wednesday with eight blocked shots while going against a strong front line, are the only PJP seniors.

“We’re more balanced and our young players are going to factor in a lot,” said second-year PJP coach Liz Bernstein. “We believe in challenging our young players, the season is young and there’s a lot of growth ahead.”

“We work hard and play well together,” Mullen said.

The Blazers came in 3-0, holding opponents to a meager 28.7 points per game while averaging 48.3 offensively. That defensive prowess showed early as PJP struggled to score. But the Panthers’ defense was solid as well.

Yerger’s steal and fastbreak layup got the Panthers going about three minutes into the game, and Ciuba followed with a layup on a nice feed from Monica Rapchinski. The Blazers didn’t get their first field goal until over six minutes had passed but led 8-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Ciuba provided a nice lift early in the second period, scoring three consecutive hoops on a layup, wing jumper and three-pointer. The latter put the Panthers up 14-13. Daniel Boone countered with strong play inside, though, by Emily Scott, Emily Houck and Julia Bookwater. A 3-pointer from Sylvester in the final minute of the half gave the lead back to PJP, and for good as it turned out.

In a decisive third-quarter sprint, PJP scored the first seven points of the period. Defense keyed it. The Panthers prioritize turning teams over and turning on the jets in transition.

“Defense dictates tempo,” Bernstein said. “We want to get steals and get out in transition to use our speed.”

While PJP was starting to hit on all cylinders offensively in the third quarter, the Blazers clanked, going scoreless for 4:14 in the period until Syd Hayes’ three-pointer. The lead grew to 12 early in the fourth, but Daniel Boone battled back, whittling the margin on a series of PJP turnovers and Blazer hustle plays.

But in the end, the Panthers had their important first win in the first chapter of a new edition.