SPRING MILLS – Penns Valley welcomed in a young Bellefonte squad in girls basketball action Thursday. Offensively, the veteran Rams squad was in full force throughout the game, as Penns Valley defeated Bellefonte, 70-23, in Laurel Highlands action.

The Rams were celebrating their three seniors on senior night. Honored on the night were Sarah Fultz, Jadyn Alexander and Audrey Kerstetter.

Penns Valley was led by the 14-point performance of Ellie Dinges. Teammate Ellie Romig followed up with 13 while Paige Johnson chipped in 11.

Defensively, Alexander was persistent on the boards finishing with 10 rebounds.

Despite the loss, the Red Raiders battled throughout and refused to go down without a valiant effort.

“I was proud of them for not giving up and playing hard,” said Bellefonte head coach Marissa Ward. “We tried a couple of different defenses there which was great. Also, we were looking inside. We continued to score throughout the game.”

Lexi Fravel finished her night with a team-high eight points while Taylor Brown tallied seven.

In the first, the Lady Raiders opened with the first basket. Riley Santostefano hit a soft jumper, making it a 2-0 lead. On the following Rams possession, Sydnie Dalton went up a shot and was fouled in the process. She made 1-of-2.

The flood gates started to open for Penns Valley with Sarah Fultz hitting four consecutive points in a 9-0 run.

Brown broke up the run with attempting a strong bucket inside. She was fouled on the shot and hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. But the Rams continued scoring the ball at will. When the dust settled following the first quarter, Penns Valley built up an 18-3 lead.

Things continued to roll in Penns Valley’s direction. Its transition game was in full view as it continued to pressure the Bellefonte front court.

Starting off the second, Dalton was able to pick-pocket the ball before finishing the play with a layup on the other end. Santostefano scored the second field goal for her team as the Rams held a very secure 20-5 lead.

Steals took center stage as Penns Valley used its aggressive nature to keep the pressure up. With that tenacious defense, the Lady Rams were able to reel in the points while keeping the Red Raider offense at bay.

When the intermission got underway, the Lady Rams had extended their lead to 30 at 41-11.

“It was a good all around victory for all of us. We are at that point of the season where we’ve got to get it right, going into districts,” said Penns Valley coach Terrance Green. “That’s what we talked about today. Just playing complementary and also sticking to what we need to do. At this point, we have eight games left. You’re fighting for position within the district.”

Starting out the third period in a mercy rule state, the Rams continued to add up the points.

Bellefonte came out of the intermission by hitting the first two buckets, both by Fravel. However, the Rams continued on another scoring run upping its lead in the third quarter to 56-15. That deficit would ultimately prove great for a comeback, as Bellefonte fell, 70-23.

Penns Valley 70, Bellefonte 23

BELLEFONTE (23)

Riley Santostefano 2 0-0 4, Talia Carter 1 0-0 2, Lexi Fravel 4 0-0 8, Addie Herr 1 0-0 2, Taylor Brown 3 1-4 7. Totals 11 1-6 23.

PENNS VALLEY (70)

Hadley Stover 1 0-0 2, Paige Johnson 4 3-4 11, Audrey Kerstetter 1 1-2 3, Sydnie Dalton 5 0-0 10, Sarah Fultz 1 3-8 6, Ellie Romig 5 2-2 13, Jordan Johnson 2 2-4 7, Ellie Dinges 6 1-2 13, Jadyn Alexander 2 0-0 4. Totals 27 12-22 70.

BE – 3 8 4 8 – 23

PV – 18 23 15 14 – 70

Three-point shots: BE – None. PV – Fultz, Romig, Johnson, Dinges.