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By Brad Rosemas
For the Mirror
BLAIRSVILLE -- River Valley girls basketball coach Rick Brown acknowledged his team had practiced for the past three days preparing to face Heritage Conference foe Portage's full-court press.
While being a staple for the Mustangs all season that had helped produce 14 consecutive victories, the 2023 PIAA Class 3A runner-up Panthers found their way through.
River Valley used consistent transition baskets and strong 3-point shooting to defeat Portage 59-43 on Thursday night, giving the Mustangs their first loss of the season.
"When you have athletes that can see over a press and can make long, baseball-like passes, that's a big advantage," Portage coach Lance Hudak said. "They got a lot of good looks in transition from it. When you zone press then go back into man defense, you give up the perimeter, and they were able to knock down a lot of outside shots, too."
Three Panthers scored in double-figures, led by junior Ava Persichetti's 20 points.
Persichetti, who holds four Division I offers, also dished out seven assists. Rylee Kitner tallied 14 points, while Kenady Kitner added 12 via four 3-pointers off the bench.
River Valley knocked down 10 threes as a team, including a stretch of four in a row in the second quarter that helped the Panthers turn a one-point deficit into a seven-point lead at the half.
"This came from lots and lots of practice and game film," Brown said. "We know what they do, and we know that they do it well. We were just able to find some holes and take advantage of them. We got a lot of great 2-on-1 looks that helped us get ahead and stay ahead."
Portage's pressure defense forced eight River Valley turnovers in the first quarter, as the Mustangs held a 17-16 advantage after one frame.
The Panthers then settled in, recording just four giveaways for the remainder of the game.
"It's something you expect from the girls that we have," Brown said. "Ava has always been a scorer for us. Then we have other girls coming in and knocking down shots. You can't ask for much more out of an offense. We're hoping that skillset can help us throughout the season."
River Valley recorded a 5-for-6 mark on 3-pointers in the second quarter to lead 37-30 at the break.
The Panthers followed by outscoring the Mustangs 15-8 in the third quarter and 7-5 in the fourth. River Valley did not record a field goal in the final frame, receiving all of its points from the free throw line.
Jenna Burkett topped Portage with 16 points. Alex Chobany and Brooke Bednarski each added eight.
"We were right with them," Hudak said. "They got their separation in the second quarter. We started to pick up at half court, and they kept control and knocked down some more corner shots. They had an answer for a lot of things we threw at them."
River Valley (10-4) has now won all three of its matchups against Portage since the Mustangs joined the Heritage Conference prior to last season.
The two-time defending District 6 champions defeated the Mustangs twice last season, both coming by 26-point margins. Portage and River Valley will likely meet again in the conference tournament, where the Panthers will attempt to defend their 2022-23 crown.
Portage will host West Shamokin in its next contest on Wednesday. Hudak will attempt to earn his 300th career coaching victory against the Wolves.
"I've been coaching a long time, and not many teams run the table in the regular season," Hudak said. "You're going to take losses, and I'd rather take it on Jan. 11 than some time in February. It hurts, but we wake up tomorrow and start gathering film to get ready for next week.
"We have to take it one game at a time. We're still in a very good position in the conference. We just have to get down to business and keep pushing forward."
Portage (43): Hudak 2 0-0 6, Chobany 3 0-1 8, C. Burkett 2 1-2 5, Bednarski 2 4-7 8, J. Burkett 6 0-0 16, Bagby 0 0-2 0. Totals: 15 5-12 43.
River Valley (59): Persichetti 6 4-8 20, Dunlap 0 0-2 0, Staats 1 2-2 5, Foust 1 1-4 3, LaMantia 1 3-4 5, R. Kitner 6 1-3 14, K. Kitner 4 0-0 12. Totals: 19 11-23 59.
Score by Quarters
Portage 17 13 8 5 -- 43
River Valley 16 21 15 7 -- 59
3-point field goals- Portage 8 (J. Burkett 4, Hudak 2, Chobany 2); River Valley 10 (Persichetti 4, K. Kitner 4, R. Kitner, Staats).
Records: Portage (14-1), River Valley (10-4)