VIKING JV GIRLS TAKE CONTROL OF PANTHERS
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com
 
(1/17/08 Chico, CA) The Pleasant Valley girls' junior varsity basketball team struck early and often and went on to beat cross-town rival Chico 58-40 Thursday at "The Panther Pit."
 
The Panthers scored first on Polly Rystrom's three-pointer 12 seconds into the game. The Vikings first score came on a bucket Kiley Mansfield with 6:42 remaining in the first quarter as PV trailed 5-2. Kelsey Miller made a pair of free throws with 4:24 to go in the first as the Vikings took a 7-5 lead. Kristy Reynolds made a free throw with 2:47 left in the period to cut Chico's deficit to 11-6. A buzzer beater by Taylor Parsley put Pleasant Valley ahead 16-7 at the end of the first period.
 
Mansfield gave the Vikings their first double digit lead of the evening by making one of two free throws 24 seconds into the second quarter. Karlee Forbis made a hoop with 6:14 remaining in the first half to bring the Panthers within 12 points at 21-9. Michelle Knafla's bucket with 3:18 to go in the half cut Chico's deficit to 26-13. A basket by Gina Spini with a minute left allowed PV to crack 30 points at 31-15.
 
Andrea Banegas opened the Vikings' second half scoring with a shot 36 seconds into the third quarter as Pleasant Valley took a 35-15 lead. A three-pointer by Marilyn McGowan with 6:08 remaining in the period gave the Panthers their first points of the half. Juliana Hoffman made a hoop with 2:38 to go in the third to give the Vikings a 40-20 lead. Forbis' bucket with 58 seconds left kept Chico within 20 points at 42-22.
 
Alexandra Murray made a basket 13 seconds into the fourth quarter as PV went up 46-24. Forbis came back eight seconds later with a shot of her own for the Panthers' first score of the period. Spini's bucket with 3:39 remaining in the game gave the Vikings a 52-32 lead. Ashley Pollak's hoop off a steal by Knafla cut Chico's deficit to 56-38.
 
The Vikings received 16 points apiece from Spini and Miller. Miller also added three rebounds. Mansfield scored eight points and collected 10 rebounds. Knafla led the Panthers with 14 points, while Forbis added nine points and five rebounds.