Submitted Photo Pictured are Pine Valley’s seniors, from left: Jesse Jenkins, Makiah Snyder, Brady Andrews, Ryan Snyder, Coach Chris Buczek and Branden Libby. The Pine Valley Panthers defeated North Collins, 59-43, on Senior Night in South Dayton on Tuesday.

SOUTH DAYTON — The seniors at Pine Valley had a memorable night on Tuesday, as they led the team to a 59-43 victory over the North Collins Eagles at Pine Valley High School in a CCAA Division 2 East boys basketball game.

The Pine Valley Panthers started quick, as Brady Andrews scored from the opening tip on a pass from Bayley Finch. After trading baskets, Ryan Snyder drained a 3-point shot. On the next two possessions, Makiah Snyder also added two baskets from behind the arc in transition.

“Unlike other games, we came out ready to play,” said Pine Valley Coach Chris Buczek. “We were excited and had that passion to play that has been missing most of the year. It was great to see them come out and play at that level.”

Pine Valley’s quick defense and stellar shooting continued as the quarter went on. Christian Ortiz contributed with strong baskets from the post, as well, including a late possession score that gave the hosts a 22-11 lead after one.

During the second quarter, both teams were contained and the pace of the game slowed down. Ortiz added two baskets from offensive put-backs. Pine Valley’s bench was able to get valuable playing time in the first half, as the entire team gave up only three points during that quarter.

According to Buczek, “Losing Bayley Finch early in the game was a worry as he is hard to replace. He is the hardest working individual on the team. The entire team picked up the slack especially Makiah and Ryan Snyder.”

The Panthers took a 30-14 lead into halftime.

North Collins (2-15, 0-9) pushed the pace of the game and started quick in the third quarter. David Gullo recorded two steals that led to baskets, while Mitchell Warsaw drained his third three point shot of the game. Afterwards, Pine Valley (5-12, 4-6) showed its strong inside presence with quality looks from inside by Andrews and Ortiz along with gathering multiple rebounds.

“They were better than us tonight,” said North Collins coach Jan Warren. “We gave up way too many easy baskets that we never should have allowed.”

North Collins played its best quarter in the fourth as the Eagles outscored the Panthers 16-9. German exchange student Dominick Geberhardt contributed with two triples and two assists during that time. Gullo also showed his quick hands by gathering many steals that he would be able to get to his teammates quick in transition. Towards the end of the game, Pine Valley JV callup, Markus Volk, tallied the last three points of the game with a free throw and a drive to the basket.

“I am happy for the seniors, that they were able to end their careers this way,” Buczek stated. “It is great to see them close their Pine Valley careers at home with a successful performance. Hopefully, we can build on this moving forward with a good team effort.”

Ryan Snyder led the Panthers with 21 points and five assists, while his brother Makiah chipped in with 13 points.

“The Snyder brothers are capable of playing to this level, but have not been able to this year,” Buczek added. “A lot of this stemmed from their passion early and they were full of confidence.”

Christian Ortiz contributed with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Brady Andrews added six points and eight rebounds.

David Gullo added 12 points for North Collins, while Mitchell Warsaw chipped in with 11 points and Tyler Robinson added 10.

North Collins concludes its league play today at Cattaraugus/Little Valley, while Pine Valley plays Sherman on Friday night at Jamestown Community College