For Chautauqua Lake on Friday night, it was a few short stretches that did the trick.

Behind four different scoring runs of at least 9-2 or better, the Thunderbirds earned their first league victory of the season over Silver Creek 51-21 in a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 West game at Silver Creek High School.

“We really go back to basics with what we want to do,” said Thunderbirds head coach Mike Putney. “I have a team that responds well to that. … They know what to expect and they know what to do. They go out there with confidence.”

Silver Creek (1-5, 0-3) scored the game’s first two points on a jump shot by Kay Hutchison. The next four points were split evenly for a 4-2 Silver Creek advantage through the first four minutes of play.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Chautauqua Lake’s Taylor Donato takes a shot against Silver Creek during Friday’s CCAA Division 2 West game in Silver Creek.

“We were staying with them in that part of the half,” said Black Knights head coach Kevin Rice. “We played with good energy and we rebounded the ball well. … Those were two steps in the right direction for us.”

The next eight minutes of action, however, belonged entirely to the visiting Thunderbirds. Over the second half of the first quarter and the first half of the second quarter, Chautauqua Lake outscored Silver Creek 15-0, including 8 points from Ava Olson during that stretch. Chautauqua Lake (4-1, 1-1) led 9-4 after the first quarter and 24-10 at halftime.

When asked how his team responded with so many big scoring runs, Putney said, “It’s just really nice because those are the things you are always looking for as a coach, how they respond. … They just give it their all and they are trying to do the right things.”

Chautauqua Lake extended its lead to 31-12 with a 9-2 run over the first 3:15 of the second half, capped off by a 3-pointer by Erma Wolcott — the game’s first shot made from beyond the arc.

Hutchison responded with a layup through contact and finished the three-point play to cut the Silver Creek deficit to 33-19 with two minutes left in the third quarter. Over the final two minutes, however, Chautauqua Lake ended on a 9-0 run to take a 42-19 lead into the final period. The Thunderbirds ended the game with a 9-2 fourth quarter.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Silver Creek’s Tessa Braidich (10) shoots a floater in the lane as Chautauqua Lake’s Erma Wolcott (1) looks on during Friday’s game in Silver Creek.

Wolcott led the Thunderbirds with 14 points on a night were all nine players on the roster scored. Natalie Gilkinson had 9 points and Ava Olson had 8 points.

“We’re a balanced team,” said Putney. “Erma (Wolcott) is a very hard worker, she gets a lot of points off being aggressive. But we had everybody respond tonight … and that’s what we preach. We have nine girls that go out there and play basketball.”

Lucille Jimerson led Silver Creek with 10 points while Kay Hutchison had 5 points.

Chautauqua Lake is back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Sherman. Silver Creek has a nonleague game at Pine Valley on Thursday.

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE (51)

Cole 2 0 4, Donato 1 1 3, Gates 1 1 3, Gilkinson 4 1 9, Olson 2 4 8, Putney 2 0 5, Riedesel 0 1 1, Wolcott 4 4 14, Zarpentine 2 0 4. Totals 18 12 51.

SILVER CREEK (21)

Carconia 0 0 0, Kelly 1 1 3, Martinez 0 0 0, Braidich 1 0 2, Lozada 0 0 0, Daniels 0 1 1, Beadle 0 0 0, Jimerson 4 2 10, Hutchison 2 1 5, Lawton 0 0 0. Totals 8 5 21.

3-point goals–Putney, Wolcott 2.

Chautauqua Lake 9 15 18 9 — 51

Silver Creek 4 6 9 2 — 21