The 2019-20 Pleasant Valley boys basketball season kicked off Tuesday night against the Burlington Greyhounds. The Spartans earned their first win in their season opener, setting the tone for the rest of the season.
The Spartans returned to the court with high expectations for this year’s team. After finishing 15-8 last year, they look to improve and make a trip to state this year. With the dominant win over Burlington, it looks as the Spartans have the ability to live up to the hype.
Early on in the game, the offense of both teams started off slow, with a score of 8-8 at the end of the first quarter. As the second quarter wore on, Pleasant Valley slowly pulled away, handling the opposition with ease and kept the pace of play up in order to build a lead.
Good ball movement kept the Spartans ahead in the first half, with many points being scored off of assists, the Spartans split the Burlington defense with ease in the second quarter. At halftime, Pleasant Valley was up 21-14 with their defense looking like a brick wall. Allowing only six points in the second quarter, keeping Burlington’s offense stagnant.
While the Spartans had the lead at the half, they lost senior Jacob Parker when he rolled his ankle right before the end of the half. Parker is an important part of the Spartan defense, and the defense showed a few cracks once Parker exited the game. Parker did not return to the game in the second half but hopes to return for the next game.
As the game progressed, the Spartans extended their lead to double digits and did not slow down. When the third quarter wrapped up, Pleasant Valley had an 11 point lead. Going into the fourth quarter, keeping turnovers to a minimum and playing conservative became the Spartans’ key to maintaining the lead.
Pleasant Valley cruised to a 57-46 win in their home opener. Junior Jacob Townsend led the Spartans with 16 points. Carter Cline said “It was a great team effort. We all played for each other and moved the ball well.” he said.
The Spartans next game was against Mount Pleasant, winning 45-27. Their upcoming game is against North Scott on Tuesday, December 10th.
