SALAMANCA - Josh Watson scored 29 points to go with seven rebounds, Zach Blask chipped in with six points and nine assists, and the Portville Panthers used an 11-0 run over the final four minutes to pull away from the Division 2 foe Salamanca Warriors, 67-55, on Tuesday night.
Trailing by one, 56-55, with four minutes to go, Salamanca turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions, prompting coach Brian Koscielniak to call a timeout.
That did little to allay the issue, however, as the Warriors turned the ball over twice more immediately following the stoppage.
In all, Portville made 19 steals.
"Credit to them," Koscielniak said. "They cashed in when they needed to."
Watson tallied 15 points in the first half and another 14 in the second on the way to his game-high output.
"Our goal was to stop Blask, one of the best players in Cattaraugus County" Koscielniak said, "We gave him our best defensive effort, and held him to six points. Unfortunately for us, Josh played great."
Along with Watson and Blask, Kyle Gallo hauled in eight rebounds and dished out five assists, an effort that was crucial in improving Portville's record to 12-1 overall and 6-1 in Division 2.
For Salamanca, which fell to 6-6 overall and 3-4 in league, Jared Fish led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Tadd Beattie added 10 points and Tanner John nine.
The Warriors' schedule isn't about to get any easier. They travel to Silver Creek - the state's second-ranked squad for Class C - on Friday.
PORTVILLE (67)
Giberson 2 0 4, Caya 5 1 11, Blask 3 0 6, Marcellin 3 4-4 10, Hilyer 1 0 2, Gallo 2 0 5, Watson 11 7 29. Totals 27 12 67.
SALAMANCA (55)
Beattie 2 5 10, Fish 9 1 20, Ball 0 0 0, Crandall 2 0 4, Hinman 2 0 6, Cooper 2 0 4, Siperek 0 2 2, John 3 2 9, Connell 0 0 0. Totals 20 10 55.
3-point goals: Gallo, Beattie, Fish, Hinman 2, John.
Portville 19 13 14 21 - 67
Salamanca 19 17 11 8 - 55
Jayvees: Salamanca 65, Portville 43.