SWIFTWATER — In a tight back-and-forth battle between two divisional rivals on Thursday, it was Pocono Mountain East who came out on top with a nail-biting 47-43 victory over Pleasant Valley in boys basketball.

After falling to the Cardinals convincingly in both games last season, the Bears wanted to prove they could put up a better fight against Pocono East this season.

That was proven true as the Bears took advantage of the Cardinals lack of aggressiveness defensively, resulting in an 11-10 Bears lead after the first quarter and a 19-18 advantage at halftime.

Cardinals head coach Mark Dudley gave credit to the Bears, while also admitting how passive his team’s defense started the game.

“Pleasant Valley came in and they gave us a good fight,” Dudley said. “They really challenged us. I think earlier, we sat in the zone and I think that kind of messed us up a little bit.”

Whatever coach Dudley said in the Cardinals locker room at halftime worked.

Pocono East began to increase the tempo of the game offensively as the second half began, and also played more aggressive defensively.

The Bears managed to keep pace with the Cardinals’ offense, but began to struggle against their defensive pressure, resulting in Pocono East forcing 11 turnovers in the second half.

Once trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, Pleasant Valley’s final offensive push cut the Cardinals’ lead to as little as two — only to fall short in the end.

Amidst the disappointment of defeat and certain struggles during the game, Bears head coach Bobby Hahn had nothing but positives to say about his team’s performance.

“I was really proud of our guys,” he said. “I thought we stuck in there and we fought. We have (starters) who haven’t really played varsity before, and the fact that we can stick with a team like East, (I give) a lot of credit to them.

“We never gave up. I think we were thinking a little too much rather than just kind of taking what the defense gave us, and we let them get on a little bit too much of a run, which is hard to come back from. We have to correct that. But overall, I really like the fight that the guys had.”

The game was highlighted particularly by a head-to-head matchup between the Bears’ 6-5 senior Zach Prator and Cardinals 6-7 senior Parker Scoz.

Prator led the way for the Bears offensively with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Scoz anchored the Cardinals defensively with nine rebounds and six blocks.

Coach Hahn was impressed with how Prator played against Scoz and how significant this matchup was in general.

“I think it’s two of the best big guys in the (EPC) league going at it,” said Hahn, who also received 16 points from Jareal Moore. “I really think Prator is a great player, as I get to see him all the time. And Scoz is a really great defender and a great player.

“Seeing two big guys go at it the way that they did ... is a real treat to watch for any fan of high school basketball, and really seeing the center position come back as in the old days (shows) how important that position is.”

IMPROVEMENT … Pleasant Valley lost both of its matchups against Pocono Mountain East last season, 71-52 and 78-65. The Bears’ largest deficit against the Cardinals Thursday night was 10.

PLEASANT VALLEY

Haines 1-0-0-3, Loch 1-1-2-3, Roselli 1-0-0-3, Moore 5-4-6-16, Sacci 1-0-2-2, Prator 7-1-3-16. TOTALS: 16-6-13-43.

POCONO MOUNTAIN EAST

McManus 3-1-2-8, Pierre 1-0-0-2, DeCaires 1-0-0-2, Bethea 5-0-0-12, Harris 6-0-0-12, Dervisevic 0-0-0-0, Daley 1-0-0-2, Scoz 2-5-7-9. TOTALS: 19-6-9-47.

Pleasant Vy. 11 8 11 13 - 43

PM East 10 8 18 11 - 47

Three-pointers: Pleasant Valley - Moore 2, Haines 1, Roselli 1, Prator, 1; PM East - Bethea 2, McManus 1.

Records: Pleasant Valley (1-1; 1-1 EPC); PM East (4-0; 2-0 EPC).