Getting off to a good start.

That’s what the Saucon Valley boys basketball team was able to do against Lehighton in a Colonial League match-up on Tuesday night, as the Indians struggled early from the field.

The Panthers’ efficient first frame — an 8-for-15 shooting performance paired with an 0-for-7 start from the Tribe — helped Saucon jump out to a 17-7 lead en route to a 62-54 win over Lehighton.

A blend of fastbreak play and getting the ball inside off flex cuts helped the Panthers get out to a 8-0 advantage. Saucon Valley started the game going 4-for-5 from the field. Lehighton didn’t get its first bucket till the 4:57 mark of the first off a Blake Roberts bucket.

Five different Panthers’ players scored in the first quarter, with 1,000-point scorer Jack Robertson leading the way with five points.

“I thought we executed tonight better than we have in any other game this year,” said Saucon Valley head coach Brett Snyder. “We are a team that has to get off to a good start scoring inside. We have size, and I thought our physicality tonight was excellent.

“And listen, I think we got them on the right night. They’re an impressive shooting team on film. But I’m just very happy tonight with this group. We’ve been waiting for a while to put a full 32-minute game together, and we were able to do that. It’s also huge for us to have one of our big men in Caleb Grim back from injury. Tonight was only his second game back.”

Grim, who stands 6-5, started the second quarter with an inside deuce to make it a nine-point game, but Lehighton finally strung together a few baskets off two Joe Roth buckets to cut the lead to five.

But the Tribe went cold again, missing their next six shots. The Panthers didn’t waste any time taking advantage, going on a 7-0 run, capped off by a triple from Andrew Gilbert to extend the lead to 12 with 3:41 remaining in the first half.

Lehighton tried to surge at the end of the quarter, with Brayden Johnson scoring a quick five points to cut the deficit to seven. But a Robertson score to end the half kept the Saucon Valley lead at nine (30-21).

“The slow start was a big issue for us. I thought we got good looks and some opportunities to put the ball in the basket, but we just didn’t do it,” said Lehighton head coach Trevor Miller. “When you get off to slow starts against good teams, you’re going to be behind the eight ball, and we were tonight.

“Defensively, they’re a very good team and they’re very disciplined. And even with all that, I thought we got some really good looks, but we just weren’t able to make them. I told the guys, there are going to be nights like this. I thought our guys played hard and the effort was there. We just need to get back into a rhythm of knocking down shots consistently.”

Saucon Valley did a good job keeping Lehighton at arm’s length in the third quarter, edging the Indians 16-14. A big offensive rebound and put back as time expired in the frame by the Panthers other big man, 6-4 Adam Clark, gave them momentum and a 46-35 lead heading into the fourth.

A Robertson three-pointer with 6:35 to go extended the lead to 51-37, as the Panthers then kept the contest at double digits for most of the rest of the way. A few late triples from Cole Dietz got the game back to single digits, but solid foul shooting in the last minute of the game helped Saucon Valley close out the eight-point victory.

LEADING SCORERS ... Robertson led the way with a game-high 23 points. Clark added 12 and Gilbert netted 10. For Lehighton, Roth and Johnson each scored 12 points, with Roberts adding 11.

SHOOTING STRUGGLES ... The Indians shot just 8-for-28 in the first half, while the Panthers shot 13-for-22 from the field during that same span.

SAUCON VY.

Gilbert 4-1-2-10, Weiss 0-0-0-0, Miller 4-1-2-9, Robertson 8-5-7-23, Chaffier 0-0-0-0, Best 0-0-0-0, Clark 5-2-3-12, Grim 4-0-0-8. TOTALS: 25-9–14-62.

LEHIGHTON

Solt 0-0-0-0, Light 2-0-0-5, Meek 2-0-0-5, Fairchild 0-0-0-0, Johnson 5-0-0-12, Roberts 4-3-4-11, Roth 5-2-4-12, Dietz 3-0-0-9. TOTALS: 21-5-8-54.

Saucon Vy. 17 13 16 16 - 62

Lehighton 10 11 14 19 - 54

Three-pointers: SV - Robertson 2, Gilbert 1; L - Dietz 3, Johnson 2, Meek 1, Light 1.

Records: Saucon Valley (10-4, 9-4); Lehighton (12-3, 9-3)