Just 51 seconds into the third quarter, the scoreboard at the Physical Education Complex told a much different story.

The Hornets went on a 22-0 run through halftime and never looked back en route to a 52-35 victory over the Panthers to earn a spot in Friday’s 6 p.m. championship game back at JCC.

“We try to play fast,” Forestville head coach Ralph Jackson said. “When we can get out in transition or when the press is working and we can get some easy buckets, we definitely can score quickly.”

During the 14-0 second-quarter portion of Forestville’s run, Pine Valley was 0 for 9 from the field and turned the ball over six times, which led to six points for the Hornets.

Forestville’s Jacob Anders attempts a reverse layup while being defended by Pine Valley’s James Greene. Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey

“The game plan was to try and diversify their offense. We executed the game plan, the problem is the ball didn’t go in,” Pine Valley head coach Bobby Slisz said. ” … When the kids do exactly what you tell them to do, they run the game plan, and the results don’t match up, it’s frustrating.”

Coming out of halftime, Manny Sanchez scored on Forestville’s first possession of the third quarter to give his team a 27-14 lead. Sanchez led the Hornets with 12 points and five assists in the game.

“Manny was great today. He’s very capable,” Jackson said. “He loves getting assists even when he has some looks.”

After a Pine Valley turnover, Jacob Anders converted a three-point play to make it 30-14 and, after another turnover, the Hornets’ William Duliba hit a 3-pointer to make it a 19-point game and coax Silsz into a quick timeout.

“You could see it on their faces, the frustration that the ball’s not going in the hoop,” Slisz said. “We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities … because the opportunities were available.”

The 8-0 Hornets run took less than a minute, but all but clinched Forestville a spot in Friday’s final.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” Jackson said. “Even when it gets close to the end, until that final horn sounds, it’s not over.”

The Hornets were not lights-out from the field — they shot just 20 of 64 — but they forced Pine Valley into 22 turnovers, which led to 27 points at the other end of the floor. In addition to Sanchez’s 12 points, Duliba scored 10, Anders had 9 and Blake Waterman chipped in 7.

“They were all scoring. When you spread the ball around, it’s hard to key on our two main guys,” Jackson said. “I know what the other guys are capable of on our team.”

Trent Ivett led Pine Valley with 14 points, including a long 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to tie the game at 10-all. Camryn Slade chipped in 11 points and Noah Frontuto had 9.

“We said it over and over again on the bench, those are good looks. They just didn’t go in,” Slisz said. “On any other day, some of them go in because that’s how basketball works.”

Now Forestville will have to deal with Panthers of a much different breed, those from Panama. Ed Nelson’s team — the top-ranked Class D team in the state, according to the New York State Sportswriters Association — improved to 19-2 on the season with a 68-41 victory over No. 4 Clymer in the first semifinal Monday.

“Panama is Panama. They are a great team and they are very well coached. They’ve been a great program for a long time,” Jackson said. “It’s going to take our best effort to compete with those guys. … These guys are definitely up for the challenge.”

NOTES: Blake Waterman had nine rebounds and three steals; Jacob Anders had five rebounds and four steals; and Duliba had five rebounds and three steals for Forestville, which was 4 of 17 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 17 times. … Pine Valley was 14 of 52 from the field, including 4 of 21 from 3-point range.

PINE VALLEY (35)

Bradigan 0 1 1, Rogers 0 0 0, Slade 5 0 11, Frontuto 3 1 9, Ivett 6 1 14, Greene 0 0 0, CKenna 0 0 0, Bell 0 0 0. Totals 14 3 35.

FORESTVILLE (52)

Tenamore 2 0 4, Spengler 3 0 6, DAnders 1 2 4, JAnders 3 3 9, Reilly 0 0 0, Sanchez 5 1 12, Waterman 3 0 7, Gruber 0 0 0, Mescall 0 0 0, Mills 0 0 0, Duliba 3 2 10, Hodkin 0 0 0. Totals 20 8 52.

3-point goals–Slade, Frontuto 2, Ivett, Sanchez, Waterman, Duliba 2.

Pine Valley 10 4 7 14 — 35

Forestville 10 15 14 13 — 52