A tenacious Oswego defense forced DeKalb into a lot of first-half turnovers, which translated into points for the Panthers.

And when they couldn’t get those shots to fall, someone – usually Peyton Johnson or Kendall Grant – was there for a putback basket.

All of Oswego’s 21 first-half points came off turnovers or were on second-chance points as the Panthers cruised to a 53-30 road win Monday.

“We definitely benefit from our size most games,” said Johnson, who finished with 12 points, two blocks, seven rebounds and three steals. “We try to emphasize putting it down low and getting some points out of that.”

The Panthers (7-9) forced 14 turnovers in the first half, leading to 10 points. They also had 11 second-chance points as they built a 21-11 lead at halftime.

Johnson started the second half with a steal and a layup, Grant followed with a putback on the next possession for a 25-11 lead, and the game was never closer than 11 again.

“I told them to use their power,” Oswego coach Venita Parsons said. “We’re bigger and stronger, and when we have an advantage like that, we have to capitalize.”

Grant finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Destiny Hicks also scored 14 for the Panthers, all in the second half. Her layup with 2:44 left in the third quarter pushed the lead to 37-18.

The Barbs (5-10) started to inch back into the game by attacking the rim. Coach Bradley Bjelk said that was something he wanted to see from the beginning.

“We wanted to be that first team in the bonus,” Bjelk said. “I think we kind of did that better in the second and third quarter.”

The Barbs scored six straight, all at the free-throw line or on layups. But they couldn’t get closer than 13. After another Hicks layup pushed the lead to 41-25 with 5:33 left, Bjelk emptied his bench, but Parsons left most of her starters in an additional 2:30, and the Panthers pushed the lead to 47-25 before their subs entered the game.

Oswego finished with a 41-32 edge on the glass, a 19-16 edge on offensive rebounds and a 13-3 advantage on second-chance points. The Panthers forced 26 turnovers that led to 22 points.

Olivia Schermerhorn and Me’She Eubanks scored seven points each to lead the Barbs. Zora Watts, Naz Dean and Angela Gary each had six rebounds, with Dean adding four steals.

Dean has gone from being sparingly used to a starter for the Barbs. She scored two points Monday, but Bjelk said the team doesn’t need her to score.

“She’s brought great energy these past few weeks defensively,” Bjelk said. “She’s been super-aggressive and super-dependable. We don’t expect or ask her to score a lot, we just want her to be that defensive anchor.”

The Panthers play rival Oswego East on back-to-back nights starting Thursday. Johnson said wins such as Monday’s are important, but games against Oswego East are not only rivalry games but conference games.

“It’s been a super-big rivalry since before even high school; we’ve been going against the same girls,” Johnson said. “Every step leading up to that game ... is really important.”