For the first quarter and a half of their Tuesday visit to Pops Dale Gymnasium, the Putnam County Panthers looked to be on their way to their first victory of the young season.

Instead, the host Streator Bulldogs got theirs.

Sophomore post Alexis Thomas’ old-fashioned three-point play four minutes, eight seconds before halftime erased Putnam County’s last advantage, and Rhea Huey’s bankshot jumper a minute and a half later gave the Bulldogs the lead for good in their eventual 37-24 nonconference triumph at the Pops.

The win lifts Streator to 1-6. Putnam County falls to 0-6.

“It definitely feels amazing to get that first win,” said senior Bulldogs guard Ava Gwaltney, whose 13-point second quarter on a swollen ankle suffered the previous night turned the tide Tuesday. “And just having everyone contribute was amazing. ...

“We’ve been struggling with confidence, but I feel like once everybody realized we’ve got it, that we’ve been practicing all these things very hard and just need to put it into a game, we had it.”

While Gwaltney finished leading all players with 18 points and added five rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals, a number of other Bulldogs chipped in on the comeback and eventual pull-away victory.

Thomas finished with six points and three blocked shots. Audrey Arambula tallied six points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Huey added five points and four rebounds. And all three, in addition to Ava Gwaltney, sank key buckets down the stretch as Streator slowly but surely pulled away in the second half.

“Our slow start hurt us tonight a little bit,” first-year Streator head coach Eric Gwaltney said. “[Putnam County] was able to make some tough shots and stay with us ... but once we got things flowing and got our legs loose, Ava made a couple good shots, I think for the rest of the girls, things flowed right into place.

“They really clicked tonight. We’re starting to see good things out of all of them.”

Putnam County – which led 4-0 in the opening quarter and 16-13 in the second – was doubled-up 32-16 after holding an 8-5 lead after one quarter, managing only four third-quarter points and none in the fourth. The quick start was encouraging for coach Rebecca Pyszka, especially considering that, due to first the Thanksgiving holiday and then the winter snow dump, the Panthers hadn’t practiced or played in almost a week.

“Yeah, I was pretty proud of how they came out and played,” Pyszka said. “We hadn’t played or practiced since last Wednesday, so I wasn’t real sure what to expect, but they came out ready to play, ready to fight. ...

“I wish we could have kept that momentum going into the second half. When you scored four points in a half, that’s not any way to win a game.”

The Panthers’ solid start was built on energy, limiting Ava Gwaltney’s open looks and getting the ball – be it with an entry pass or an offensive rebound – inside to junior post Cadence Breckenridge.

“We had some really good looks against the weak-side defense, and were just getting really good shots off of that,” said Breckenridge, who finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, also adding a pair of steals. “And it’s really helpful to get those offensive rebounds, because you can go back up and get that shot again. It doesn’t matter if you miss if someone can go right back up and get the points.”

Kaylynn Hill added six points and as many rebounds for the Panthers. Adding two points apiece were Sofia Borri (three assists), Addy Leatherman (five rebounds, three steals) and Chloe Parcher (four rebounds).

Putnam County is scheduled to host Tri-County Conference rival Marquette on Thursday.

Streator, weather permitting, will visit Lisle on Thursday for an Illinois Central Eight Conference contest.