CHICO – Using a 23-8 lead through the first quarter, the Chico High School JV boys basketball team routed Pleasant Valley 67-43 at Chico State Friday evening.

The Panthers extended their cushion to 38-21 by halftime and the game was as good as over.

David Stidham led Chico with 18 points while Zack Seibert and Jesse Holmes each had 15.

"We got out to a great start attacking the hoop hard in the first quarter," said Chico coach Abe Simmons. "That set up some outside shots which we were able to knock down.

"We shot the ball really well tonight. McCallan Stein set the tone early scoring on a couple of nice moves in the post and clearing space down low to grab some rebounds. Zack Seibert played an excellent all-around game driving the ball to the rim and making smart passes to open shooters. Jesse Holmes played well at both ends of the floor, securing many rebounds to initiate the fast break."

Chico was just as impressive on defense. "Aaron Chu was great helping out teammates. David Stidham nailed four of the teams seven three-pointers – he also led the team in rebounds. We put together 32 minutes of solid hoop against a good team, we limited the mistakes offensively and helped each other out on the defensive end. It was fun to watch," Simmons said.

The Panthers are now 9-0 in Eastern Athletic League competition and 17-4 on the season, and play Enterprise in Redding on Wednesday.