TURBOTVILLE — After a loss to eventual champion Warrior Run in the opening round of the Warrior Run Christmas Tournament, one-loss Juniata hoped to bounce back against a one-win Milton team.

That is exactly what happened Thursday night, as the Indians used stout defense early on and explosive offense late to win the consolation game 60-21 and improve to 8-1 overall this season.

“We were very disappointed in our performance (Wednesday) night,” Juniata coach Kevin Kodish said. “We were asleep on the bus and I think we were asleep for the whole first quarter, but we rebounded tonight. We wanted to come back with intensity and take control of the game. To recover the way we did and get a win tonight has us headed back in the right direction.”

The Juniata defense allowed just a single point in the opening quarter of play, opening up an early 16-1 lead.

The lone Milton point came via a Taylor Snyder free throw, as the Black Panthers shot 0-for-8 from the field in the quarter.

Things got interesting early in the second quarter, as Milton mounted a run that got the Black Panthers back within striking distance. Alyssa Byers and Kaylin Scott each hit a three for Milton, while the team went 3-for-3 at the line to get back within six points of the Indians. At half, the Indians ended up leading the Black Panthers 23-14.

A quick start in the third quarter gave Juniata its cushion back. Olivia Clark and Rowe Shepps each cashed in on early buckets, and the Indians continued to rack up free throw attempts as the home team on the scoreboard stretched its lead to 18 points.

Juniata turned up the heat in the fourth quarter, as the team used an incredible run to pull away for good. The Indians hit 9 of 11 shots from the field and converted 6 of 8 shots from the charity stripe in a 24-point fourth quarter.

Josie Swartz scored six points in the quarter, part of her team-leading 13 points on the night.

Also having an impressive quarter was Malin Kint, who scored four points before fouling out late in the game.

Clark finished the game with an impressive double-double, grabbing 17 rebounds while scoring 11 points for the Indians.

“We shared the ball and moved the ball quickly,” Kodish said of his team’s performance. “We wanted the pace to be up. We tend to play better when there is more of a frantic pace to the game. Once we have that and we’re hitting some of our shots in the lane, good things are going to happen.”

The Indians (8-1) return to league play Tuesday when the team travels to Susquenita.

Juniata 60, Milton 21

MILTON

Taylor Snyder 0-2 2-4 2; Alyssa Byers 2-6 1-1 6; Lexi Lincoln 1-8 0-1 2; Kaylin Scott 2-9 0-0 6; Chloe Perrin 0-0 4-6 4; Crystal Hamilton 0-2 0-0 0; Mylea Neidig 0-0 0-0 0; Tori Brink 0-2 0-0 0; Kamryn Snyder 0-2 1-2 1; Kayla Reich 0-0 0-0 0; Alexis Neagu 0-1 0-0 0; Paola Cuenvas 0-1 0-2 0; TOTALS: 5-34 7-16 21.

3-point goals: Scott (2), Byers (1).

JUNIATA

Josie Swartz 5-13 3-5 13; Kelsey Lowrey 1-2 2-4 4; Chloe Zendt 2-9 2-4 6; Ellie Shepps 2-9 4-7 8; Olivia Clark 2-5 7-10 11; Janessa Swartz 2-4 2-4 6; Rowe Shepps 1-4 2-2 4; Malin Kint 2-2 0-0 4; Mya Rush 1-2 0-0 2; Halee Decker 1-1 0-0 2; TOTALS: 19-51 22-36 60.

3-point goals: None.

Score by quarter

Milton 1-13-4-3 — 21

Juniata 16-7-13-24 — 60