Glancing at the first five games of the 2005-2006 season, it’s quite apparent that the Mehlville Senior High School girls’ basketball team knows how to play de-fense.

In fact, the 5-0 Panthers have held four of their first five opponents to less than 25 points.

“We’re playing teams man to man and basically the reason why we’re keeping scores low is because teams are not making their shots,” Mehlville head coach Ed Feibig told the Call. “I don’t think we’re doing anything special.”

Whether it’s pure luck or just good solid defense, the Panthers had a strong defensive showing Friday night in a 58-23 win over Affton.

“In the first half, I thought that Affton played pretty good defense,” Feibig said. “They took us out of our rhythm and we took some bad shots. In the third period, we hit a couple of shots early on and we were able to speed up the game.”

The Panthers hit more than a “couple of shots” as they scored 26 points in the third quarter to take a commanding 49-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Mehlville was led in scoring by Michelle Senf’s 14-point effort. The senior forward also recorded 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win over Affton.

“Michelle is just so consistent and hardworking,” Feibig said. “She’s the glue that holds everything together.”

Right behind Senf was Laquisha Lewis with 12 points, seven steals, one rebound, one assist and one blocked shot. The junior forward who transferred to Mehlville from Hancock has been a pleasant surprise for the Panthers, according to Feibig.

“Laquisha’s just stepped right in and we didn’t miss a thing from last year,” Feibig said. “She’s got a nice outside shot and a great 12-foot jumper.”

The Panthers’ Kayla Gordon also scored in double figures with 11 points and four rebounds. The junior guard added one to her 11-point effort with two steals and two blocked shots.

“Kayla’s been doing a really good job rebounding and playing good defense,” Feibig said. “I think that the key for us this year has been playing really good de-fense.”

Gordon’s twin sister Alyse finished the evening with a 10-point scoring effort that included seven rebounds. The junior forward also had five assists, four steals and one blocked shot.

“Alyse had a pretty good night,” Feibig said. “She’s such a leader that it’s almost like having another coach on the floor.”

The Panthers are on the road as they travel to Lindbergh Friday evening. Lindbergh is 2-4 overall and the Flyers are coming off a 49-43 loss at Hazelwood West last Fri-day.

“Last year Lindbergh had one superstar where as this year they spread the ball around,” Feibig said. “It’s going to be a little different playing them this time.”

Mehlville’s road game at Lindbergh is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.