Bulldogs pull away from Catty

On paper, Northern Lehigh shouldn't have had a serious problem with visiting Catasauqua.

But Bulldog head coach Jeff Miller knew to expect a fight.

In fact, up until the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs only held a four-point edge. However, a 9-0 run pretty much sealed things up as Northern Lehigh pulled away for a 64-48 win.

Catasauqua entered the game with a 5-14 record while Northern Lehigh came in sporting a 13-6 mark.

"They beat a good Palisades team last night and put up 65 points against them," Miller said. "They can put it in the bucket, they can shoot and they're strong underneath. [Coach] Eric (Snyder) does a nice job with the program."

With the end of the regular season quickly approaching, every game remains important, as each can affect a team's playoff situation.

"It is huge to win, because there is still a chance that we can make it into the Colonial League playoffs," Miller related. "The window's open a little and we need some things to happen, but at least the window is open."

As Senior Night for the hosts began, Catty took a 9-7 lead after eight minutes. Nate Falko's lay-up with just under a minute to play in the quarter provided the slight advantage.

In the second, sophomore Caleb Johnson and classmate Darien Middaugh both scored five points to push NL to a 21-17 halftime lead.

Up until that point, NL leading scorer Jordan Waylen was 0-for-6 from the floor and had yet to produce any offense. That changed after halftime, though.

"At half, we addressed the issue of getting into a rhythm offensively," Miller said. "Our defense turned it over for us and helped us get into our rhythm on offense."

In the third, Waylen's 4-for-5 field goal showing produced 12 points as both teams' offenses erupted. In the frame, The Bulldogs outscored Catty 21-20 to increase their lead to 42-37.

In the final frame, Catty's Falko hit two free throws to cut the lead to four. But that's when Northern Lehigh took command as it scored nine straight points to increase the lead to 52-39 with 5:28 left. Devin Glose's three points were a highlight.

Later, a 6-0 run further finished things off as Glose had four in that run as well.

"Devin has been solid lately and has matured a lot," Miller said. "He also has been more offensive-minded and has been taking the ball to the basket."

In a game where the Bulldogs had 11 offensive rebounds, second-chance points played a factor.

For the game, Waylen scored a game-high 17 points, while Glose added 10.

For Catty, James Snyder scored a team-high 14 points.

In the JV contest, Northern Lehigh posted a 48-33 victory behind Josh Eden's 14 points.

CATASAUQUA

Edwards 1-0-0-2, Bloszinsky 3-0-1-6, S. Burton 2-0-0-5, Falko 2-2-2-6, Snyder 5-1-1-14, Brown 0-0-0-0, P. Burker 1-0-0-3, Strong 3-2-2-8, Thieme 2-0-0-4. TOTALS: 19-5-6-48.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Dibilio 2-0-0-5, Pristash 1-0-0-2, Glose 2-6-9-10, Waylen 5-4-5-17, Malaska 1-0-0-3, Rankin 1-1-2-3, Hofmann 1-0-0-2, Middaugh 3-2-4-8, Johnson 3-1-4-7, Pierce 3-1-1-7. TOTALS: 22-15-25-64.

Catasauqua 9 8 20 7 - 48

No. Lehigh 7 14 21 22 - 64

Three pointers: C - Snyder 3, P. Burker 1, S. Burton 1; NL - Waylen 3, Dibilio 1, Malaska 1.