Bangor edges Bombers in CL quarterfinals

Both sides have their offensive stars, both sides have their role players. Both sides had their contingency of fan support, and both sides had their game plans at the ready.

But only one side could advance in Saturday’s Colonial League quarterfinal round playoff matchup, and when the scoreboard clock finally ticked down to zero, it was the Slaters that stole a 61-60, come-from-behind win over Palmerton.

The back-and-forth nature of the game featured several swings in momentum, and the late-game heroics and game situation drama made it well worth the price of admission.

The Bombers, who held a 26-21 lead at the break, came out of intermission and faced a different Bangor opponent. The Slaters, who totaled only 21 in the first half, erupted for 26 in the third to turn a five-point deficit into a three-point lead (47-44).

From then on, it was nip and tuck in the fourth quarter, before Slater senior Nate Owens took over in the final minute, scoring his team’s final seven points to push the visitors to the next round.

“I’m just so proud of my guys,” Bangor head coach Colin Kessler said. “They came out, they hustled their butts off. Down the stretch, we kept telling them, ‘It’s still our game. We’re right there. Just hang around within striking distance.’

“And they hung around. We got stops when we needed them.”

In the final session, Bangor immediately pushed its three-point lead after the third period to a 50-46 edge with 6:10 left to play.

However, Palmerton’s Kody Kratzer hit a pull-up three-pointer and got fouled, for the four-point play, tying the game at 50-all.

“Kratzer just went off on us,” Kessler said. “He’s an unbelievable player and he’s so tough. He shoots well, he gets to the basket with ease and finishes so well.”

On their next possession, Kratzer’s pull-up jumper was followed by a baseline drive by Justin Hosier, the Bombers’ other consistent point producer, and two foul shots completed a 10-0 run, giving the hosts a 56-50 lead with 2:08 left on the clock.

CJ Miles drove for two, but Kratzer found Hosier for a lay-up and the Bombers still held a six-point lead with 1:16 left.

Miles went coast-to-coast for Bangor, and Kratzer connected on one of two free throws. That’s when Owens stepped up, as he put back a miss and got fouled for the three-point play, cutting the Palmerton lead to 59-57.

An illegal screen call gave it back to the Slaters, where Owens’ turnaround tied it up with :48 remaining.

Kratzer again made one of two at the line for a one-point lead, before Owens’ pull-up jumper with :23 left gave Bangor a 61-60 edge.

The Bombers’ next possession came up empty as Owens made a clean block, and despite a few misses from the free throw line by the Slaters, senior Ethan Saxe came up with a huge rebound to prevent a Bomber bucket.

Palmerton’s final attempt with :01 remaining was a full-court pass that was intercepted as the buzzer sounded.

“It was a great high school basketball game between two teams that just played their hearts out,” Palmerton head coach Ken Termini said. “It was a very physical game, and really could’ve gone either way.

“At this point of the season, mistakes are magnified and a rebound here, one less turnover there, or a missed layup there and we’d be talking about playing on Tuesday night. But tonight, someone was going to come out on the short end, and unfortunately it was us.”

WHO HAD WHAT ... For the Bombers (16-7), who were the No. 3 seed, Kratzer finished with a game-high 25 points while Hosier added 18 and Tyler Christman had nine. For Bangor (13-10), the No. 6 seed, Owens led the way with 19.

BOARD BATTLE ... Palmerton held a commanding 41-27 edge in rebounds.

BANGOR

Colon 1-2-4-4, Saxe 4-0-2-9, Farensbach 0-0-0-0, Miles 7-1-4-17, Zieba 3-3-3-9, Peterson 1-0-0-3, Owens 8-2-5-19. TOTALS: 24-8-18-61.

PALMERTON

Connell 1-0-0-2, Kratzer 9-5-7-25, King 0-0-0-0, Mooney 0-0-0-0, Christman 4-0-0-9, Stuck 3-0-0-6, Hosier 7-3-3-18, Buck 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-8-10-60.

Bangor 10 11 26 14 - 61

Palmerton 12 14 18 16 - 60

Three-pointers: Bangor - Miles 2, Owens 1, Saxe 1, Peterson 1; Palmerton - Kratzer 2, Hosier 1, Christman 1.