BC rallies to defeat Tamaqua

BETHLEHEM — It was a tale of two completely different halves for the Tamaqua boys basketball team.

The Blue Raiders staggered Bethlehem Catholic early, building a double-digit lead just six minutes into the game, and holding a commanding 21-point advantage after the first basket of the second half.

But the Golden Hawks survived Tamaqua’s knockout attempts, and fought back for a 60-53 District 11 Class 4A semifinal round victory Tuesday night at Freedom High School.

“It’s good to be able to be playing at this stage,” said fifth-year Tamaqua head coach Jim Barron. “I think we played a really good half of basketball tonight. I think we’re a good team and deserve to be here, but when you get to this point in the season, every team is just as good or better.”

Tamaqua could not have asked for a better start, playing on a “neutral court” that was just a few miles down the road for the second-seeded Golden Hawks (15-11). The Blue Raiders led 19-7 after the first quarter, and actually went into the locker room ahead 37-19.

“We came out playing great basketball,” Barron said. “I told them that Bethlehem Catholic is a more physical, and a talented basketball team, but we’re the better basketball team. If we play our type of ball we can beat them.

“We play well fundamentally, and I felt that if we did that tonight we could win. We needed to deliver the first punch, and we did that. We did a lot of things right in that first half.”

But the tide quickly turned in the third quarter, as the three-time defending District 11 champion Golden Hawks came to life.

Following a three-pointer by Brayden Knoblauch to stretch the Tamaqua lead to 40-19, Becahi went on a 23-4 run over the next seven-plus minutes to trail by just two points (44-42) heading into the final quarter.

The Raiders looked like they had steadied themselves as they netted four consecutive points to begin the fourth, but Becahi once again went on a run, ending the game on a 16-5 spurt to claim the victory.

“We knew they were going to turn up the pressure and come out angry in that second half,” said Barron. “We needed to take care of the ball, and keep them off the offensive glass.

“But we didn’t do either of those things particularly well. That’s how you let teams back in the game.”

STILL ALIVE ... With four teams advancing to the PIAA State Tournament in Class 4A, Tamaqua will play at least two more games. The Raiders will take on Wilson in the consolation game on Friday.

“We’re happy to still have games remaining, and have the chance to continue to get better as a team,” Barron said.

PROGRAM GREATS ... Seniors Brayden Knoblauch and Lucas Gregoire are four-year varsity members, and both have over 1,000 career points. They combined for 32 of their team’s 53 points.

QUICK START ... Tamaqua scored the game’s first eight points — and 10 of the first 13 — in building the large first half lead.

TAMAQUA

Knoblauch 5-3-4-16, Bolletino 0-0-0-0, Boyle 0-0-0-0, N. Gregoire 4-2-2-12, L. Gregoire 6-2-2-16, Stauffenberg 4-0-0-9, Lavine 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-7-8-53.

BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC

R. Santana 5-0-0-11, B. Santana 0-0-0-0, Stianche 6-0-0-14, Glassmacher 3-0-0-6, Thomas 4-4-6-12, Richardson 0-0-0-0, Alexander 5-3-3-14, McClary 1-0-0-3. TOTALS: 24-7-9-60.

Tamaqua 19 18 7 9 - 53

Becahi 7 12 23 18 - 60

Three-pointers: Tamaqua - Knoblauch 4, N. Gregoire 2, L. Gregoire 2. Bethlehem Cath. - Stianche 2, R. Santana 1, Alexander 1, McClary 1.