Bulldogs top Lehighton in father-son matchup

Northern Lehigh head coach Jeff Miller will always remember Tuesday night’s 49-34 victory over Lehighton.

And not just because it advanced his team into the finals of the annual Rotary Tournament.

Miller faced off against his son — the head coach of the Indians — in what he called a “proud father moment.”

“It was kind of bittersweet,” said the elder Miller. “Obviously as a team we want to win, but obviously I don’t want to see him struggle.”

Trevor Miller coached under his dad at Northern Lehigh for six years before taking on the head role at Lehighton.

Needless to say, a rough start didn’t help the younger Miller and his squad against the Bulldogs.

Senior Mason Seiler started off the game with a layup, which set the tone of the game. Soon after that, Northern Lehigh began controlling the first quarter.

Following a Robert Schoff three-pointer later in the frame, the Bulldogs had built a 12-4 advantage. The lead eventually reached 16-6 by quarter’s end.

The Bulldogs’ Gio Colon started off the scoring in the second period by hitting a three-pointer to increase the margin to 19-6.

But the Indians began to battle back.

The team started making shots outside the perimeter, including two from junior Addison Howland. Zach Hunsicker also cashed in on a three-pointer, trimming the Bulldog lead even more.

Trailing by just five at halftime, the Indians started the second half on a right note, as a bucket from Caine Carpenter pulled the team within 29-26.

Northern Lehigh, however, quickly put a stop to Lehighton’s rally.

Preston Kemery helped the Bulldogs go on a 6-0 run to push the margin to 35-26.

Kemery bounced a nifty assist to Schoff later in the third quarter, which ended with the home team holding a 41-29 lead.

Schoff took control in the fourth quarter, scoring six points and giving the Bulldogs a 15-point advantage with five minutes to play.

“We need to cut down on turnovers but overall it was a good team win,” said J. Miller.

“We are missing two players, including our leading scorer because of injury, so these guys stepped up.”

RECORDS ... Northern Lehigh improved to 3-5 with the victory, while Lehighton dropped to 1-5.

TRIFECTA ... The Bulldogs had three players reach double-digit scoring. Schoff and Colon led the way with 13 points, while Kemery ended with 10. For the Indians, TaQuan Bradley-Chambers tallied a team-high 11 points.

LEHIGHTON

Strauss 0-0-0-0, Heery 1-0-0-2, Troxell 2-0-0-4, Carpenter 3-0-0-6, Hunsicker 1-0-0-3, Beers 0-0-0-0, Bradley-Chambers 4-3-5-11, Haydt 0-0-0-0, Schwab 0-0-0-0, Howland 3-0-0-8, Potts 0-0-0-0, Schatz 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-3-5-34.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Kemery 5-0-0-10, Colon 6-0-2-13, Schoff 6-0-0-13, Seier 2-2-2-6, Seiler 2-0-0-5, Kroll 0-0-0-0, Berger 0-0-0-0, Moyer 1-0-0-2, Richards 0-0-0-0, Olewine 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-2-4-49.

Lehighton 6 18 5 5 - 34

No. Lehigh 16 13 12 8 - 49

Three-pointers: Lehighton - Howland 2, Hunsicker 1; No. Lehigh - Colon 1, Schoff 1, Seiler 1.