Palmerton defense quiets Tigers
Defense isn’t pretty. It doesn’t sell tickets and many times it goes unnoticed to the casual basketball fan.
But on Friday night in an important Colonial League matchup it was Palmerton’s defensive prowess that helped it to come away with a 58-47 victory over rival Northwestern Lehigh.
The game between the Bombers (5-6) and Tigers (6-3) featured two of the more dynamic scorers in the Times News area. Palmerton’s Nate Dougherty ranks second in the area at 20.11 points per game and Northwestern’s Sam Yadush’s 20 points per contest ranks third.
Dougherty got his, finishing with 24 points on the night, while the Bombers stifling “D” held Yadush to just five points. Simply put, the Palmerton defense was the difference in this one.
“Our kids played with a lot of intensity tonight and the goal is to play with that intensity night in and night out,” said Palmerton head coach Ken Termini. “The kids saw the benefit tonight of playing with that type of energy. There was great effort on both sides of the ball, it was a total team win, five playing as one.”
That intensity took a little while to mature on the night for the Bombers as the Tigers jumped out to an early 10-3 lead. An 8-0 run gave Northwestern its early advantage and an eventual four-point lead after one. Neither Dougherty or Yadush scored a bucket in the first quarter.
In the second, the Bombers amped up the defensive pressure, forcing five turnovers, which was an issue for the Tigers on the evening. Palmerton tied or took the lead four times throughout the second en route to a slim 23-22 advantage at the half.
Dougherty picked it up offensively in the quarter, scoring eight of Palmerton’s 14 points, while Yadush could only muster four points in the frame and in the half.
“They did a nice job defensively. They came out in a box and one, which isn’t something new, we’ve seen that before, and we just didn’t take care of the basketball,” said Tigers head coach Billy Hallman. “We needed some other guys to step up tonight and make plays for us and it didn’t work out.”
The Bombers hung onto the lead in third quarter using defense and transition buckets to keep the Tigers at an arms length. Palmerton forced six more turnovers to help it head into the final frame ahead, 37-33.
In the fourth, the Tigers miscues proved too much to overcome. More turnovers — seven in the fourth — aided an early Palmerton run that gave it an eight-point lead with 4:39 remaining after a Ryan Yacone banked triple. Eight points is the closest the Tigers would get the rest of the way as the Bombers finished the quarter strong, especially from the charity stripe, shooting 10-for-15 in the last three minutes.
“We were composed down the stretch and we did the little things right and took care of the ball,” said Termini. “I think we’re starting to grow up as a team and tonight was certainly a step in the right direction.”
TURNOVER TOWN ... Palmerton’s “D” forced the Tigers into 22 turnovers on the night, while the Bombers took care of the basketball, turning it over just nine times.
REBOUND HOUNDS ... The Bombers had a nice night collectively on the boards, which limited the Tigers to one and done possessions down the stretch. Justin Hosier led the way with eight, Yacone had seven, and Dougherty and Zach Silfies chipped in with six.
NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH
Hebelka 0-0-0-0, Seyfried 3-0-0-6, Yadush 2-1-2-5, Mengel 0-0-0-0, Bollinger 2-1-3-5, Rebert 0-0-0-0, Snyder 0-0-0-0, Thomas 6-5-10-17, Holmes 0-0-0-0, Hallman 5-4-7-14. TOTALS: 18-11-22-47.
PALMERTON
Yacone 1-2-2-5, Baumgardt 1-0-2-2, Dougherty 8-7-10-24, Young 1-0-0-2, King 2-0-0-4, Kratzer 1-2-4-4, Hosier 6-2-2-14, Silfies 0-1-2-1, Quinn 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 21-14-22-58.
NW Lehigh 13 9 11 14 - 47
Palmerton 9 14 14 7 - 58
Three-pointers: P - Dougherty 1, Yacone 1.
