Palmerton rallies for victory

Palmerton battled back from a 16-point halftime deficit to beat Northern Lehigh, 40-34, in a matchup of Colonial League rivals.

“We came out really flat after having two (snow) days off,” Palmerton coach Ralph Andrews said. “We talked about that pre-game ... how we really needed to come out sharp and focused and discipline — and we did all the opposite of that.”

After getting off to a 4-0 start, Palmerton started to get overwhelmed by the Bulldogs’ early shooting success.

“They came out and made a lot of shots in the first half and they really stuck it to us,” said Andrews.

Jill Olewine led the Northern Lehigh’s scoring in the first quarter with five points with the help of a long three-pointer.

Palmerton’s early turnovers also punished them as it trailed 12-6 after the first quarter.

The second quarter began with more of the same, a Palmerton turnover and a Jada Saeger breakaway layup for the Bulldogs.

Palmerton’s Kayla Cincilla answered with a layup but the Bombers went five minutes until they would score again.

During that span, Northern Lehigh went on an 11-0 run. Saeger and Olewine combined for nine points during the run and gave the Bulldogs a 25-8 lead with 51 seconds left in the first half. Both teams added late baskets as the Bulldogs led 27-11 at halftime.

The Bombers came out hot in the second half, though, hoping to try and get the game close before the fourth quarter.

“I think the girls were a little embarrassed at halftime with their performance and I think that’s what lit their fire in the second half,” said Andrews.

Linnaea Leister controlled the game with six early second half points as the Bombers went on a 9-0 run.

As Palmerton began putting on the pressure, the Bulldogs began making similar mistakes to Palmerton’s in the first half.

Kate Ziegler of Northern Lehigh did have a couple timely shots in the third quarter, which kept the Bulldogs in the lead, but the Bulldogs lead was cut to seven points after the third quarter.

“We were down 16 at half, and I told them that there’s no 16-point basket we can take,” said Andrews. “We needed to take it one step at a time, and take better shots on offense, while limiting them with our defense.”

The Bombers came out in the fourth quarter just as hot as they started in the third, going on another 8-0 run, giving them their first lead since the opening quarter.

A Northern Lehigh free throw tied the game at 34-34 with 3:12 left.

But Leister and Baylee Guedes of Palmerton combined for the game’s final six points to finish off the come-from-behind victory.

“I think we all agreed that we weren’t playing as a team in the first half, but in the second half, we played tougher and much more cohesive, and were able to put together a half,” said Andrews.

CLOSING PERFORMANCE ... After scoring just 11 points in the first half, the Bombers scored 29 after intermission.

ON FIRE ... In the second quarter, the Bulldogs 11-0 run came during a streak where they connected on five straight jump shots.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE ... Leister struggled in the first half as her shots just rattled out of the rim, but they started to fall as she scored 12 second half points.

PALMERTON

B. Guedes 5-1-3-11, Hirochek 0-0-0-0, Frantz 0-0-0-0, Cincilla 4-0-1-8, Leister 4-4-4-12, Papay 2-0-0-4, Recker 2-1-2-5. TOTALS: 17-6-10-40.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Saeger 4-1-2-10, Olewine 5-2-3-15, Ziegler 3-0-0-6, D. Hoffman 0-0-0-0, Evans 0-0-0-0, Seiler 0-0-0-0, Guelcher 0-0-0-0, L. Hoffman 0-3-6-3, Griffith 0-0-0-0, Keller 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-6-11-34.

Palmerton 6 5 15 14 - 40

No. Lehigh 12 15 6 1 - 34

Three-pointers: P - None. NL - Olewine 3, Seager 1