Foul trouble.

Those are two words that no basketball coach ever wants to hear.On Wednesday night, both Jim Thorpe and Lehighton had bouts with it throughout the game, but in the end it was the Olympians that were able to survive.Thorpe made the best of the foul situation, getting to the charity stripe an impressive 45 times as it posted a 57-43 Schuylkill League victory.With the win, the Olympians improved to 10-8 and moved to within one win of clinching a District 11 playoff spot. The loss dropped Lehighton to 7-11 and forces it to win its last four games to qualify for the postseason."We really have been playing much better basketball over the last two weeks and it obviously couldn't have come at a better time," said Jim Thorpe coach Rob Kovac. "This was a really nice win for us against a talented team. We played really tough, and everyone pitched in when we were in foul trouble. Very big team win."Fast forward to the second quarter where the foul trouble started to make an impact in the game. With the Olympians leading by one with a little over four minutes left in the half, Lehighton starters Jada Whiteman, Julia Frey, and Emily Miller all had to sit with three fouls apiece.The Olympians took full advantage, going on a 9-3 run to extend the lead to 26-18 to end the half. The Tribe's Skylynn Faust was able to stop the bleeding with a deuce at the end of the quarter, but the damage had already been done."We had a lineup on the floor in the second quarter when they were in foul trouble that we really thought could take advantage on the defensive side of the floor," said Kovac. "We were able to force some turnovers and get some transition lay-ups and that really got our offense going."Foul trouble once again came into play at the end of the third quarter as Faust and Thorpe's leading scorer on the season Kayley Kovac both picked up their fourth fouls. It would setup an interesting scenario for the fourth quarter, as the Olympians led by seven, heading into the final frame.Both Faust and Kovac entered at about the six-minute mark in the fourth, but the difference in the final quarter was the Olympians that forced seven turnovers and never let Lehighton pull within striking distance. Faust and Miller would eventually foul out as well, forcing the Tribe into a lot of one and done possessions."Give Jim Thorpe credit tonight, they were able to execute what they do best, which is get out in transition and get to the basket and the foul line," said Lehighton head coach Eric Gidney. "They were able to take advantage of our foul trouble situation. We also didn't really get our offense or our shooters going tonight and that really hurt us as well."LEADERS ... Thorpe's Kayley Kovac once again showed her ability to score the basketball, but did most of her damage from the foul line. Kovac was 17-for-22 from the line and scored 29 points. Peyton Kovac also helped out with 15 points. For Lehighton Faust had 17, while Aubrey Blasiak chipped in with 13.FAMILIAR FOES ... Last night was the third meeting this season between Jim Thore and Lehighton. The Olympians rolled to a 27-point victory on Dec. 22, but Lehighton rebounded with a 12-point victory on Dec. 29 in the Indian Christmas Tournament.JIM THORPERichards 2-0-2-6, P. Kovac 3-9-17-15, Condly 0-0-0-0,Ohl 2-1-2-5, Naranjo 0-0-0-0, K. Kovac 6-17-22-29, Lignore 0-2-2-2, Gabel 0-0-0-0. Totals 13-29-45-57.LEHIGHTONYoung 0-0-0-0, Brown 0-1-2-1, Frey 0-0-0-0, Long 1-0-0-3, Whiteman 3-2-2-9, Blasiak 3-6-8-13, Miller 0-0-0-0, Pantella 0-0-0-0, Faust 7-1-3-17. Totals 14-10-15-43.Jim Thorpe 9 17 17 14 - 57Lehighton 8 10 18 7 - 43Three-pointers: JT - Richards 2; L - Faust 2, Blasiak 1, Whiteman 1, Long 1.