Teams don't go 20-0 without surviving some scares.
Palmerton gave Northwestern as good a test as any team has this season Friday night in New Tripoli. The Tigers came out unscathed, securing a 52-47 win in the game's final two minutes.
"We told our girls this is going to be a tight game," said Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch. "This is good for us. Everybody wants to knock us off. Give Palmerton credit. They did a lot of things well. We were fortunate."
The teams exchanged leads 17 times in the game and neither ever led by more than four.
The Bombers led 40-37 after a Morgan Mummey jump shot with 4:10 left in the game, but Northwestern rallied from there.
Two baskets by Trista Cunningham sparked a 6-2run and put the Tigers ahead by one, 43-42.
Jade Farquhar responded with a Bombers basket, giving her team its last lead, 44-43 with 2:07 left.
Sabrina Mertz put Northwestern (20-0 overall, 14-0 Colonial League) ahead for good with two foul shots. Erika Thomas came up with a steal on Palmerton's next possession and earned a trip to the foul line. The freshman hit both, putting her team ahead 47-44 with 1:14 left.
After the Bombers missed a pair of free throws, Megan Landrigan hit the shot that all but sealed the win, a layup with 42 second left that gave Northwestern a five-point lead.
"They were overplaying us becau