EASTON - A quarter century.

That's how long it's been since the Jim Thorpe boys basketball program played for a district championship.The lengthy drought ended last Tuesday night after the Olympians defeated Salisbury by double-digits, 48-35, taking down the second-seeded Falcons. That victory came after upsetting No. 3 seed Lehighton in the quarterfinals.But the storybook ride to the District 11 Class 4A title game came to an end Friday night when Jim Thorpe finally met its match in top seed Bethlehem Catholic. The Hawks, ranked fourth in the state in Class 4A, rolled to a 64-31 win at Easton Area Middle School to claim the coveted first-place trophy."They're a very good team, obviously," said Olympian head coach Jason McElmoyle. "They've got it all; size, speed, and they have shooters. When you have those three things going for you, it's tough to guard."I feel like we did a good job of shutting down (6-9 center) Ryan Young, but they have so many other options, it's like pick your poison. They're a good all-around team."The bright lights of a championship game against one of the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania's best teams is something new for not only the Olympians players, but also the coaching staff. The appearance in the championship game was the first for Jim Thorpe since 1992.The current roster of players weren't even born yet, and McElmoyle was only in middle school back in 1992, when the Olympians last played for a district title. But it is even a longer drought from a district title and state appearance. That last happened in the spring of 1972, when Jim Thorpe won the District 11 title and advanced to the PIAA state tournament. Even with the loss last night to Becahi, the Olympians qualified for the state playoffs and will take on District 12's third seed next Saturday. The opponent is yet to be determined."The people that didn't think we could get to this position were everybody but us," said McElmoyle. "We had some ups and downs during the season, but I'm proud of how we battled and reached one of our goals. We have some work to do next week, but we're ready for another game together."This is the first district title for Becahi (21-6 overall), as they entered last night's game with a longer drought of playing in a championship game, having last played in the big game in 1959.Jim Thorpe (14-11 overall) got hot at the right time of the year. After losing five of eight games to end the regular season, the Olympians won the first two games of the district tournament. Led by three seniors, and eight altogether, this veteran group has at the least one more game together, next Saturday. They are looking forward to making one last push at another championship."They have meant so much to this program and have really helped to get the program back to winning ways," said McElmoyle."We're excited to have another week together, and are excited for what waits for us next week at states. They're great role models on and off the court."