NORTHAMPTON — In order to win big games, you need to make big shots.

Whether it’s a three-pointer at the buzzer, a jump shot to thwart an opposing run, or even more simply, knocking down foul shots in crunch time.

On Wednesday night, against Notre Dame (Green Pond) in the District 11/1 Class 3A semifinal, Palmerton did all of that.

The Bombers hit key shots early to gain the lead and hit critical shots throughout the game, answering each Crusaders run. They also came through late, hitting fouls shots with the game on the line.

The result was a 64-61 victory over the top-seeded Crusaders, earning a spot in the District 11/1 3A finals where the Bombers will face off with New Hope-Solebury on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Quakertown.

It was evident from the onset of this one that Palmerton came into the game with a sense of urgency and focus. There was no better indicator of that than the Bombers solid first half.

Palmerton was able to lead by eight after one quarter and maintained that eight-point lead at the half behind solid rebounding. The Bombers out-rebounded the Crusaders 24–10 in the first half, limiting a sharp-shooting Notre Dame squad to many one-and-done possessions.

The Crusaders looked to make a run right before the end of the second quarter, closing within five. But a triple by Palmerton’s Nate Dougherty beat back that run. Dougherty led the way with 10 points in the half, including two three-pointers.

“With the long layoff we had some time to kind of reinvent ourselves a bit and we worked on changing up our defense, and we worked a lot on rebounding,” said Palmerton head coach Ken Termini. “We rebounded the ball well against them the last time we played. We just couldn’t finish, so we worked a lot with the pads, finishing with contact after an offensive rebound.

“Also, giving them different defensive looks other than just man-to-man helped us.”

The Bombers looked to run away with the game in the third quarter, leading by 12 around the three-minute mark, but a senior-laden Notre Dame group put together a run that got them right back in it. A 13-3 run to end the third quarter cut Palmerton’s lead to three (48-45). It was the Crusaders’ pressure that got to the Bombers late, forcing five turnovers in the quarter and three during the run.

“Credit has to go to Notre Dame, said Termini. “That’s a really good team and they made a big run at the end of the third. But our guys all night stay poised, stayed calm and made big shots.”

A huge three by Dougherty to start the fourth and back-to-back makes by Justin Hosier helped Palmerton go on a 7-3 run, leading by seven at around the 5:30 mark. The Crusaders once again kept fighting, hovering around five until the foul shot game came into play with three minutes remaining.

After alternating free throws for the next two-and-a-half minutes, Notre Dame had its chance to tie the game with 16 seconds left. With Palmerton leading by four, a deuce by the Crusaders Brendan Boyle, followed by Dougherty hitting the back-end of a one-and-one set up the tense moment.

The Palmerton defense stood strong, never giving Notre Dame a clean look at a three-pointer as it fell short and the Bombers came away with the victory.

“We had such an up-and-down year,” said Dougherty. “We fought through a lot, but we came in here tonight and we played so hard and we got the job done. Everybody made a big play or a big shot. We came together for this win.”

LEADERS ... Dougherty led the way with 25 points, going 4-for-5 from the three-point line. Hosier had a big night, scoring 20 points, and Kody Kratzer added 11. For the Crusaders, Brendan Boyle scored a team-high 15.

HOSIER HOUND ... The Bombers couldn’t have won this one without Hosier. He was a rebound hound on the night with 12 boards, four of them being offensive rebounds.

DISTRICT CHAMPS ... With the Bombers win over Notre Dame (Green Pond) and Panther Valley’s loss to New Hope-Solebury, Palmerton is officially the District 11 Class 3A champions. It’s Palmerton’s first district win since 2000, and first district title since 1989.

PALMERTON

Christman 1-0-2-2, Kratzer 4-1-2-11, Young 0-0-0-0, King 0-2-2-2, Dougherty 7-7-8-25, Mooney 0-0-0-0, Stuck 0-0-0-0, Hosier 6-7-8-20, Buck 0-4-6-4, Silfies 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-21-28-64.

NOTRE DAME GP

Boyle 6-3-7-15, Baldo 5-0-2-12, Cunningham 4-4-4-12, Yurkovich 2-0-0-4, Cornish 3-1-2-7, DeFoe 2-2-4-7, Omick 2-0-1-4. TOTALS: 24-10-20-61.

Palmerton 18 15 15 24 - 64

Notre Dame 10 15 20 16 - 61

Three-pointers: Palmerton - Dougherty 4, Kratzer 2, Hosier 1; Notre Dame - Baldo 2, DeFoe 2.