QUAKERTOWN — At 6-8, New Hope-Solebury’s Topher Taylor was nearly six inches taller than Palmerton’s tallest player.

Yet, Taylor wasn’t a problem for the Blue Bombers in the second quarter when he sat the majority of the frame with two fouls.

In fact, Palmerton limited him to five points in the opening half, and trailed by only seven at halftime.

In the second half, however, Taylor was an issue.

The senior became a dominate force after the break as he scored 15 of his game-high 21 points to lead New Hope-Solebury a 61-46 victory in the District 1/11 Class 3A subregional final at Quakertown High School Saturday afternoon.

Taylor, who also grabbed 12 rebounds, helped break the game open when he scored six straight points during a 10-4 run in the final four minutes of the third quarter that gave the Lions (15-10) control.

“We always want to win the third quarter to set the tone the rest of the way,” said Taylor. “I knew I had to start using my physical size, and I thought I could dominate. I felt like they couldn’t stop me.”

Palmerton (12-13), fresh off a District 11 title over Notre Dame, didn’t have an answer for Taylor in the second half. The Bombers were saddled with foul trouble (21 overall), having starters Tyler Christman and Justin Hosier (team-high 18 points) each playing with four fouls most of the second half.

Taylor’s presence in the middle seemed to alter Palmerton’s drives and jumpers, as they struggled shooting throughout the game. Palmerton made just two three-pointers, after they sank seven against Notre Dame.

“The game came down to their big (Taylor) who played well, and their guards didn’t make mistakes,” said Palmerton head coach Ken Termini. “Part of that is a credit to them, and part of that is we didn’t shoot the ball well.

“He made the shots he had to make. Overall, they took it to us, moved the ball well, and found the open guy.”

Nate Dougherty, who had 14 points and eight rebounds, felt the Blue Bombers’ intensity they generated in the second quarter was silenced by Taylor.

“The momentum swung in the third quarter, and their big guy got the ball deep in the post,” said Dougherty. “It made it tough for us to stop him on defense, and he also made his foul shots. They went to the rim a lot and worked the ball around to get their shots inside.”

Palmerton will advance to the opening round of the state playoffs Saturday and meet Loyalsock, the top seed in District 4, Saturday at Williamsport High School for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

“We just have to keeping moving on to states and worry about the next game,” added Kody Kratzer, who had eight points. “We just have to keep believing in ourselves and keep fighting.”