Palmerton head coach Ken Termini is well aware of his team’s ability to “make things interesting” in the late stages of games this season.

Of course, that isn’t always a good thing.

However, looking at the positive side of it, he’s happy the Bombers have even been in games and had the opportunity to squirm.

“Every Schuylkill League team fights until the end and never gives up,” Termini said after a 52-50 victory Thursday against Jim Thorpe in the opening round of the Slatington Rotary Holiday Tournament. “We kind of knew that would happen, but ultimately, we won the game and that’s what matters.”

After Palmerton’s Owen Buck made a layup late in the third frame, the Olympians trailed 40-23.

“We dug ourselves a hole early,” Jim Thorpe mentor Jason McElmoyle said. “But we fought back. We played scrappy. I thought we played smart with the ball, some shots started to fall, and it seemed that the only time in the second half that shots didn’t fall was when we had chances to tie or take the lead.”

Down 17 points with 3:22 left in the third, the Olympians started to click. They went on a 21-4 run, spanning into the fourth, which culminated in a James Adames’ steal and layup that tied the score at 44-44 with 3:50 left to play.

“The guys did what we asked of them, and they did the little things to win tonight,” McElmoyle said. “We had opportunities to win, and it can only go one of two ways at that point.”

Unfortunately for Thorpe, Palmerton’s defense and the free throw shooting of junior Kody Kratzer created an ‘opportunity speed bump’ and thwarted their hopes late.

“Even though we’ve made some defensive mistakes and haven’t shot the ball consistently well, I think our defense has allowed us to stay in games,” Termini said.

“At the end of games, our guys believe they’re going to find a way and tonight, despite giving (Thorpe) chances to win, our guys found a way.”

Buck’s free throw and four from Kratzer provided the Bombers with a 49-44 edge, but Chris Condly’s deep three from the left corner drew a foul for a four-point play to trim the margin to one with 1:44 on the clock.

Tyler Stuck padded the lead with a free throw and Kratzer added another pair, before Adam Lauer’s layup cut the gap to two (52-50) with 14 ticks left.

A full-court pass attempt by the Bombers was picked off, but Tyler Christman came up with a huge block on a Thorpe drive and recovered the ball.

After a missed free throw, though, Thorpe still had a chance with four seconds remaining. However, Buck blocked a buzzer-beater attempt by Caiden Hurley and Palmerton prevailed.

“This is our seventh game this season,” Termini said. “Five of those games have been decided on the final shot, and six have been decided in the final 10 seconds. Even though we’ve made some defensive mistakes and haven’t shot the ball consistently well, I think we held five of those teams under 50 points.”

UP NEXT ... Palmerton (5-2) will take on Northern Lehigh in the championship tonight at 8 p.m. The Olympians will face Lehighton in the consilation tilt at 6:30 p.m.

THE LITTLE THINGS ... Both coaches were pleased with their squad’s ability to do the intangibles. “We took a couple charges, we had a few blocks, played good help defense, held another team under (or to) 50 points,” Termini said. “Look, sometimes the ball doesn’t go in but we got it done and we have an opportunity to play in the championship (game).”

BOARD WORK ... Palmerton held a serious advantage on the glass, taking a 40-25 edge in rebounds — including a 12-5 offensive boards edge.

JIM THORPE

Condly 2-4-6-9, Richards 1-2-2-4, Burak 1-0-0-3, Hurley 1-0-0-3, Ivey 1-2-2-4, Adames 4-2-2-11, Lauer 4-5-6-14, Marykwas 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 15-15-18-50.

PALMERTON

Connell 1-0-0-2, Kratzer 4-10-12-20, King 1-3-4-5, Frank 0-0-0-0, Mooney 0-0-0-0, Christman 0-0-2-0, Stuck 0-3-4-3, Hosier 3-4-5-11, Buck 4-3-4-11, Whitney 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-23-31-52.

Jim Thorpe 6 14 10 20 - 50

Palmerton 11 17 12 12 - 52

Three pointers: Jim Thorpe - Lauer 1, Condly 1, Hurley 1, Adames 1, Burak 1; Palmerton - Kratzer 2, Hosier 1.