Two boys’ basketball teams began the new year Monday night, with one trying to get to the .500 mark, and the other looking for a positive start to 2022.

Tamaqua ultimately pulled away in the fourth period to defeat Lehighton, 47-29 and even its record at 4-4.

Meanwhile, the Indians have not yet found all the answers to why they have only one win on the season thus far.

In a first half that totaled 15 turnovers and 25 missed shots from the floor, the score remained within a basket well into the second period. Jack Lorenz put the Indians ahead, 13-12 on a driving lay up at 5:51, but Conner Dillon’s baseline three-pointer 30 seconds later gave the Raiders a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night.

A modest four-point lead at the intermission ballooned to 11 points with a 10-3 Tamaqua run marked by Nathan Gregoire’s put back with 1:50 to play in the third period. Lehighton was scoreless from the field until Joe Roth took a nice feed from Lorenz and put home a layup at the 2:35 mark. Roth would cut the deficit to nine with another layup, but Dillion’s two free throws gave the Raiders their 11-point margin again going into the final period.

“We were able to work our man-to-man trap when they tried to set up their screens,” Tamaqua coach Jim Barron said about his team’s defensive performance. “We got a good number of turnovers and transition points off that.”

Indians’ coach Trevor Miller agreed that Tamaqua’s defensive pressure gave his team trouble.

“We knew what we had to do to counter their defense on our screens, but our guards couldn’t get off the traps to find the open man,” Miller said.

The fourth quarter belonged to Tamaqua. Gregoire started the stanza with a layup. After Brayden Lutz drilled a baseline trey for Lehighton, Mason Ligenza hit two baseline jumpers to give the visitors a 42-28 lead with 5:18 left in the game.

For the next three minutes, neither team scored with 11 missed shots between baskets. The Raiders dominated the offensive and defensive boards that left the Indians scoring just one point in the last five minutes.

Miller was disappointed in his team’s inability to convert on several high percentage shots.

“Varsity players have to make layups, and we just miss too many,” he said. “It’s been the same story so far this season. All we can do is keep grinding. We were close in the first half, but we have to play the full 32 minutes.”

Barron liked how his team didn’t tire after the holiday layoff.

“I thought we crashed the boards pretty hard. Gregoire and Ligenza were strong underneath all game long.”

Gregoire led Tamaqua’s scoring with 18 points. Roth paced Lehighton with 13.

SHOOTING BLUES

... In the second half, Lehighton scored just three baskets while shooting just 17 percent from the floor.

DEE-FENSE!

... In the final 16 minutes, not only did Tamaqua hold its opponent to a low shooting percentage, but its aggressive, ball-hawking style of play caused 12 Indian turnovers.

TAMAQUA

Gregoire 6-6-6-18, Dillon 3-3-6-10, Hoffman 2-1-2-6, Lewis 2-0-0-5, Ligenza 2-0-0-4, Valentine 1-0-0-2, McLaughlin 0-0-0-0, Kane 0-0-0-0, Fannock 0-0-0-0, Chase 0-0-0-0, Mateyak 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-12-20-47.

LEHIGHTON

Roth 6-1-2-13, Lorenz 2-2-4-6, Lutz 1-0-2-3, Blauch 0-2-2-2, Serfass 0-2-5-2, Hoke 1-0-0-2, Smith 0-1-2-1, Johnson 0-0-0-0, Bastone 0-0-0-0, Schatz 0-0-0-0, Porambo 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 10-8-17-29.

Tamaqua 12 8 14 13 - 47

Lehighton 9 7 7 6 - 29

Three-pointers: Tamaqua - Lewis 1, Hoffman 1, Dillon 1. Lehighton - Lutz 1.