Tamaqua found its shooting stroke early in its Schuylkill League Division 1 match-up against Lehighton on Friday night.

The Blue Raiders’ shot-making ability from beyond the arc, coupled with their aggressive man-to-man defense, fueled a few big runs throughout the game - which helped them come away with a 55-39 victory over the Indians.

Tamaqua (2-4; 1-2) wasted no time heating up from the outside, going 5-for-7 from the three-point line in the first quarter as it held a 19-12 advantage after eight minutes.

A 9-2 run to start the contest was set up by back-to-back threes from Connor Dillon. That was followed up by a three from Cameron Lewis. Dillon, Lewis and Noah Mateyak all came through with triples in the first.

“We were able to hit some big three-pointers throughout the game and that gave us momentum at times,” said Tamaqua head coach Jimmy Barron. “We have a bunch of guys that can shoot the ball for us and score the ball for us, and they were able to do that tonight

“Also, I think the guys played great defensively. We were able to get some big stops in the game and get our hands on some balls, which led to some run outs, and I was also proud of the guys who came off the bench tonight. They came in and gave us some great defensive minutes.”

The second quarter was Lehighton’s best frame of the night as it outscored the Raiders by three to close within four (25-21) at the half, ending the second quarter with a 7-0 run. Tamaqua ended the second missing its last seven shots, and the Tribe took advantage to get back into the ballgame.

“I thought our guys adjusted really well after the first quarter after they came out and hit five threes in the first,” said Lehighton head coach Trevor Miller. “We had to get out of our zone and then match-up with them man-to-man, and physically we matched their physical effort. We got it down to four at the half and we were really happy with that effort.

“But for most of the second half, Tamaqua was able to come out and dictate the physicality of the game. The last 16 minutes they were able to just body us, and move us around and then go on a run, and in Division 1 of the Schuylkill League, if that happens, you’re going to struggle.”

Lehighton actually cut the Tamaqua deficit to one (31-30) midway through the quarter with Owen Serfass scoring five of his team-high 16 for the Indians during that stretch, but the Raiders were then able to answer with a crucial 9-0 run to end the third. Seven straight points from Mateyak served as the catalyst for the run, which carried over to the start of the fourth.

An 11-2 run to start the fourth made it a 49-32 lead for the Raiders, which got big makes from Mateyak and big man Mason Ligenza to put the game out of reach around the four-minute mark of the fourth.

“I was proud of our guys for cleaning up some of our mistakes in that second quarter and fighting off their runs in both the second and third quarters,” said Barron. “Overall, just really happy with our effort. Everyone who was out there was contributing and making plays, and that’s what you want to see.”

STAT LINE ... Mateyak led all scorers with 17 for Tamaqua and Dillon added 15. Serfass led the Indians with 16.

FINISHING STRONG ... With the game at 31-30, an 18-2 run made it 49-32 Tamaqua with 4:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Raiders shot 11-for-19 during that stretch.

TAMAQUA

Cooper 2-0-0-4, Lewis 2-2-2-8, Mateyak 7-0-0-17, Klein 0-0-0-0, Styka 0-0-0-0, Milot 0-0-0-0, Kane 4-0-1-8, Dillon 5-2-2-15, Ligenza 1-1-2-3, Andrews 0-0-0-0. Totals: 21-5-7-55.

LEHIGHTON

Light 0-0-0-0, Serfass 6-2-5-16, Blauch 0-0-0-0, Johnson 0-3-4-3, Roberts 3-0-1-6, Smith 0-0-0-0, Kemmerer 0-0-0-0, Roth 4-0-0-8, Dietz 2-0-0-6, Walker 0-0-0-0. Totals: 15-5-10-39

Tamaqua 19 6 15 15 - 55

Lehighton 12 9 9 9 - 39

Three-pointers: Tamaqua - Dillon 3, Mateyak 3, Lewis 2; Lehighton - Dietz 2, Serfass 2.