Good teams find ways to win even when they’re not playing their best.

That’s what undefeated Palmerton did Thursday night in its 35-31 win over Lehighton in the title game of the Lady Indian Classic.

The host team played solid defense throughout the contest, and when Olivia Serfass drilled a three-point basket to tie the game 31-31 with 1:10 left to play, the roar in the gym sounded like it might be a harbinger for an upset.

That was until Palmerton’s Bethie Morgan showed why she is the one coach Dan Beck would like to have the ball in her hands with the game on the line.

Morgan, the tournament’s MVP, dribbled down the court and with exactly a minute left, uncorked a shot from beyond the three-point arc that found nothing but net to give Palmerton a 34-31 lead.

“I was looking for a teammate inside the paint for a pass, but I found myself in open space so I let it go,” said Morgan, who was held to just 13 points in the game, four points under her average. “To be honest, I didn’t watch it go in. I just heard the cheers from our bench.”

“She plays with ice in her veins,” said Beck. “We weren’t setting her up for a shot, but we’re obviously glad she took it.”

The game began with poor shooting from both teams, as the first basket wasn’t scored from the floor until Megan Matsko scored with just 18 seconds left in the first period to give the Bombers an 8-3 lead. The Indians shot a woeful 0-for-14 until Charli McHugh’s bank off the glass at the 5:30 mark of the second period.

The Tribe, however, kept a stranglehold on Palmerton’s offense with their triangle-and-one defense, prompting Beck to praise Lehighton coach Joe Berezwick for “an outstanding scouting job.” Preventing open looks at the basket helped limit the Bomber’s lead throughout the game.

A left-handed layup by Taylor Bowman, and a put back by Megan Houser brought the Tribe (4-7) to within two at 13-11. Following a bucket my Morgan, Serfass hit a triple with two seconds to go before the intermission to send her team to the locker room trailing by one point.

At the start of the third period, Palmerton’s Mikayla Pengelly and Serfass traded hoops before the Bombers went on a modest 6-1 run. Kelsey Balliet’s layup on a nice feed from Pengelly gave the visitors a 24-19 edge with just under four minutes left in the third.

The Tribe fought back again and Sefass’ putback with five seconds remaining finished a 7-0 run, lifting Lehighton to a 26-24 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

“Our defense played great, and I’m so proud of our effort,” said Berezwick. “We kept Morgan and Barry from taking over like they did when they beat us by 12 earlier in the season. That was until Bethie does what she does, and her shot with a minute to go just did us in.”

Beck bestowed much praise upon his team’s opponent.

“They took our top players away tonight,” he said. “We couldn’t get the ball down low, and they contested every shot we threw up.”

Beck took no credit for his team’s resilience and drive to hang on for their ninth victory. “They play the game,” he said.

A telling factor in Palmerton’s win was its 21 defensive rebounds, as opposed to 12 for Lehighton. The ability to hold on and finish in close games is a trait of all good teams, and Palmerton (9-0) did just that in capturing the tournament trophy.

ALL-TOURNEY TEAM ... This year’s Holiday Classic All-Tournament team included MVP Morgan, along with teammate Matsko, Lehighton’s Serfass and McHugh, Northern Lehigh’s Aubrey Pollard and Pleasant Valley’s Emma Muir.

BOMBS AWAY ... In the last 15 Lady Indian Classics, Palmerton has won four - including three in a row from 2011-2014. The host team last won in 2016.

PALMERTON

B. Morgan 4-4-4-13, Matsko 3-3-6-9, Pengelly 3-0-2-7, Balliet 1-1-2-3, C. Morgan 1-0-0-3, Bollinger 0-0-0-0, Barry 0-0-0-0, Andrews 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-8-14-35.

LEHIGHTON

Serfass 6-2-2-17, McHugh 2-3-4-7, Wojton 1-0-0-3, Bowman 1-0-0-2, Hauser 1-0-0-2, Haley 0-0-0-0, Trotman 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 11-5-5-31.

Palmerton 8 9 7 11 - 35

Lehighton 3 13 10 5 - 31

Three-pointers: Palmerton - Pengelly 1, B. Morgan 1, C. Morgan 1; Lehighton - Serfass 3, Wojton 1.