The third time was a charm for the Palmerton boys basketball team.

On Saturday at Pleasant Valley High School, the Bombers defeated Notre Dame-Green Pond 68-55 in the District 11 Class 3A consolation game to avenge two earlier losses to the Crusaders.

With the victory, the Blue Crew also punched their ticket to the PIAA state tournament.

Palmerton came off the opening tip firing on all cylinders, taking an 8-2 lead with barely two minutes gone. But Notre Dame scored the next six points and tied the game on a three-pointer by Zach Rodgers from beyond the top of the key.

With Cameron Bohn’s triple at the five-minute mark, the second-seeded Crusaders grabbed a four-point advantage at 17-13.

The lead didn’t last long as a seven-point spurt thanks to Matt Machalik’s two jumpers in the paint, along with Brayden Hosier’s baseline three ball with 10 clicks left in the first period, put fourth-seeded Palmerton ahead 20-17 advantage when the buzzer sounded.

The momentum carried over into the second frame.

Notre Dame was held to just one field goal and two free throws for the entire eight minutes, while Chase Reph led the Bomber attack with a layup, a jumper and a putback.

Brayden Hosier added a three and Machalik dropped in another bucket, sending the visiting team into the intermission with a 31-21 lead.

“We played them a little differently than the first two games with our match-ups and different zone looks,” said Palmerton coach Ken Termini.

Qualifying for the state tournament was the major task at hand for Palmerton, but losing twice to the same team was even more motivation for the Bombers - who had been beaten by Notre Dame 74-66 during the regular season and 59-43 in the league playoffs.

“It’s difficult to beat anybody three times in the same season,” said Termini. “Give Notre Dame credit for really trying all the way to the end. They kept coming at us, but we maintained our poise.”

When asked what adjustments were made at halftime, Termini told his team, “Do in the second half what you did in the first.”

The Bombers heeded their coach’s advice.

Led by three dead-eye bombs from beyond the arc by Hosier, who tallied 17 of his game-high 27 points after the break, Palmerton gained its largest lead at 42-27 with 4:31 to go in the third.

The Crusaders (21-5) were not ready to wave the white flag. They got back in it in the fourth, gradually cutting the 15-point deficit to five after a three-pointer by Rodgers with 1:53 left to play. He and Bohn combined for 15 of their team’s 21-period points in the final eight minutes to pace the comeback.

But Palmerton’s will to win never wavered, and the Bombers (20-7) closed out the game with a 9-1 run.

Outstanding press-breaker passing from Jacob Grammes and Justin Sebelin moved the ball into the paint for wide open shots. Zach Anthony was the benefactor from these assists and scored easy layups when Notre Dame’s defense was caught up court and could not get back fast enough.

Termini praised his team’s determination, which he said comes from longtime chemistry.

“These kids have been playing together since they were junior cadets and in the fifth and sixth grade,” Termini said. “And we proved today that we’re not a one- or two-player team. We had contributions on offense and defense from everyone who played.”

PALMERTON PRIDE … The Bombers have been sporting pregame warm-ups that say “Homegrown” all season long. “We take great pride in our community,” said Termini. “Palmerton is where our kids are raised and ‘Homegrown’ is an expression of gratitude for where they come from.”

BANG BANG BASKETBALL … The game was very physical with body-on-body contact on nearly every possession, making both teams work hard for their points. Thirty-three total fouls were called with the Bombers scoring 10 of their 22 fourth-period points from the charity stripe.

BIG BLUE NEWS … The Bombers’ 20 wins mark the first time they’ve hit that mark since the 1989-90 season.

UP NEXT … Palmerton will play Math Civics & Science, the second seed from District 12 in the opening round of the state tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m.

PALMERTON

Hosier 7-8-9-27, Reph 7-0-0-14, Machalik 4-1-2-9, Robinson 3-1-2-7, Z. Anthony 3-0-1-6, Grammes 2-0-2-5, Sebelin 0-0-0-0, Leister 0-0-0-0, Stahler 0-0-0-0, L. Anthony 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-10-16-68.

NOTRE DAME-GP

Rodgers 4-4-5-16, Bohn 5-0-0-13, Marcks 5-0-0-12, Vassallo 4-2-4-10, Boyle 1-0-0-2, Lessig 1-0-0-2, Darno 0-0-0-0, Gomez 0-0-0-0, Miles 0-0-0-0, Pez 0-0-0-0, Hoff 0-0-0-0, Smith 0-0-0-0, Hobbie 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-6-9-55.

Palmerton 20 11 15 22 - 68

Notre Dame 17 4 13 21 - 55

Three-pointers: Palmerton - Hosier 5, Grammes 1; Notre Dame - Rodgers 4, Bohn 3, Marks 2.