This one had a lot of meaning.

Hanging in the balance was a possible trip to the Schuylkill League Girls’ Basketball Tournament.

For Panther Valley, it was win and you’re in. For Tamaqua, it was win to keep your chances alive.

The Blue Raiders responded to their “must-win” situation with a fourth-quarter rally to pull out a 46-39 decision on Thursday night.

The result leaves Tamaqua (8-5, 15-6) and Panther Valley (8-5, 14-7) tied for the third and final playoff spot in Division 1, with both teams have one regular-season league game remaining. The Raiders will be at Blue Mountain on Monday, while the Panthers host Lehighton that same night. If the two teams are still tied after those games, a special playoff game will be needed to determine the spot.

Last night’s physical contest wasn’t decided until late.

Tamaqua led 21-15 at the half, and looked ready to seal the deal when it took a 30-21 lead with 3:43 showing in the third quarter thanks to Samantha Plasha’s fielder.

But Panther Valley still had some gas in the tank, and closed the quarter strong behind a triple from Maddison Maynard and two free throws from Morgan Orsulak that cut the Raider lead 30-26.

Tamaqua coach Erika Davis said she expected a run from Panther Valley.

“They’re a very well coached team, so we kind of expected this type of game,” Davis said.

Tamaqua laid some rubber to open the critical fourth quarter. It raced up and down the floor, turning to freshman standout Lauren Ligenzal, who finished with 11 points.

“We had a lot of trouble with Ligenza, especially in that second half,” Panther Valley coach Robb Kovac said.

Ligenza had eight of her points down the stretch thanks in large part to teammate Kolbie Robb ,who kept feeding the tall freshman in the paint. Robb was extremely active and led her team with 13 points.

“She is playing at such a high-level right now,” Davis said about Robb. “She is so super coachable, and has come a long way for us. She is also starting to shoot the ball and score more … she’s really stepping up.”

Robb’s forte is still her defense, which she flashed with four steals. Her defense played a huge role in the early fourth quarter run that saw Loreli Plasha and Ligenza both score four points as Tamaqua built a 38-30 lead with 3:51 to play.

Maynard did her best to keep the Panthers in it as she scored her team’s first six points of the period, but it wasn’t enough as Tamaqua maintained control down the stretch.

“We needed to beat them on the perimeter,” Kovac said. “We got good looks ... if you told me before the game that we were going to shoot 2-for-13 from the three-point line, I would have told you we would lose by 25 and not by just seven. Credit to my kids; Tamaqua had a big advantage in size, but we battled all night. We just didn’t make enough shots from the perimeter.

“They also hurt us with their defense. They were trapping with that 3-2 zone, and we got caught in the corner sometimes when we shouldn’t have. Overall, they needed this win and they played like it.”

OFFICIALS REMEMBERED … The game was dedicated to a pair of standout area officials who lost their battles with cancer during the past year - Frank D’Angelo and Mike Klembara. Tamaqua scorekeeper Joanie Nowak delivered a heart-warming eulogy prior to the game.Several members of D’Angelo’s family were in attendance, including his wife Jean, his sister Anastasia, and his sister-in-law Amie Tarapchak.

THE NUMBERS … The shorter Panthers had the edge off the glass, 34-33, with Orsulak pulling down 14 and Maynard grabbing 12. Ligenza and Plasha collected six apiece for Tamaqua.

SHOOTING AWAY … PV shot 15-for-57 from the floor (26%), while the Blue Raiders were 18-for-47 (38%).

PANTHER VALLEY

Krapf 1-0-0-2, Kocha 1-0-0-3, Vermillion 0-0-0-0, Maynard 6-0-2-13, Breslin 0-0-0-0, Orsulak 5-5-6-15, Yuricheck 2-0-2-4, McAndrew 0-2-2-2. TOTALS: 15-7-12-39.

TAMAQUA

Robb 5-1-2-13, S. Plasha, S. 0-1-2-1, Ligenza 5-0-0-11, Hope 1-3-6-6, L. Plasha 3-0-2-6, Miller 3-1-2-7, Bartenope 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 18-6-14-46.

Panther Valley 8 7 11 13 - 39

Tamaqua 11 10 9 16 - 46

Three-pointers: PV - Kocha 1, Maynard 1; T - Robb 2, Ligenza 1, Hope 1.