ORWIGSBURG - Lehighton’s fast start Friday night proved to be both a blessing and a curse.

While the Indians jumped out to a big lead early, it also delivered a huge wake-up call to Pottsville.

The Crimson Tide ramped up their defensive game after that, which eventually led to a 55-44 victory in the quarterfinal round of the District 11 Class 4A playoffs.

“We came out and we scored on our first four possessions of the game,” said Lehighton head coach Trevor Miller. “I thought we ran our sets well, and we were able to get what we wanted. After that 10-0 start, they called a timeout and then you just saw their defensive pressure change.

“The biggest thing about that team is their defensive pressure. We handled it good at points, but there was a stretch in the second quarter where we didn’t. They went on a run because of our turnovers, and that kind of was the difference in the game.”

Joe Roth hit an inside shot and completed a three-point play, while Cole Dietz drained a three-pointer as the Indians jumped out to a 10-0 advantage less than three minutes into the contest.

That was more than enough for Pottsville mentor Jake Wartella to signal for a timeout.

“It’s the district playoffs,” said Wartella. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We beat that team twice this year, but I knew we were going to get a better effort.

“(During the timeout), I just told our kids to play a little harder. I said they need to wake up, and calm down. We’ve been down before. And I had confidence we’d fight back.”

Did they ever.

The Tide (18-7) forced five turnovers during the last half of the first quarter and caused a Lehighton miscue the first time it had the ball in the second frame. That led to a Derek Watkins layup and pulled Pottsville within a point at 16-15.

Shots also started falling for the third-seeded Tide. After missing their first six three-point attempts, they connected from distance four times in the second quarter - including back-to-back ones from Letrel Montone and Juju Bainbridge - that quickly put Pottsville ahead 28-20 midway through the period.

“Our kids always find a way,” said Wartella. “I know some shots weren’t falling and some things didn’t go our way, but our kids eventually found a way to hit some big shots tonight.”

While the Tide finally got its offense in gear, the Indians (14-9) continued to struggle to score points after the fast start. After registering 12 points in the opening three minutes, Miller’s club managed just 17 more over the next 21 minutes that put the deficit at 41-29 entering the final quarter.

The Indians didn’t quit, however, as Blake Roberts hit a pair of shots in the lane during a 9-2 spurt that trimmed the margin to just five with 3:41 to play. Lehighton nearly came up with a steal after that, but Pottsville instead gained possession and got a key three-pointer from Christian Alvarez to widen the gap.

“The loose ball was on the floor and it was one of those 50/50 balls that in a game like this we’ve got to get, but we didn’t quite get it,” said Miller. “The ball bounces around and Alvarez hits the three. Unfortunately that kind of took the wind out of our sail.

“Obviously our guys are hurting but this program took a huge step this year. That’s a credit to our two seniors - Owen Serfass and Nick Hawk - and everything that they’ve done for our program. Now these underclassmen have to take the next step.”

SO LONG SCHUYLKILL ... Lehighton played its final game as a member of the Schuylkill League, and will be joining the Colonial League next season. “I will not miss Pottsville, Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill,” said Miller. With Lehighton having almost its entire team back, Miller also said, “We kind of joked with some of the coaches and they all said the same thing. They’re happy we’re leaving, too (with the players we have coming back).”

THREE-POINT LINE ... The Indians managed just one three-pointer in the contest, the fewest they had in a game this season. “You could tell that was part of their gameplan - to take the three-point line away from us,” said Miller, whose team was 1-of-10 from distance. “Montone guarded Cole most of the game. He’s a great defender, probably the best in the Schuylkill League. They did a lot of really creative stuff to get around some of our screens. Credit to them. They’re the best defensive team in the Schuylkill League for a reason, and I think they proved that.”

NEXT UP ... Pottsville will now face Central Catholic in Tuesday’s semifinals.

LEHIGHTON

Serfass 0-2-2-2, Light 0-0-0-0, Hawk 0-0-0-0, Johnson 2-2-3-6, Roberts 5-0-2-10, Meek 0-0-0-0, Roth 8-2-4-18, Dietz 3-1-2-8. TOTALS: 18-7-13-44.

POTTSVILLE

Hughes-Crane 0-0-0-0, Montone 4-0-0-9, Becker 1-1-2-4, Watkins 3-2-4-9, Bainbridge 1-0-0-3, Oswald 4-10-12-19, Alvarez 4-2-2-11, Flucker-White 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-15-20-55.

Lehighton 16 8 5 15 - 44

Pottsville 11 20 10 14 - 55

Three-pointers: Lehighton - Dietz 1; Pottsville - Montone 1, Becker 1, Watkins 1, Bainbridge 1, Oswald 1, Alvarez 1.