POTTSVILLE - It went down to the wire.

And turned out to be a dandy.

Northern Lehigh was scalding hot early in Tuesday’s District 11 Class 2A semifinal game against Marian, but the Fillies reversed the trend to their side in the second half.

In the end, though, it was the gritty play of the Bulldogs that prevailed, as they found a way to hold off top-seeded Marian and win a thrilling 52-49 contest at Martz Hall.

The victory sends Northern Lehigh into Friday’s district championship game, where it will face Minersville. The Fillies, meanwhile, will take on Schuylkill Haven the same night in the consolation game with a berth to states on the line.

Leading the way for the fourth-seeded Bulldogs was senior Aubrey Pollard, who kept after Marian with her tenacious will-to-win approach. The determined Pollard found ways to annoy the Fillies at both ends of the court.

Not only did Pollard fuel her team with 15 points, but she was also strong in the paint finishing with 11 rebounds. To call her a bulldog is an understatement.

“She was banged up by the end of the game ...,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Chris Heery. “She was on the floor quite a lot, but she fought through it. She’s a trooper.”

The Bulldogs are by no means a one-person show. Freshman Teegan Simms drained threes like they were layups, hitting four in the contest. The Barthold girls - Katelyn and Dekota - each finished with 11 points to contribute to the balanced attack.

“Some of the unsung heroes came up with plays, like (Katelyn Barthold) with that play at the end,” said Heery. “They all stepped up. Everybody did. We just did a great job at the end.”

With the game tied 48-48, Marian was looking to take the lead in the final minute of regulation. But Barthold stole the ball and drove for a crucial basket with 41 seconds left.

The Bulldogs (16-9) never trailed after that.

“Credit Northern Lehigh, they played hard right from the start,” said Marian mentor Damian Fritz. “They played free, they played fast … We played tight.”

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were loose and confident. They never looked like the underdog facing a top seed.

Pollard was the tone setter, powering her way inside for eight first-quarter points. Simms also nailed a pair of treys, helping Nolehi zip in front 19-9 after the opening frame. The two teams then played an even second period to keep the Bulldog advantage at 10 points at the break.

Marian, however, wasn’t about to concede. Northern Lehigh’s first-half effort didn’t knock the Fillies (19-5) to the canvas, but merely stunned them.

Marian found a way to get in sync, and stormed back. Addy Fritz and Carly Minchhoff both helped bring their team off the deck. Minchhoff poured in nine of her 14 points in the third quarter, while Fritz was scoring six of her team-leading 16 during the rally.

That surge allowed the Fillies to outscore their opponent by a 20-9 margin and take a 40-39 lead into the final period.

“When (Marian) outscored us by 11 in that third period, our girls didn’t stop,” said Heery. “They didn’t put their heads down.”

Fritz let loose with a three-point shot to up the Marian advantage to 43-39, but the Bulldogs didn’t fold.

Pollard hit inside and Simms bagged another triple. After Dekota Barthold got a superb assist from Pollard for a nifty basket, Northern Lehigh was ahead 48-43 with 3:49 to play.

Once again, Marian rallied as Aliya Tikhtova posted up inside for two points and Minchhoff nearly brought the house down with a triple to tie the game at 48-48.

That’s when Katelyn Barthold came up with her clutch steal and conversion.

A free throw from Fritz with 26 seconds pulled the Fillies within one, before Simms got that one back with a foul shot eight seconds later.

A turnover and Pollard free throw accounted for the final tally.

“We had nothing to lose,” said Heery. “We talked about that between the third and four quarter.”

COUNTING IT UP ... The Bulldogs shot 22-of-54, including 20 first-quarter shots. Marian finished 21-of-50 after starting slow in the first half (9-of-27). Marian held the rebounding edge, 35-31, with Minchhoff grabbing eight and Deanna Pugh adding seven.

MORE NUMBERS ... Northern Lehigh had a rough third quarter, with six of its 12 turnovers coming in the period. Marian ended with 19.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Pollard 7-1-4-15, Simms 4-1-2-13, D. Barthold 5-1-3-11, K. Barthold 5-0-0-11, Whalen 1-0-0-2, Wiliams 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-3-11-52.

MARIAN

Fritz 7-1-2-16, Minchhoff 6-1-2-14, Pugh 3-0-0-7, Martinelli 2-0-0-5, Tikhtova 1-1-3-3, Hasara 1-0-0-2, Thomas 1-0-0-2. Corrado 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-3-7-49.

No. Lehigh 19 11 9 13 - 52

Marian 9 11 20 9 - 49

Three-pointers: Northern Lehigh - Simms 4, K. Barthold 1; Marian - Fritz 1, Minchhoff 1, Martinelli 1, Pugh 1.