Quicksand.

The harder you fight, the deeper you sink.

That seemed to be the case for Palmerton in its District 11 3A semifinal matchup with Catasauqua on Tuesday night, as it struggled to close out the Rough Riders late in the game.

Catasauqua trailed by three (37-34) with 19.1 seconds remaining, but made clutch play after clutch play down the stretch, finishing the game on a 5-0 run.

The run was capped off by a Hailey Jenkins winning transition bucket with just under four seconds remaining to give the Rough Riders a 39-37 stunning upset victory over the Bombers.

It was Catasauqua’s first District 11 tournament victory since 2008.

“I just have to give a ton of credit to our girls. They didn’t want the season to end. Our seniors, they just gave it everything they had. Again, they just wanted to keep this season going,” said Catasauqua head coach Mark Seremula. “I said this to our team after our win in the quarterfinals, that big players step up and make big plays on the biggest stage. And Hailey Jenkins is a big-time player. Just the way we played down the stretch was impressive. We stayed calm and focused, and we were precise in executing those critical plays at the end.”

The struggles started early for Palmerton, as it trailed 10-5 after one and 19-13 at the half. A Jenkins floater through traffic at the buzzer at the end of the first frame jump-started the Catasauqua momentum.

A 7-0 Roughies run in second quarter, with Jordan Soltis scoring five points during the surge, continued the momentum, and helped Catty to hold the six-point advantage at the intermission.

Offensively, Palmerton just never looked comfortable, as it committed 12 turnovers throughout the contest. The Rough Riders did a good job switching up defensive looks both in the full-court and half-court.

“We switched it up all night. We went with a 2-2-1 trap, and then in the half-court we stayed in that and disguised it a little, and then we also played a 1-3-1 and some man-to-man,” said Seremula. “It’s just amazing for these girls. They played with great effort. This group was 0-19 when they were freshman, so their hard work has paid off.”

Palmerton would finally find its footing in the third, going on a 10-0 run to take a 23-21 lead at the 4:03 mark. Three-pointers from Ella Baumgardt and Hannah Barry, and deuces from Megan Matsko and Sydney Frantz gave the Bombers some much-needed momentum. Barry led the way for Palmerton with seven points in the quarter, as it would hold a 27-24 edge going into the fourth.

The game would stay tight throughout the final frame, and it looked like the Bombers were going to be able to finish the Rough Riders off, leading by four (36-32) with under a minute remaining.

But Catty just wouldn’t go away. A Jenkins bucket with 34 seconds left cut the deficit to two, and after a Baumgardt made free throw, two Jenkins’ foul shots made it a one-point game (37-36).

Catasauqua then forced a Palmerton turnover with its full-court pressure, sending Alivia Bear to the line, with Bear making the back-end of her free throws to tie the game at 37-37.

The Bombers safely inbounded it this time, were fouled heading up the left baseline, and got their chance to get back in front with Catty in the bonus. However, Palmerton could not convert, setting up the eventual game-winning coast-to-coast opportunity for Jenkins.

“When it comes down to it, we just missed too many layups and too many foul shots. It just wasn’t our game, and it wasn’t our night,” said Palmerton head coach Jeremy Coleman.

“They made more plays than we did, and we didn’t capitalize on some of our opportunities, and that was the difference. I just feel for our team and for the girls. That’s a tough way to end the season after the great season that we had. But I’m proud of them for what they accomplished.”

SCORING LEADERS

… Jenkins scored a game-high 13 points. Delaney Troxell added nine for Catty. For Palmerton, Barry scored a team-high 12 points. Baumgardt added nine and Matsko netted eight.

CHARITY STRIPE

… Foul shooting did cost Palmerton late. The Bombers were just 2-for-6 in the fourth quarter, and 3-for-10 overall in the game.

NEXT UP

… Palmerton finishes the season 23-2, and with a Colonial League title. Catty will now head to the 3A championship game on Friday night at 6 p.m. to take on Notre Dame Green Pond at Allen.

CATASAUQUA

Bear 1-1-2-4, Jenkins 5-2-4-13, Troxell 4-1-2-9, Soltis 3-0-0-7, Martinez 0-0-0-0, Becker 0-6-8-6. TOTALS: 13-10-16-39.

PALMERTON

Pengelly 0-0-0-0, Baumgardt 3-1-2-9, Frantz 2-1-6-5, Morgan 0-0-0-0, Barry 5-0-0-12, Matsko 4-0-0-8, Andrews 0-0-0-0, Connell 1-1-2-3. TOTALS: 15-3-10-37.

Catasauqua 10 9 5 15 - 39

Palmerton 5 8 14 10 - 37

Three-pointers: Catasauqua - Bear 1, Jenkins 1, Soltis 1; Palmerton - Barry 2, Baumgardt 2.