When teams aren’t playing at their best, they just have to find ways to win.

That was the situation Northwestern faced against Palmerton on Thursday in a clash between two Colonial League powerhouses.

The Tigers looked as if they had the game salted away, but the Bombers charged back with a furious comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.

In the end, though, NW managed to hold on and prevail 41-38.

“I thought we were really fortunate to win tonight,” Tigers head coach Chris Deutsch said. “I didn’t think we did a good job executing our plays tonight. I thought we were sloppy.

“But the bottom line was at the end, I did tell the girls ‘survive and advance.’ You have to find ways to win even when you’re not at your best and we found a way, and that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

The game began with an entertaining display of offense, as both squads traded baskets en route to a 10-10 tie after one.

After putting up five points in the first, sophomore Natalie Conner added seven more in the second to help give Northwestern a 20-16 lead at the half.

Conner’s 12 points in the first half (14 overall in the game) also helped make up for areas of the Tigers’ offense where Deutsch believed his team struggled.

Having someone like Conner create offense in tough situations is a treat for Deutsch.

“You can just put the ball in her hands and let her create, and there were years past where we didn’t have players like that (where you) just put the ball in their hands and let them go,” he said of Conner.

“I think she tries sometimes too hard and tries to do too much at times, but by her being out there, she’s creating shots for everybody else. We’re just trying to get her to not put too much on herself.”

Both defenses clamped down for most of the third until Emma Freeman broke through with back-to-back triples in the final minute. That extended NW’s lead to 32-20 after three frames, and seemingly put the game out of reach for a Palmerton squad missing one of its most important players in Courtney Connell.

However, the never-say-die Bombers proved once again why no one should count them out, as Palmerton forced six turnovers in the fourth quarter and outscored the Tigers 18-6, including separate 7-0 and 6-0 runs, to tie the game.

Hailey Barry led the bounce back with six points (finishing with nine), and Emma Rex knotted the score at 38 with a triple to cap off a team high 12-point night.

After Hannah Gober put the Tigers back on top with a free throw, the Bombers still had an opportunity to retake the lead within the final 10 seconds.

However, on the inbound, Palmerton couldn’t convert an open layup, and Gober sank the following two free throws to seal the victory.

“I think we just kind of were a little bit lazy on defense,” Freeman said about the Tigers’ fourth quarter. “We weren’t switching screens the way we know we should, but I think we were able to realize what we were doing wrong and were able to pull it out. It wasn’t pretty, but we were able to fight through it.”

For the Bombers, while there may not be any moral victories with a loss, head coach Jeremy Coleman believes that this was another game where his team has proven its worth in spite of the disappointment of falling short.

“I was happy with the girls’ effort,” he said. “They definitely battled and took them right to the end there. We had a weak third quarter scoring wise. You can’t have that inefficiency shooting the ball, but we did enough to be there and give ourselves an opportunity at the end.

“We have to try to build off of it and take the positives, but at the same time, learn from it and see how we can get better.”

THE HOMESTRETCH … Both teams play two more games to end their regular seasons. Palmerton hosts Northampton on Saturday, and travels to Northern Lehigh on Tuesday, while Northwestern goes to Jim Thorpe on Monday and welcomes Freedom on Tuesday.

PALMERTON

A. Barry 1-0-2-3, Rex 4-3-4-12, Schneider 1-0-0-2, Morgan 2-4-4-8, Green 2-0-0-4, H. Barry 3-1-2-9. TOTALS: 13-8-12-38.

NORTHWESTERN

Berhnard 0-0-0-0, C. Gober 2-0-0-4, Freeman 4-1-2-12, H. Gober 0-5-8-5, N. Conner 6-0-0-14, M. Conner 0-0-0-0, Reinhart 3-0-0-6. TOTALS: 15-6-10-41.

Palmerton 10 6 4 18 - 38

Northwestern 10 10 12 9 - 41

Three-pointers: Palmerton - H. Barry 2, A. Barry 1, Rex 1; Northwestern - Freeman 3, N. Conner 2.

Records: Palmerton (14-6; 12-5); Northwestern (17-3; 15-2).