The new season began on Friday night, and Northwestern already had to overcome some adversity.

The Tiger started their journey through the postseason by hosting upstart Saucon Valley in the Colonial League quarterfinals.

Northwestern jumped out to a convincing lead in the first half but had to overcome a gritty Panther squad that made things interesting.

Despite a furious comeback attempt from the visitors, the Tigers regathered themselves and advanced with a 49-38 victory.

“We had some ups and downs; we need to be a little more consistent,” said Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch. “But postseason play is ‘survive and advance’. That’s the name of the game right now, and we found a way to pull it out.”

Things initially looked like they would be smooth sailing for the Tigers, as they kick started the contest with an 8-0 run and outscored Saucon 18-6 in the first quarter. Hannah Gober stood out in the frame with eight points, including two three-pointers.

Then it was Natalie Conner’s turn to catch fire in the second.

After putting up six points in the first, Conner totaled another eight for 14 in the half.

For the Panthers, Maggie Gorman kept her team in the game with nine points in the second. The freshman showed promise for a young Saucon squad, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Going into halftime trailing 28-15 and Northwestern having a heavy rebounding advantage — including 12 offensive — first-year head coach John Tone made a defensive change for the Panthers that would end up making a significant difference in the third.

“We’re not a man-to-man team, but we had to go man-to-man because we didn’t want (Northwestern) holding the ball too long,” he said. “(Northwestern) didn’t expect that kind of pressure. Once we got going, (we) got more comfortable.”

This decision triggered a stunning pushback from Saucon, as it forced numerous turnovers and transitioned them into points.

Freshman Grace Donahue racked up seven points in the third (13 overall) and helped put together a 6-0 Panther run in the third. Suddenly, the Tigers’ lead was cut down to 37-31 early in the fourth.

“You don’t win today, your Colonial League chances are over,” coach Deutsch said to his team after the third. “We had to get it done, and our girls, to their credit, stepped up in the fourth quarter when we had to.”

The Tigers certainly did step up as Gober sank two more threes as part of a 12-1 Northwestern spurt to re-establish the double-digit lead and solidify a quarterfinal win.

Gober finished with 14 points, including four triples, and added five rebounds and five assists.

After going cold in the second half, Conner still ended with a team-high 16 points and also nabbed 11 rebounds to achieve a double-double.

NEXT STEP ... Northwestern will face top-seeded Lehighton in the Colonial League semifinals on Wednesday. The Tigers narrowly defeated the Indians in both regular season meetings 51-49 in overtime and 43-42. Lehighton came back against Wilson to win 55-48 in its quarterfinal matchup.

SAUCON VALLEY

Bowers 2-0-0-4, Donahue 5-3-5-13, Skoda 0-2-4-2, Schlegel 0-0-0-0, Davis 1-1-2-4, Gorman 6-2-2-15. TOTALS: 14-8-13-38

NORTHWESTERN

Bernhard 0-0-0-0, C. Gober 1-2-2-4, Freeman 2-0-0-5, H. Gober 5-0-0-14, N. Conner 5-4-7-16, M. Conner 1-2-2-16, Reinhart 3-0-0-6. TOTALS: 17-8-11-49.

Saucon Valley 6 9 14 9 - 38

Northwestern 18 10 9 12 - 49

Three-pointers: Saucon Valley - Davis 1, Gorman 1; Northwestern - H. Gober 4, N. Conner 2, Freeman 1.

Records: Northwestern (20-3); Saucon Valley (12-11).