ALLENTOWN — Every touch of the basketball carried significant weight during Friday night’s District 11 4A quarterfinals matchup between Lehighton and Allentown Central Catholic at William Allen High School.

The Indians controlled much of the game’s tempo with long, exhausting offensive sets that chewed clock and created designed open looks. But despite limiting ACC to just 17 first-half points, the Vikings’ size and pressure were a bit too much in the second half, downing the Tribe 51-40.

ACC’s full-court pressure forced a turnover on Lehighton’s very first inbound play after halftime, and from there, the Vikings’ length and physicality around the rim took control.

Central Catholic outscored Lehighton 34-22 in the second half, including a 20-13 fourth quarter.

“Halfway through the fourth quarter, I thought we controlled everything the way we wanted to,” Lehighton head coach Trevor Miller said. “They got some offensive rebounds, and I think that was ultimately the difference in the game when they started attacking the glass and getting two or three opportunities on a possession.”

Junior Yariel Gonzalez had a huge second half for ACC. Quiet in the first half, he came alive after the break, attacking the paint and cleaning up on the glass to finish with a team-high 14 points. Multiple second-chance opportunities turned contested possessions into easy buckets, and Lehighton — undersized but fearless — simply ran out of answers at the rim.

Blake Roberts did everything he could to keep the Indians alive. The senior poured in a game-high 20 points, connecting on plenty of pretty mid-range jumpers that kept Lehighton within striking distance, even as ACC’s lead grew.

“He’s been a horse all year,” Miller said. “The nice thing about him is he can work inside, he can work outside, and we saw that tonight.”

Senior Cole Dietz added 12 points in what was the final game of a decorated Lehighton career. Miller didn’t mince words about what Dietz has meant to the program.

“His name will be up on banners and all that stuff now that he’s done,” Miller said. “It is a really special senior group. I’m going to miss the heck out of them, and I’m so proud of all the things they’ve done, both individually and as a team.”

What made this loss sting a bit more was how well the game plan worked, noted the Lehighton coach.

Miller’s strategy was to maximize possessions and force ACC to defend for extended stretches, and the Indians executed it almost perfectly.

At one point, Lehighton ran its flex set for a minute and 20 seconds while managing Roberts’ foul trouble, and still generated a quality look, Miller added.

“Our game plan, we executed to a T,” Miller said. “It’s just, unfortunately, we ran out of gas.”

The Tribe’s toughness was undeniable on Friday. Aiden Solt drew three charges by himself, and Lehighton took four as a team.

“Our role players are the reason that we’re here,” Miller said. “The two guys that get all the headlines are Roberts and Dietz, but our role players are just as important.”

Lehighton’s season had its share of turbulence — a rough December stretch tested the group — but Miller said the way his team responded defined who they are.

“About halfway through December, I wasn’t sure we’d be here,” he said. “And that all changed because of what these guys did.”

POST GRAD TALK ... Miller noted Roberts is undecided on his college plans, with some football offers on the table, while Dietz will head to Lebanon Valley.

NEXT MEN UP ... Miller also pointed to freshmen Aiden McCarroll and Cash White as bright spots, noting the young players handled the moment well in a hostile postseason environment.

LEHIGHTON

Roberts 9-1-2-20, Dietz 4-2-3-12, White 2-0-0-4, McCarroll 1-0-0-2, Fairchild 1-0-0-2, Solt 0-0-0-0, Meek 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-3-5-40.

CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Gonzalez 6-1-3-14, Leak 5-2-4-12, Edmondson 4-2-2-10, Ford 2-2-2-6, Schmell 2-1-2-6, Villegas 1-0-0-3, Eddinger 0-0-0-0, Cahill 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-8-13-51. 3-pointers:

Lehighton 14 4 9 13 - 40

Central Cath. 9 8 14 20 - 51

Three-pointers: Lehighton - Dietz 2, Roberts 1; Central Catholic - Schmell 1, Gonzalez 1, Villegas 1.

Records: Lehighton (13-11); Central Catholic (13-11).