They’ve been each others’ biggest rival, and they played like it too.

On Friday night, Palmerton and Northern Lehigh went head-to-head in an all-out war.

Battling pound-for-pound each quarter and finishing one point apart in three of the four, it was the Bulldogs that escaped with a thrilling 45-41 victory.

Entering the contest, the Bombers were already at a disadvantage as they were without key starter Cameron Pengelly, who sprained his ankle in the season opener at Stroudsburg. Meanwhile, the visitors were looking to build off of a 1-1 tournament record at Hamburg.

The physicality picked up right from the start, but it was the style of offense from each side that became the story.

The Bulldogs were quick and aggressive at driving to the basket and playing hard in the paint, led by Kellen Bauer who tallied seven first-quarter points. The Bombers fired from everywhere beyond the arc, but struggled to break through a Nolehi defense guarding the paint.

“Our goal defensively is to not allow guys to get to the paint,” said Nolehi head coach Jake Waylen. “If you can get to the paint, you can create opportunities both inside and outside. We prefer to have teams launch from outside and we want to close out on shooters, and we want to remain disciplined in that respect.”

Despite Palmerton hitting a few threes to keep the score close after one, this would become a significant difference throughout the game.

The Bombers went cold in the second quarter, but their physicality kept the Bulldogs from pulling away, eventually sending the teams to the half with NL leading 19-17.

“We usually can count on (Pengelly to get) around 15 points, and he’s our main inside presence,” said Bomber coach Joe Egan. “We lacked the true big guy, and we had to live and die by the 3 today.”

Although the Bulldogs only outscored Palmerton by three in the third, it felt like more than that with Nolehi’s style of play taking control.

While the Bombers were once again able to knock down a few more triples, the Bulldogs had their way in the paint, scoring 15 points in the quarter — capped off by a highlight-reel dunk from Bauer that even opposing coach Egan called “one of the best dunks I’ve ever seen in high school basketball.”

With a 34-29 deficit to begin the fourth, the Bombers finally found some offense in the paint but couldn’t stop Bauer. He added another eight points in the quarter to lengthen NL’s lead to nine and finished with a double-double — 24 points and 12 rebounds.

“My coaches and my teammates told me before the game to just let the game come to me,” he said. “Just like water, let it flow, just let the game come to me.”

With the game seemingly over, Palmerton showed its resiliency scoring eight straight points, including back-to-back threes from Jared Grammes, to make it a one-point game. However, the Bulldogs held on defensively and iced the game with three final free throws.

“I’m just really proud of their grit and their determination and the way that they buckled down,” said Waylen. “What I like the most about them is their discipline on defense. In intense moments, we’re showing that these kids can play when the pressure’s on.”

For the Bombers, injuries and lack of finishing hurt them, but coach Egan isn’t worried about how his team fights on the court no matter the circumstance.

“I’m proud of the way we fought tonight, but the bottom line is that we didn’t shoot as well as we needed to to win the game,” he said. “We shot 5-for-13 from the free throw line. We shot 8-for-27 from the three-point line, which is OK, but not where we want to be.

“We plan on shooting better, but we’re gonna keep that same level of physicality throughout the year and I think it will serve us well over time.”

For the victors, not only do they believe their rivalry with Palmerston has been rekindled, but they also believe that this is the start of a major change in how the program performs.

“We really showed tonight that we’re a more physical team,” said Colin Karetsky, who had 10 rebounds for NL. “We take pride in being a grittier team, a better defending team and a team that can take it to the basket, not just shoot threes. I think that’s something we lacked in the last few years that Coach Waylen brought to this team and really helped us succeed in that.”

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is; it’s going to be a dogfight every night,” said Bauer. “We’re coming out to win every single game. We’re making a new identity for Northern Lehigh basketball.”

NO BREAKS … Palmerton is right back on the court today hosting Pocono Mountain East, while Northern Lehigh entertains Notre Dame GP on Monday.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Daubert 4-1-2-11, K. Bauer 9-6-10-24, Karetsky 1-0-0-2, Fox 0-0-0-0, Schaffer 1-0-0-2, M. Bauer 1-4-6-6. TOTALS: 16-11-18-45.

PALMERTON

Jedrejczyk 3-0-2-7, Grammes 5-0-0-13, Delgado 0-1-2-1, Buck 1-2-2-4, Reph 2-0-5-6, McGowan 3-2-2-10, Lax 0-0-0-0, Stahler 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-5-13-41.

Northern Lehigh 10 9 15 11 - 45

Palmerton 9 8 12 12 - 41

Three-pointers: Northern Lehigh - Daubert 2; Palmerton - Grammes 3, Reph 2, McGowan 2, Jedrejczyk 1.

Records: Northern Lehigh (2-1; 1-0); Palmerton (0-2; 0-1).