Northwestern Lehigh pulled away in the second and third quarters to earn a 62-33 Colonial League victory over Palmerton on Saturday afternoon, extending its winning streak to five games.

For a while, it appeared the Bombers and Tigers might be headed for a tight, back-and-forth battle. Northwestern jumped out to a 9-1 lead before Palmerton answered with a 12-2 run to take a 13-11 advantage with 1:29 left in the first quarter. By the end of the period, the teams were tied at 15.

The back-and-forth continued into the second quarter, with Palmerton holding a 22-20 lead midway through the period. That’s when Northwestern seized control.

The Tigers closed the half on a 10-0 run, then opened the third quarter with five more unanswered points to build a 35-22 lead with 5:45 remaining in the period.

Brady Krimmel scored seven of his nine points in the second quarter to help spark the surge.

“I think we’re pretty gritty, and I think we are starting to come together as a unit,” Northwestern coach Pat Wanamaker said. “I think when we play as one, especially defensively, we’re really strong. That was the biggest thing we talked about today at the half, was defense.”

That message carried over after halftime, as Northwestern’s defense limited Palmerton to just four points in the third quarter.

While Krimmel led the second-quarter push, Malachi Coleman took over coming out of the locker room. Coleman scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the third quarter as the Tigers stretched their lead to 41-26.

“We were just pushing it, and we started to look for the open spots,” Coleman said. “We weren’t really swinging the ball around the whole key, so that’s what we changed in the second half.”

As seniors, both Coleman and Cannon Fitch have embraced leadership roles, helping bring the Tigers together both on and off the court.

“Malachi and Cannon put more time in during the offseason than most players do; they’re basketball junkies, they love the game,” Wanamaker said. “Malachi did some really good things today and made some shots down the stretch. Cannon wasn’t making shots like he usually does from the outside, but he still was doing the right thing, playing super hard defensively. Those guys get all the credit, and they deserve all the recognition and accolades they have coming.”

With Northwestern firmly in control, both teams emptied their benches in the fourth quarter, allowing younger players to gain varsity experience. The Tigers maintained their advantage and closed out the 29-point win.

Northwestern placed three players in double figures, led by Coleman with 19 points. Mason Bollinger added 13, and Krimmel finished with 10. Braylen Delgado paced Palmerton with seven points.

HOW TO WIN AT BASKETBALL… Northwestern continues to follow a successful formula. The Tigers have topped 60 points in four of their five games this season, while allowing fewer points in each consecutive contest. After surrendering 56 points in their opener at Southern Lehigh, Northwestern has since given up 47, 41, 40 and 33 points.

PALMERTON

Grammes 2-2-2-6, Pengelly 2-0-0-4, Delgado 1-4-8-7, Reph 0-0-0-0, McGowan 2-0-0-5, Jedrejczyk 0-5-6-5, Buck 1-2-2-4, Stahler 0-0-0-0, Gursky 0-0-0-0, Rex 0-0-0-0, Lax 0-0-0-0, Pereira 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 9-13-18-33.

NORTHWESTERN

Bollinger 5-3-4-13, Zimmerman 3-1-3-7, Fitch 1-0-0-3, Krimmel 3-4-4-10, Coleman 7-2-3-19, Lagowy 0-0-0-0, Berk 1-1-2-3, Wertman 1-0-0-2, Mish 0-0-0-0, Hechler 0-0-0-0, Kumernitsky 0-0-0-0, Smith 0-0-0-0, Levano-Isley 0-2-4-2, Snyder 0-0-0-0, Kozlowski 1-0-0-3, Nicholas 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-13-20-62.

Palmerton 15 7 4 7 — 33

Northwestern 15 15 21 11 — 62

Three-pointers: Palmerton—Delgado, McGowan; Northwestern—Coleman 3, Fitch, Kozlowski.

Records: Palmerton (2-9, 2-7); Northwestern (5-0, 5-0).