The high school basketball gods set up the perfect scenario for Tuesday’s boys basketball game between Lehighton and Jim Thorpe.

It was the final game of the regular season for both teams, as the matchup between the two schools is a heated rivalry.

At stake was a ticket to the Colonial League playoffs for the winner.

With only a single point separating the Indians from the Olympians at the half, the Tribe shut down Thorpe’s offense in the final 16 minutes for a 62-45 victory.

From the opening tip, the contest represented a football game played in shorts with a basketball. Three fouls were called in the first two minutes. Ten fouls were called in the first period. Nineteen called in the first half.

Altogether, 39 fouls — including two technicals — were called. With 2:42 left in the opening period, the Tribe was already in the bonus at the free-throw line.

Thorpe struck first on a three-pointer by Michael Antignani with 20 seconds gone by that brought the home crowd to their feet.

After a Blake Roberts layup for Lehighton, Cole Lazorick popped a three-ball for the Red, White and Blue for a 6-2 Thorpe lead. Lazorick struck again with a three-pointer at the top of the key, giving his team what would be their biggest lead of the night at 9-5.

With Thorpe holding the advantage at 15-14, the Indians’ Cole Dietz hit a driving layup at the buzzer to put the Tribe up 16-15 going into the second period.

The game stayed physical and the score stayed close.

Roberts, who led all scorers with 26 points, was a force inside the paint for the Maroon and White. His jumper at the 5:40 mark of the second session put his team up 22-17, and with 1:40 left before the break his putback tied the score at 28.

The Olympians stormed back. Blaze Flyzik drilled a basket from downtown to break the tie, but Roberts answered with layup and a free throw. Pierce Gothard then brought the crowd to its feet again with a steal and a driving full-court layup to cut the deficit to one point — 34-33 — at the intermission.

Roberts scored 12 of his points in the second half.

“My game is to play strong inside,” he said. “I play physical and go straight up with mid-range shots and if I miss, I can still draw fouls.”

The game changed direction in the second half as the Tribe’s defense held Thorpe to just six points in each of the last two periods.

Coach Trevor Miller’s triangle and two defense worked to perfection.

“We played man on Gothard and another on Brody Schrantz, their two big scorers,” said Miller, “and it made all the difference in the outcome.”

While giving up just two buckets in the third period, Lehighton gradually increased their one-point halftime lead.

Lebanon Valley College commit Cole Dietz tallied 10 points in the session on two baskets and six free throws off of personal and technical fouls called against the Olympians. Dietz scored 22 in the game, and combined with Roberts, the two combined for 48 of Lehighton’s 62 total points.

Dietz is used to drawing the best defenders.

“I get face guarded and double teamed all the time,” he said. “I stay confident and composed. My teammates believe in me.”

Dietz gave credit for the dominating second half to his team’s defense.

“Aiden Solt and Aiden McCarroll did a great job shutting down their big shooters.”

Jim Thorpe coach Brian O’Donnell was able to keep the score close, but foul trouble forced him to play younger and less experienced players.

“It’s good that we got some experience for them,” he said. “That said, we still had some good looks in the second half but we couldn’t knock them down.”

Although they didn’t qualify for the league tournament, the Olympians are headed for the District 11 playoffs for the first time in four years.

“It was tough to lose our last home game,” said O’Donnell, “but we exceeded expectations this season ... We have more basketball ahead of us later this month, and I’m especially happy for our seniors who get to keep playing.”

Miller said the win was a big comeback from the first time the Tribe played the Olympians — won by Thorpe, 65-42.

“We needed to match their physicality, and we did tonight,” he said. “Our seniors have a ton of experience, and they know our expectations. They were exceptional in the game playing both ends of the court.”

Roberts put their big win into perspective.

“This game was super important to us, not just because of the rivalry and what was at stake, but they took it to us the first time we played.”

THE “BLARGE” … In the second period, a double foul was called. One official called a blocking foul on Lehighton against a JT player driving to the basket. At the exact same time, another official called a charge against the Thorpe player. A “blarge” is a slang term for a rare double foul, and by rule both players were charged with personal fouls.

UP NEXT? … Jim Thorpe awaits a date and an opponent to be named later this month in the D-11 tournament. Lehighton will play Friday in the Colonial League tournament.

LEHIGHTON

Roberts 11-3-4-26, Dietz 7-7-10-22, Meek 1-4-4-6, White 2-0-0-4, Fairchild 1-0-0-3, Solt 1-1-2-1, Seidler 0-0-0-0, McCarroll 0-0-0-0, Steigerwalt 0-0-0-0, Hunsicker 0-0-0-0, Birchak 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-15-20-62.

JIM THORPE

P. Gothard 6-2-3-18, Lazorick 2-0-0-6, Antignani 2-0-2-5, Flyzik 2-0-0-5, Schrantz 1-2-2-5, Moore 1-0-0-2, Kiehl 1-0-0-2, Reese 1-0-0-2, Hoherchek 0-0-0-0, S. Gothard 0-0-0-0, Levins 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-4-9-45.

Lehighton 16 18 19 9 - 62

Jim Thorpe 15 18 6 6 - 45

Three pointers: Lehighton - Fairchild 1, Roberts 1, Dietz 1; Jim Thorpe - P. Gothard 4, Lazorick 2, Antignani 1, Flyzik 1, Schrantz 1.

Team records: Lehighton (13-9; 10-8); Jim Thorpe (10-12; 9-9).