In the postseason, there’s no room for panic — only response.

The Lehighton girls basketball team delivered one when it mattered most Friday night, closing strong in a win-or-go-home matchup to defeat Wilson 55-48 in the Colonial League quarterfinals.

The Indians jumped out to a 7-1 lead early, setting the tone defensively and on the glass.

Olivia Serfass was active from the opening tip, pulling down nearly half-a-dozen rebounds in the first quarter. Wilson answered with a 6-0 run late in the period to pull even at 7-7 after one.

The game remained tight throughout the second.

The Indians briefly regained the lead when Ava Serfass buried a three-pointer to make it 22-19 with 2:03 left in the half, but Wilson closed the period with a surge. Three-pointers from Lianah Thomas and Julia Bonham gave the Warriors a 25-22 edge with 51 seconds remaining, and Bonham added two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to send Wilson into halftime ahead 27-22.

“I told them it was a tale of two halves,” Lehighton coach Nadia Gauronsky said. “They hit some shots early, we didn’t. I just told them to calm down and play the second half.”

Wilson pushed its lead to seven twice in the third quarter, going up 29-22 and later 33-26. Lehighton responded behind Olivia Serfass, who scored eight straight points to put the Indians back in front 34-33 with 2:43 to play. Wilson countered with a 5-0 run, but Serfass drilled a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining to trim the deficit to 39-37 entering the fourth.

“We played really resilient and played through the ups and downs of basketball,” Serfass said. “That’s super exciting and promising going into bigger games where it’s win-or-go-home.”

Lehighton took control at the foul line early in the final period, making five of its first six attempts during the first two minutes of the fourth to grab a 42-40 lead. Ava Serfass, Brielle Parliman and Ryleigh Trotman all delivered from the stripe during the stretch.

Julia Bonham tied the game at 42-42 on a driving basket with just over four minutes left, but Olivia Serfass answered with a basket at the 3:32 mark to put Lehighton back in front for good.

A basket by Kiera Hartzell-Ham cut the deficit to 46-44 with 1:30 remaining, but the Warriors wouldn’t get any closer.

Lehighton sealed the win by going 9-for-12 from the foul line over the final 1:12. Up 49-44 with 38.1 seconds left, Trotman grabbed a rebound after a missed free throw and was fouled, a hustle play that summed up the Indians’ effort on the night.

“That’s just how our team is,” Trotman said. “It doesn’t matter who scores. Anybody’s number can be called, and we trust everybody to do their job.”

Lehighton’s effort extended well beyond the box score. Olivia Serfass, Trotman, Leah Uyvari, Parliman and Ava Serfass were key contributors defensively with rebounds, steals and blocks. Cayley Reph also made her presence felt early, forcing a turnover in the first quarter.

Gauronsky said the performance was made more meaningful by the circumstances.

“We’ve been battling illness all week,” she said. “Every one of our players has dealt with something. For them to rally and push through that was really important and invaluable.”

Olivia Serfass led Lehighton with 23 points. Ava Serfass added 15 points, and Trotman finished with 13 as Lehighton shot 25-for-34 from the foul line.

Wilson was led by Julia Bonham’s 24 points. Hartzell-Ham added seven as the Warriors will now gear up for the District 11 Class 4A playoffs. Lehighton improved to 21-2 and advanced in the Colonial League semifinals on Wednesday.

“This group has constantly put the team first,” Gauronsky said. “They rally around each other, and that’s why they’ve been successful.”

UP NEXT ... Lehighton, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, will face second seed Northwestern Wednesday at Whitehall in the semifinals at 6 p.m. The Tigers topped the Indians in both regular season meetings by narrow margins, winning the first game 51-49 and the second meeting 43-42.

PREVIOUSLY ... Lehighton had won the teams’ lone regular-season meeting against Wilson, a 59-38 decision in the second game of the season on Dec. 8.

WILSON

Colon 0-0-0-0, Schmitt 1-0-0-2, J. Bonham 10-3-4-24, Dalpe 2-0-0-4, Thomas 2-0-0-5, Stackhouse 2-0-0-4, T. Bonham 1-0-0-2, Hartzell-Ham 3-1-2-7. TOTALS: 21-4-6-48.

LEHIGHTON

O. Serfass 7-8-12-23, Reph 0-0-0-0, Uyvari 1-0-0-3, Trotman 1-11-12-13, A. Serfass 4-5-6-15, Parliman 0-1-4-1. TOTALS: 13-25-34-55.

Wilson 7 20 12 9 - 48

Lehighton 7 15 15 18 - 55

Three-pointers: Wilson - J. Bonham 1, Thomas 1. Lehighton - A. Serfass 2, O. Serfass 1, Uyvari 1.

Records: Wilson (16-7); Lehighton (21-2).