Karissa Hough knew she couldn’t wait.

It took the Lehighton junior 96 seconds to slam the ball into the back of the cage.

Hough’s game-opening goal set the tone in Lehighton’s 5-1 win over Palmerton in the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Game of the Week on Thursday.

“We knew that both of our teams were good, so getting on the board early was really big for us,” said Hough. “We just know that we have to get on a roll and keep going, and keep up our intensity throughout the whole game.”

Hough, the LVHN Player of the Game, needed just 1:26 to open the scoring for the Indians (10-3-1), who held a 19-4 advantage in shots on goal and a 16-2 edge in corners.

Goals from Gabriela Szozda (23:30) and Alicia Shaffer (16:45) gave the Indians a 3-0 advantage midway through the first half.

“Once the momentum starts going, we usually keep it going. As long as we come out hard, we keep going hard,” said Lehighton’s Kaia Slaw.

“With our team, the earlier we score the better, because then we keep playing with that intensity,” added Alison Miller.

Miller was one of five players to score for the Indians, who showcased a balanced attack that has powered their offense throughout the season.

“We’re passing so much more, we’re playing so much more as a team,” Miller said. “Everybody’s getting opportunities to score, and everybody is scoring.”

Sayler Burke got the Bombers (6-6-1) on the board with 16:15 remaining in the first half to cut the deficit to 3-1 at the break.

But Lehighton’s defense controlled play, and limited Burke’s scoring opportunities in stifling the Palmerton offense.

“We worked a lot yesterday on drop-marking,” said Indians’ head coach Vanessa Rimbey. “So in case she gets a fast break, say, down the right (side of the field), we have our left side busting back and getting back there. So our mids and our backs are getting back, and I think they did well with that. I feel like she didn’t get many touches on the ball, we kind of double-teamed her a little bit, and shut her down before she even had time to use her speed, and go forward.”

Goals from Jade Schleicher (21:53) and Miller (3:06) in the second half finished the scoring for Lehighton.

“Our defense today was great, and our offense - our passing – was phenomenal,” said Hough. “I think it was really great today.”

Coming off an 8-0 win over Catasauqua on Monday, the Indians appear to be hitting their stride as the season winds down, something that’s no surprise to Rimbey.

“They are really clicking,” she said. “It’s a passing game, so I really see them working together in triangles with people they play around. They’re doing well.”

With sophomore Emily Baumgardt out of the lineup, Palmerton head coach Pat Frank acknowledged that the team struggled to find its rhythm throughout the contest.

“If Sayler was open, and she got the ball, there weren’t too many opportunities for her to pass around, because we were just out of position most of the night,” Frank said. “About 80 percent of any pass we had went to White (Lehighton). And we can’t do that. We didn’t cut to the ball. It just wasn’t our day.”

While Frank recognized that the slow start hurt his team, he said that he liked what he saw after the intermission.

“We had players step up in that second half,” Frank said. “The first half, I kind of think we were shell-shocked. The second half, that was two different games out there.”

CLOSE CALLS

… Lehighton has played five one-goal games this season. The Indians are 4-1 in those contests. Their only loss was to Nazareth, a 4-3 setback on Sept. 29. “We have a lot to look forward to. We have to keep up with how we’re playing, and just keep it going,” said Hough.

LOOKING AHEAD

… Lehighton is currently second in the District 11 Class A standings behind Moravian Academy. The Indians are scheduled to close out their regular season against the Lions on Oct. 13. Palmerton is fifth, and will wrap-up its regular season next Thursday against Northern Lehigh.