On Tuesday night, Northern Lehigh outlasted a late run by Marian Catholic in the District XI Class 2A Girls Basketball Semifinal.
The game, held at Martz Hall, saw Northern Lehigh take an early lead in the first quarter, ending with a score of 19-9 in their favor. Marian Catholic, however, refused to back down, closing the gap by halftime with Northern Lehigh leading 30-20.
As the tension mounted in the third quarter, Marian Catholic staged a remarkable comeback, bringing the score to a Northern Lehigh 40 Marian 39 score by the end of the period.
In a back-and-forth final quarter, both teams fought tooth and nail. Ultimately, it was Northern Lehigh who held their nerve, clinching a narrow victory with a final score of 52-49.
Aubrey Pollard led the scoring for Northern Lehigh with 15 points, closely followed by Teegan Simms with 13 points and Dekota Barthold contributing 11 points.
Marian Catholic's Addie Fritz lead their scoring with 16 points, supported by Carly Minchhoff with 12 points and Deanna Pugh adding 9 points.
With this victory, Northern Lehigh advances to the Girls Class 2A District XI Championship, where they will face Minersville on Friday night at Martz Hall at 6:00 pm.
Meanwhile, Marian Catholic will look to bounce back as they prepare to take on Schuylkill Haven in a Consolation game for the last spot in the PIAA Class 2A Tournament. The consolation game is scheduled for Friday at 6:00 pm at Blue Mountain High School.
