EASTON - Palmerton is coming for the crown.

The Bombers dethroned defending champs Notre Dame Green Pond with a 34-32 victory in Wednesday’s Colonial League semifinals, capping another fourth-quarter comeback.

It marked the second straight night Palmerton faced a deficit entering the final period.

After erasing a four-point margin in Tuesday’s quarterfinal game against Southern Lehigh, the Bombers climbed out of a five-point hole against the Crusaders to punch their ticket to Friday’s championship game against top seed Northwestern.

“We’ve been down eight, 10 points already; 11, 12 points already, and we’ve come back,” said Palmerton head coach Dan Beck. “Five was nothing. It was getting towards the end of the game, but still, they’re playing with some confidence, and they don’t care if they’re down a couple of points. They think they can play.”

No matter the circumstances, the third-seeded Bombers (11-4) have not flinched.

Not in a 50-43 quarterfinal win against Southern Lehigh on Tuesday, when they trailed by 11 in the third quarter.

And certainly not against No. 2 seed Notre Dame.

Junior Brianna Moore scored six of her team-high 10 points in the fourth quarter. The last of those points came on a dramatic drive with 0:22 remaining to put Palmerton ahead.

“Of course in those big moments when the game is tight, it’s really nerve-wracking for everybody,” said Moore. “But we had really good composure, and we knew what we needed to do to come up with some big plays towards the end, and that’s what was going to win us the game.

“This wasn’t a single player game. Everyone contributed, and I’m really proud of the whole team and their hard work.”

Moore started the rally with back-to-back baskets, the second coming off a steal, to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 30-29.

A basket from Raegan Cooper put the Crusaders (10-4) ahead by three with 3:45 to play.

But Raegan Nemeth (eight points) buried a three-pointer two minutes later to tie it at 32.

For Moore, crunchtime was winning time.

“After the timeout, it was tied and the plan was for me to get the ball in the post and take it to the basket,” she said. “If I couldn’t get a shot off, I would look to dish it.

“I got the shot off – I missed it, but I got my rebound, went back up and had a huge basket to keep the momentum going. And we worked hard on defense.”

The Bombers allowed just two points in the final quarter.

Notre Dame got one more crack after inbounding near midcourt with: 05 to play, but could only manage a desperation heave as time expired.

“They’re stepping up at the end,” said Beck. “They never gave up. There’s a lot of talent on this team. We have some young kids, some experienced kids, but they play as a team, and they work hard.”

Antonia Bates had a game-high 15 points for the Crusaders.

“I think it really shows what we are as a team,” said Bombers’ freshman Megan Matsko. “If you leave your heart out there on the floor, if you gave it everything you had, even if you lose, you can’t go out of the gym with your head hung.

“I think we knew that if we just hustled, it really keeps your mind in the game and the momentum going and when you get that play that’s just right there, you know that you want to come back and you want to win it. It really empowers you.”

The Bombers have had no trouble making the most of those moments.

UP EARLY … Two free throws from Moore gave Palmerton a 16-7 lead with 5:39 to play in the second quarter, the largest advantage either team had in the game. The Crusaders closed the period on an 11-2 run to tie it at 18 at halftime.

PERIMETER DEFENSE ... In a 55-54 win over Palmerton on Feb. 8, the Crusaders knocked down 11 threes. They had five on Wednesday.

THIRD TIME THE CHARM? … Northwestern has defeated Palmerton twice this season. The Tigers earned a 63-36 victory in their first meeting on Jan. 14, and posted a 49-42 win on Feb. 13.

PALMERTON

Frantz 1-0-0-2, Gursky 0-0-0-0, Matsko 1-3-4-5, Balliet 1-0-0-2, Nemeth 2-0-0-8, Morgan 3-1-3-7, Moore 4-2-4-10. TOTALS: 13-6-11-34.

NOTRE DAME

Medei 3-0-2-7, Grim 0-0-0-0, DeFranco 0-0-0-0, Micklos 2-0-0-5, Cooper 2-0-0-5, Santos 0-0-0-0, Bates 6-1-1-15, Altmire 0-0-0-0, Zambo 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-1-3-32.

Palmerton 12 6 7 9 - 34

Notre Dame 7 11 12 2 - 32

Three-pointers: Palmerton – Nemeth 2. ND – Bates 2, Cooper 1, Micklos 1, Medei 1.