CATASAUQUA - As the six seed in the District 11 Class 4A tournament, Northwestern came into its quarterfinal game against Bethlehem Catholic as a decided underdog.

At first, the label appeared that it would be deserved as the Golden Hawks controlled play throughout the first quarter. After that, though, the Tigers showed themselves to be a worthy opponent and battled Bethlehem Catholic to the final seconds of the game before falling 50-45.

Becahi opened a quick 8-2 lead and then pushed it to 14-6 with under a minute left in the first quarter. From there, Northwestern went on a 10-4 run to make it a two-point game before Steven Recchio dropped a buzzer-beater to put Bethlehem Catholic up 20-16 going into halftime.

To open the second half, Tiger senior Dylan Witkowski hit a three-pointer and followed it with a little jumper to bring Northwestern within one point at 22-21 with 4:48 left in the third quarter. The Tigers took their first lead of the game when Ethan Lazarus nailed a shot from just in front of the basket with 2:35 left in the quarter to put his team up 25-24.

Momentum continued to swing and by the time the buzzer sounded, the Golden Hawks had reclaimed a slight advantage at 31-29, this time using a last-second shot from Edixon Gomez to close out the quarter.

Gomez opened the fourth with another make- this time nailing a three-pointer to establish a seven-point Hawks lead at 36-29.

“I was proud of our guys because of the way that they never got down on themselves and they didn’t concede anything to them all night,” said Northwestern head coach Cory Cesare. “They are a good, physical team and we sometimes struggle against teams that play a sort of in-your-face style of defense, but we handled it well tonight and kept bouncing back.”

The next swing came with a 9-4 run as a three from Cade Christopher and a drive by Witkowski made it 40-38 Becahi with 4:31 left in regulation. Later, a turnaround jumper by Gavin Nelson followed by another basket from Witkowski gave the Tigers a 45-44 advantage with 1:38 left in the game.

Bethlehem Catholic used a timeout to regroup, and senior Jared Richardson was fouled while hitting a jumper. He dropped in the free throw to put the Hawks up by two.

Northwestern failed to make a final run, and Gomez hit on two of his four free throws to open a four-point lead with just two seconds to play.

“It’s been a long season and it really has been a roller coaster ride ... but to have them compete to the last second like that was everything I could have wished for,” said Cesare. “Our guys stayed under control and kept our composure all year, and it was no different tonight.”

The loss ends the Tigers season at 12-12.

“We are a young team, and we start two freshmen, but the three seniors that we have really worked to keep our team together and keep us going this season,” said Cesare.

“I have learned a lot about what it takes to be successful in this position and how to manage personalities and I have enjoyed the experience. I plan to come back next year and for as long as they will have me.”

GROWTH SPURT ... At five-feet, freshman Eli Zimmerman is an unlikely spark plug for Northwestern. After not seeing much playing time earlier in the season, Zimmerman kept showing his worth in practice and played more minutes in the two playoff games than he did all season. Opponents have learned not to underestimate his toughness. Becahi’s Gomez is now a believer. “When I saw him the first time, I said ‘This kid is not that good, he’s so little.’” said Gomez. “Now, I say ‘The kid works hard, and he’s got good talent and he’s likely to go far.’”

GONERS ... Northwestern has just three seniors - Josh Heilman, Ethan Lazarus, and Dylan Witkowski - on its roster. Cesare was quick to credit them with helping the team get as far as they did this season.

NORTHWESTERN

Fitch 0-0-0-0, Christopher 3-0-0-7, Zimmerman 1-2-2-4, Nelson 4-4-4-13, Lazarus 3-0-0-6, Witkowski 6-2-2-15. TOTALS: 17-8-8-45.

BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC

Soto 0-0-0-0, Vidal 2-1-2-5, Cercado 3-0-0-7, Gomez 5-3-4-15, Glassmacher 4-0-0-10, Rompilla 1-0-0-2, Richardson 3-1-1-7, Recchio 1-2-4-6. TOTALS: 19-7-11-50.

Northwestern 8 8 13 16 - 45

Becahi 14 6 11 19 - 50

Three-pointers: Northwestern - Christopher 1, Nelson 1, Witkowski 1; Bethlehem Catholic - Gomez 2, Glassmacher 2, Cercado 1.