CATASAUQUA - Palmerton needed its best two players to come through in the second half of Saturday’s District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal.

And they did just that, as Brayden Hosier’s outburst early in the second half, combined with Matt Machalik’s stellar play over the final 11 minutes of the game sealed the Blue Bombers’ 62-51 win over Salisbury.

It also earned them a spot in Wednesday’s semifinal against top-seeded Executive Academy.

The No. 5 seed Falcons held a 23-18 halftime lead Saturday at Catasauqua High School before Hosier scored his team’s first 11 points of the second half, giving the No. 4 seed Bombers their first lead of the game at 29-28 with 3:06 left in the third quarter. They held the lead for the rest of the contest.

Hosier, who picked up two fouls in the first four minutes, was held scoreless in the first half. All of his 17 points came after halftime.

“I hit one shot, and then my teammates fed me the ball,” said Hosier, a second-team All-Colonial League player. “If it wasn’t for my teammates I wouldn’t have gotten those looks. I was feeling it. I didn’t do much in the first half. I felt like I had to come out and prove myself, and I did.”

Machalik, a first-team All-Colonial League player, also had a big second half, scoring 20 of his game-high 26 points over the final 11 minutes of the game.

“We knew the shots weren’t falling in the beginning,” said Machalik. “It was a credit to their defense. They played really good defense against us. We just had to be confident in our shots and ourselves, and that’s what we did in the second half and we finished it out.”

Machalik scored seven points in the final 2:54 of the third quarter, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer that stretched the Palmerton lead to 38-32 after three quarters.

While it was Salisbury’s defense that shined in the first half, the Bombers (18-7) locked things down in the second half, and the fourth quarter in particular, as they used a 12-2 run to take a 50-36 lead with 4:17 left. The run was capped by a Machalik three-point play.

“Our two all-league players stepped up,” said Bomber head coach Ken Termini. “But we also have to recognize the play of Kyle Sebelin, who showed a lot of poise, and Zach Anthony, who just battled tough inside for rebounds, and Chase Reph and all the other guys. It was a team effort.”

After holding Palmerton to just 18 points in the first half, the Falcons (12-12) saw their opponent score in the 20s in each of the final two quarters.

“We had a great first half,” said Salisbury head coach Jason Weaver. “We held them to 18, and I think we gave up 40-something in the second half. That’s the issue. Our defense has been our calling card all year, and we can’t give up 40 in a half.”

With a team that starts three sophomores, Termini said it was important for his players to come into the game with hunger and urgency.

“Our message to the team before the game was, what’s the season going to be remembered as? Palmerton looks exciting for the future, or are we here now and arrived? I think our two all-league players stepped up and showed we’re here now.”

SECOND-HALF SUCCESS

... Palmerton shot just 1-for-10 from three-point range in the first half, and 8-for-25 from the field. In the second half, the Bombers made five-of-nine attempts, including making four-of-seven in the third quarter. They shot 12-for-21 from the field in the second half.

SOLID AT THE STRIPE

... The Bombers went 12-for-20 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Five different Palmerton players went to the line in the final stanza, and all of them made at least one of their two attempts. Machalik’s 6-for-9 effort led the way.

SEMIFINAL MATCH UP

… Palmerton will now take on top-seeded Executive Academy Charter in the semifinals Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Southern Lehigh. The winner advances to next Saturday’s title game and locks up a spot in the state playoffs, while the semifinal loser will play in a third-place game for the district’s third state-playoff berth.

SALISBURY

Artis 5-0-1-12, Lovelidge 2-0-0-4, Foley 0-0-0-0, Zellin 0-0-0-0, Lopez 3-0-0-8, Fenstermaker 3-1-2-7, Bleam 3-3-6-9, Utesch 4-3-6-11, Day 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-7-15-51.

PALMERTON

Machalik 8-7-13-26, J. Sebelin 0-0-0-0, Robinson 1-0-0-2, Reph 2-1-3-5, Leister 0-0-0-0, K. Sebelin 2-2-4-6, Grammes 2-0-0-4, Hosier 6-2-2-17, Tworkowsky 0-0-0-0, Anthony 0-2-3-2. TOTALS: 21-14-25-62.

Salisbury 11 12 9 19 - 51

Palmerton 7 11 20 24 - 62

Three-pointers: Salisbury - Artis 2, Lopez 2; Palmerton - Machalik 3, Hosier 3.