CATASAUQUA - Panther Valley and Notre Dame Green Pond have become familiar foes recently, facing each other the past three seasons in the District 11 Class 3A playoffs.

Saturday afternoon’s quarterfinal matchup served as the rubber match between the Panthers and Crusaders, as PV earned a victory in 2020 in the district championship game, and Notre Dame posted a win over the Panthers last year.

It was yet again another classic between the two squads, as they battled back-and-forth for the duration of the contest, but it was the Crusaders who came away with the win in dramatic fashion on a game-winning buzzer beater from Lucas Altmire.

Altmire’s turnaround jumper from around 18 feet at the right elbow gave Notre Dame a 49-47 victory and a spot in Wednesday’s semifinal round.

“You know, I’m going to have a talk with these guys because that wasn’t the play we were supposed to run,” said Notre Dame head coach Pat Boyle. “It was supposed to be a clear out for Sean Howlett, but it obviously all worked out.

“Lucas wasn’t even supposed to be up there by the elbow, he was supposed to be down near the baseline, but when the play broke down they improvised, and Lucas made a great shot.”

From the start, the game was tight. The Crusaders led 18-17 after one and 34-28 at the half, controlling the first two quarters.

But the Panthers did just enough to stay within striking distance.

PV took its first lead since early in the first quarter in the third on a Bradley Hood triple at the 3:30 mark. Hood was impressive for the Panthers, hitting big shots and scoring eight of his team-high 13 points in the second half.

A three from Howlett on the Crusaders’ ensuing possession would give the advantage right back to Notre Dame, and they would finish the frame strong to lead 36-33 heading into the fourth.

That was the story for Notre Dame, as it was able to answer every one of Panther Valley’s offensive runs, and when the Crusaders struggled offensively, they never let the Panthers capitalize.

“That was a great basketball game,” said Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie. “Defensively, I was really proud of the way we played, especially the last three quarters. There were just some times where a few shots that usually would go down for us, just didn’t.

“I think our kids arguably played their best game of the year, but bottom line and at the end of the day, we just needed to make a few more shots. And the last possession, I thought we played great defense, but Altmire just made a great shot.”

The fourth quarter served as a slug fest as the two teams swapped the lead on numerous occasions, with the game coming down to the wire. Trailing 47-45, Panther Valley’s Chase Weaver hit back-to-back free throws to tie it at 47, with the Crusaders then getting the ball with 11.7 seconds remaining.

Howlett would get the play started for Notre Dame from the left wing, and after he didn’t like what he saw as the Panthers shut off his driving lane, he passed to Altmire, who popped to the right elbow and attempted the turn around fadeaway jumper that went through the net for the win.

LEADERS ... Howlett scored a game-high 17 points for Notre Dame, with Zach Rodgers adding 11. Stephen Hood added nine on three triples, and Michael Pascoe chipped in with eight for PV.

NEXT UP ... The Panthers finish the season 12-11, and return their entire starting lineup for next season. Notre Dame will play at Dock Mennonite in the semis.

PANTHER VALLEY

Kokinda 1 0-0 3, Weaver 2 2-2 6, Orsulak 0 0-0 0, B. Hood 5 0-1 13, Pascoe 3 2-6 8, S. Hood 3 0-0 9, Hadley 1 2-2 4, Turner 2 0-0 4, Goida 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17 6-11 47.

NOTRE DAME

Rodgers 5 0-0 11, McMenimen 0 0-0 0, Becker 1 1-2 4, Vassallo 2 0-0 4, C. Boyle 1 0-0 2, Howlett 6 4-5 17, Marcks 2 2-2 7, Altmire 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 19 7-9 49.

Panther Valley 18 6 9 14 - 47

Notre Dame-GP 17 11 8 13 - 49

Three-pointers: Panther Valley - B. Hood 3, S. Hood 3, Kokinda 1; Notre Dame - Rodgers 1, Becker 1 Howlett 1, Marcks 1.