NORTHAMPTON - Most didn’t give Palmerton a chance.

But the Blue Bombers more than proved their worth - even in defeat.

Top-seeded Executive Education needed an outstanding fourth quarter to rally for a 54-42 victory in Wednesday’s District 11 Class 3A semifinal contest.

The final frame spoiled Palmerton’s upset bid and chance at a district title. The No. 4 seed Blue Bombers held a 10-point lead early and led at the end of each of the first three quarters.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the effort,” said Palmerton head coach Ken Termini. “I think a lot of people thought we were going to hold the ball. There was no way we worked all year to get to this point to hold the ball. We wanted to go right at them. In the first half, we were able to get inside and finish some of those.

“Unfortunately in the fourth quarter, the ball just didn’t want to go through the rim and they began to control the boards. You’ve got to give them credit. Their guards really played great in the fourth quarter. They hit all their free throws. Executive has hard-working talented players, but I think we showed tonight that Palmerton does, too.”

The Bombers (19-7) weren’t intimidated by the Raptors twin towers - 6-9 players Moustapha Sanoh and Lamine Sanoh - going on a 13-0 run in the opening period to gain a double-digit advantage. Six of those points came in the paint, as Jacob Grammes, Brayden Hosier and Chase Reph all hit from inside.

“Our first play was broken, but other than that we wanted to push the ball, we wanted to be physical on their bigs, and we thought we could get some stuff in transition as opposed to having them set up their defense,” said Termini. “We were able to do all those things ... We thought we could score if we’d push the ball. That was part of the game plan.”

After Executive closed the gap – cutting the deficit to four (17-13) midway through the second quarter – Grammes took a long pass for one of those transition baskets. That was followed moments later by a Justin Sebelin three-pointer that pushed the margin back to nine.

But the Raptors, as expected, wouldn’t go away.

Rylan Muniz drilled a three-pointer, and Jayden Sjipley followed a missed shot in the final 30 seconds of the first half to trim Palmerton’s lead to four at the break.

“They’re going to make plays,” said Termini. “They’re ranked No. 5 in the state in 3A ... Obviously you want to close out a quarter perfectly, but it’s an imperfect game played by kids who played their hearts out.”

Grammes opened the second half with a three, but Executive chipped away at the lead before it eventually went ahead late in the third quarter. A Hosier basket and free throw from Matt Machalik, however, allowed the Bombers to pull in front 33-32 with one period left to play.

That lead would be short-lived, though, as the Raptors used an 11-3 spurt to take control. Sjipley hit a couple baskets, Lamine Sanoh provided a thundering dunk, and Gabe Horneberger connected from long range. That was the start of a 22-9 fourth frame that propelled Executive (19-4) into the 3A championship game.

During the final eight minutes, the winners also converted all nine of their free throws.

“We knew we had to play close to a perfect game and in the second half, we had some turnovers, a couple forces, and we gave up a couple more rebounds, and that’s not good enough against a team like Executive,” said Termini.

“I think we kind of knew we were going to be in a battle with Palmerton,” said Raptor head coach Ray Barbosa. “Watching the film, we knew they were going to be scrappy and tough to play against ... In the fourth quarter, I think we just came out and executed. We were pleased with our defensive effort, because we knew that was going to win the game down the stretch. They only scored 17 points in the second half after scoring 25 in the first half.”

LEADERS ... Hosier scored a team-high 14 points for the Bombers, while Grammes ended with eight. Horneberger tallied a game-high 15 points - nine in the final quarter - for Executive. Muniz added 12, while Moustapha Sanoh finished with a double-double - 10 points and 15 rebounds. The Sanohs combined for 14 of their 17 points in the second half.

SPOT ON ... Coach Termini wrote down the No. 55 in the locker room before the game. “I put it on the board, 55. We thought if we could get to 55 and played defense, we would win. They scored 54. The 55 number was right on the money.”

UP NEXT ... Palmerton will face Notre Dame in the 3A consolation game on Saturday, while Executive takes on Saucon Valley in the championship game.

PALMERTON

Machalik 1-1-2-4, Sebelin 2-0-0-5, Robinson 1-0-0-2, Reph 3-0-0-7, Grammes 3-1-1-8, Hosier 6-2-4-14, Z. Anthony 1-0-0-2, L. Anthony 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-4-7-42.

EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Horneberger 4-6-6-15, Muniz 3-4-4-12, Sjipley 4-0-0-8, Lopez 0-0-2-0, M. Sanoh 4-2-3-10, L. Sanoh 3-1-1-7, Manning 1-0-0-2, Rios 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-13-16-54.

Palmerton 13 12 8 9 - 42

Executive Ed. 5 16 11 22 - 54

Three-pointers: Palmerton - Machalik 1, Sebelin 1, Reph 1, Grammes 1; Executive - Muniz 2, Horneberger 1.