Palmerton’s start on Tuesday night had to have caused a headache for Northwestern’s young squad.

The Blue Bombers came out of the gate pressing the Tigers to the hilt. After easing off a bit, Palmerton put the pedal to the metal one more time en route to a 50-39 Colonial League victory.

While both teams expect to improve as the season moves forward, the Bombers’ defense is already impressive early in the year. The way they cause turnovers with their full-court pressure can be taxing on any team, and that’s exactly what their boss wants.

“Yeah, we like to run the floor and press,” said Bomber head coach Jeremy Coleman, who watched his team race to an impressive 28-11 halftime lead.

Offensively, Palmerton (2-0; 1-0) attacked the rim and also looked for open shots - and it showed on the stat sheet, as it hardly missed during the second quarter.

One of the game’s keys evolved around Hannah Barry, who torched the nets for 17 first-half points. Barry would finish the contest with a game-high 26.

“She’s our go-to player,” said Coleman.

The senior knocked down three triples in the first half, and didn’t miss a shot from the floor during the early run.

“(Barry) is such a solid player, and we’ll be relying on her throughout the season,” Coleman said. “I’m happy for her.”

Palmerton was totally in command from the start and looked like it would sprint to the finish line. Barry’s three-pointer midway through the second period put the lead at 20-7.

“Hey, they’re a darn good team, and Barry is an exceptional player,” Tigers head coach Chris Deutsch said. “But we didn’t help ourselves. We got into that big hole and then we had to play (catch-up), and it took its (toll) on us.

“We were sloppy with the ball, and that’s two games in a row.”

Down by 17 at the half, Northwestern (1-1; 0-1) wasn’t in the best of positions. Not only did it face a huge deficit, but the team has three new starters in its lineup. Despite all that, the Tigers tried their best to get back in the contest.

Deutsch’s club found some semblance and rhythm in the third quarter. Brook Balliet, who finished with a team-high 12 points, discovered her range and connected twice from long range in the third quarter.

Northwestern also got a lift from Emma Freeman and Cara Thomas, who both finished the game with nine points.

Thanks to their efforts, the Tigers trimmed the margin to 37-28.

Palmerton, however, stemmed the tide thanks to its defense. The Bombers forced five turnovers down the stretch and outscored their opponents 13-11 over the final two-plus minutes to capture the victory.

“We had some lapses in our press, and we’ve got to shore that up a little bit,” said Coleman. “It’s a learning experience, and we’ll try and correct that in practice.”

PUNCHING NUMBERS … Barry’s big night was backed by Mikayla Pengelly, who finished with eight points. Courtney Connell and Megan Matsko were also key for the winners with seven and five rebounds, respectively. Palmerton shot 6-of-9 from the floor in the second quarter, and 8-of-11 during the final eight minutes.

ADDING IT UP … The Blue Bombers finished 16-of-39 from the field and collected 33 rebounds. The Tigers went 13-of-40 and picked up 26 boards, with Thomas leading her team with six.

JV SHORTHANDED …. The junior varsity game went to Palmerton, 39-16. The game was played using six-minute quarters, due to a lack of numbers. Hailey Barry led the Bombers with 15 points, while Emma Rex and Grace Schneider both scored six. Mallory Connor led Northwestern with seven.

NORTHWESTERN

Balliet 4-2-2-12, Freeman 3-1-2-9, Thomas 4-1-4-9, Reinhart 1-3-4-5, Fenstermacher 02-2-2, Gober 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 13-9-14-39.

PALMERTON

Barry 9-5-6-26, Pengelly 3-0-0-8, Matsko 3-0-4-6, Frantz 2-1-2-5, Rex 1-0-0-3, Connell 1-0-0-2, Morgan 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-6-12-50.

Northwestern 5 6 9 19 - 39

Palmerton 11 17 3 19 - 50

Three-pointers: Northwestern - Balliet 2, Freeman 2; Palmerton - Barry 3, Pengelly 2, Rex 1.