A refuse to lose mentality.

That’s exactly what Northwestern played with in its Colonial League battle against Saucon Valley on Wednesday.

The Tigers certainly played with that type of tenacity in their fall sports season, and their boys’ basketball squad picked up right where all those teams left off.

With just two minutes left in the third quarter, Northwestern took control, starting a ferocious 21-0 run that led to an eventual 63-43 win over the Panthers.

The Tigers also got off to a good start, as they jumped out to a 16-4 lead, and held a 16-7 advantage after the first. Gavin Nelson hit two three-pointers in the quarter and scored of total of eight points to get the Northwestern offense going early.

“We preach defense. When I got this job a few years ago, it was a program that primarily played zone defense. But pretty much right away, they bought into playing man-to-man,” said Northwestern head coach Pat Wanamaker. “And Gavin Nelson was big for us tonight. He’s always been a really good basketball player, but now he’s an even more mature basketball player and you can see that. He hit some shots early tonight, and he’s also at his best out in transition, and defensively we were able to create some of those opportunities.”

Another strong start in the second quarter extended the Tigers’ lead to 15 (25–10), with Nelson staying in rhythm, as he hit a three-pointer to start the quarter, and followed that up with two more deuces.

But Saucon Valley started to settle in and chip away at the deficit. A Jack Robertson triple started a 13-6 run that cut Northwestern’s advantage to 31-23 at the half. A put back by Chase Best off a missed three as time expired gave Saucon Valley some momentum at the break.

The Panthers came out of the intermission and took the upper hand, with Robertson and Noah Weiss scoring back-to-back buckets to make it a three-point game. Saucon Valley continued to stay within striking distance for a majority of the third, and with 2:10 remaining in the frame trailed by just two (40-38).

“I think we got some better looks in the second and third quarters. A lot of it was shot selection. And then as always, having Jack Robertson helps. He made some tough shots during that span,” said Saucon Valley head coach Brett Snyder. “But they’re a very good team. We have had some battles with them over the past few years. You could tell they’re playing hungry. And I thought our guys played hard as well. We just need to improve and get better. You just have to tip your cap to Northwestern for playing a great game.”

Leading 40-38 late in the third, the Tigers began to bear down, forcing a few Panthers’ miscues in the last two minutes of the third to finish the frame on a 6-0 run to lead 46-38 going into the fourth. Shane Marth was big for Northwestern during that stretch, taking advantage of his 6-6 frame to score a few deuces off offensive boards.

Then came the huge run at the start of the fourth. A triple from Cannon Fitch got the Tigers going, and they never looked back. It was 51-38 after Fitch’s shot from the outside, and Northwestern went on to score 10 more points in a row, making it a 21-0 run in all for a 61-38 lead around the three-minute mark.

The Panthers finished the game shooting 2-for-16 from the field and 2-for-13 in the fourth, while the Tigers shot 7-for-10 in the fourth.

“Again, I thought we played great defense. We also have some young guys in that rotation, and there is not much of a drop off at all,” said Wanamaker. “I think you could see that rotation benefited us in the fourth quarter with our guys being more fresh. You could see that they were gassed, and we were able to get some easier buckets and put the game away.”

BIG NIGHT … Nelson had a big night for the Tigers, as he topped the scoring charts with 26 points, including four triples. Marth added 13 and was strong on the boards. For Saucon Valley, Robertson led the way with 14 points.

1,000-POINT CLUB … The Panthers’ Robertson passed a major milestone on Wednesday, surpassing the 1,000-point mark. It came after he hit a free throw with 3:19 to go in the third.

PRESSURE DEFENSE … The Tigers hound teams in the half-court, and it showed. Northwestern forced 18 Panthers’ turnovers, including six in the fourth quarter.

SAUCON VALLEY

Gilbert 1 0-0 3, Weiss 2 2-2 6, Miller 0 0-0 0, Robertson 5 1-4 14, Clark 4 1-2 9, Chaffier 0 0-0 0, Griffith 0 1-2 1, Best 2 0-0 5, Magnotta 1 1-1 3, Kerosetz 0 0-0 0, Albano 1 0-0 2, Hanna 0-0-0 0, Osman 0 0-0 0, Cohen 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16 6-11 43.

NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH

Krimmel 0 0-0 0, Bollinger 2 0-0 5, E. Zimmerman 3 3-4 9, Nelson 9 4-5 26, Marth 6 1-2 13, Wambold 0 0-0 0, Fitch 2 2-3 8, B. Zimmerman 0 0-0 0, Coleman 0 0-0 0, Fitzgerald 0 0-0 0, Berk 0 0-0 0, Lagowy 0 0-0 0, Wertman 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 23 10-14 63.

Saucon Valley 7 16 15 5 - 43

Northwestern 16 15 15 17 - 63

Three-pointers: Saucon Valley - Robertson 3, Gilbert 1, Best 1. Northwestern - Nelson 4, Fitch 2, Bollinger 1.

Records: Saucon Valley: (3-2); Northwestern (3-0)