The Palmerton girls basketball team has their eyes on the prize.

The Blue Bombers faced off against Wilson on Saturday in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals, and came away with a 55-41 victory to secure a spot in the semifinals.

After losing to Catasauqua in the opening round of districts last year, the Bombers were eager to redeem themselves — and they bounced back in convincing fashion.

Palmerton held the lead from start to finish, ending the first quarter with an eight-point advantage over the Warriors. By halftime, the margin had grown to 14.

Getting ahead was largely due to the Bombers’ skillful ball movement, allowing for several open shots to drop.

“Certainly our best asset is just how unselfish we are,” said Bomber head coach Jeremy Coleman. “We have four or five players that average eight to 10 points a game, so the girls don’t have any egos. They don’t care who scores. They just want to win.

“It’s so helpful to our offense and how everything works and operates when we just move the ball around, and it doesn’t matter who’s scoring. Nobody is looking to keep up their average or whatnot. Everybody is just sharing the ball and just trying to make the best play possible.”

It wasn’t until the second half that the Warriors began challenging the Bombers.

Wilson applied immense pressure to the Bombers, making for a physical and fast-paced final two quarters. Despite the pressure, the Bombers kept their edge, actually extending the lead to 17 points after the third frame.

While the Warriors’ defense didn’t result in changing the outcome, it did give Palmerton a taste of what might be coming in the next round of the playoffs.

“I think it was an eye-opening experience, especially at the end when they started to pressure us,” said Coleman. “We know that North Schuylkill is going to be pressuring us a lot, so that was kind of a vision into the future to see and to practice against that type of pressure because that’s what we’re going to be facing in the next game.

“That was helpful to kind of get that experience and hopefully we learn from it and grow, and we’re able to handle that pressure in the next game.”

The victory proved that the Bombers can handle pressure situations and it also, to a degree, helped the disappointment from a year ago.

Any momentum Palmerton gained from the win will undoubtedly boost its confidence when challenged by No. 2 seed North Schuylkill in the semifinals.

As for the Warriors, their effort in the second half wasn’t enough to put them in the lead, ultimately bringing their season to an end.

TOP SCORERS ... Palmerton’s experienced players made large contributions to their 55-point total. Junior Courtney Connell was their leading scorer with 18 points, while junior Hailey Barry wasn’t far behind with 14. Senior Ella Baumgardt added eight. For the Warriors, senior Abymarie Colon scored a team-high 14 points, and freshman Juliana Bonham chipped in with eight.

UP NEXT ... The win assured Palmerton of at least two more games. The Bombers face North Schuylkill on Wednesday in the District 11 semifinals. The game will be played at Blue Mountain with a 6 p.m. start time. Win or lose, Coleman’s team will return to action Saturday in either the championship game or the consolation contest.

WILSON

A. Colon 5-2-6-14, K. Colon 2-0-0-5, Schmitt 1-0-0-2, Bonham 2-4-4-8, Fredericks 1-0-0-2, L. Thomas 0-0-0-0, Stackhouse 2-0-0-4, T. Bonham 1-0-0-2, Hartzell-Ham 2-0-2-4. TOTALS: 16-6-12-41.

PALMERTON

Pengelly 2-0-0-5, Baumgardt 2-3-4-8, Schneider 2-0-0-4, Morgan 2-2-2-6, Barry 5-0-0-14, Connell 8-2-4-18. TOTALS: 21-7-10-55.

Wilson 5 8 9 19 - 41

Palmerton 13 14 12 16 - 55

Three-pointers: Wilson - A. Colon 2, K. Colon 1; Palmerton - Barry 4, Pengelly 1, Baumgardt 1.