Losses always hurt.

But some are more painful than others.

In a win and go to states, or lose and your season is over scenario facing the Lehighton boys Friday evening, the situation looked rather optimistic for the Indians at halftime.

Trevor Miller’s club made five three-pointers and played solid defense in building an eight-point advantage over Saucon Valley in the Class 4A consolation contest.

But a disastrous third quarter and a pair of empty possessions the last two times they had the ball resulted in a gut-wrenching 46-44 defeat and a sudden end to their year.

“This hurts,” said Miller. “This is right up there with one of the (toughest losses) I’ve been a part of.

“In that third quarter, I remember us getting layups that we missed, along with some wide-open looks that just didn’t go in. Even through all that, our defense kept us in that game but unfortunately if you don’t put the ball in the basket ... it doesn’t matter what your defense does, you’ve got to be able to score.”

Lehighton shot 10-of-21 from the floor in the opening half, including those five makes from distance, to grab a 29-21 advantage. Cole Dietz, who had missed the Indians’ semifinal game, did most of the damage with three treys and 13 points.

But in the pivotal third period, there seemed to be a lid on the Lehighton basket. The Tribe went 0-of-11 from the field, with inside shots not falling and perimeter jumpers rimming in-and-out. Saucon, meanwhile, found its offensive groove.

The Panthers, behind their leader Jack Robertson, went on a 15-0 run to turn their deficit into a 36-29 advantage. Robertson accounted for 11 of those points, but his biggest contribution was still to come.

“We knew this was going to be a war,” said Saucon Valley head coach Brett Snyder. “My biggest fear was they would come out and hit four threes in the first quarter ... and that’s exactly what went down. But I was very happy with our defensive intensity in the third quarter.

“They had a great game plan. They packed in a zone against us, and transition offense is tough when you can’t get stops. All of a sudden we started getting stops in the third quarter because of our defensive intensity. We got out and ran and the ball starts going through the ocean on our end. That’s basketball. It’s a game of runs.”

Six free throws, four by Joe Roth, helped the Indians close the gap near the end of the frame, while Caden Meek’s three-pointer early in the fourth pulled Lehighton within two at 40-38.

The two teams traded baskets before Andrew Gilbert’s layup off a steal set the score at 44-40 in favor of the Panthers with 1:07 to play.

Meek knocked down a pair of free throws with 48.3 seconds showing to pull Lehighton within two again.

Robertson managed a single free throw before Brayden Johnson’s baseline jumper trimmed the margin to one with 21 ticks remaining on the clock.

After a missed dunk attempt by Saucon’s Adam Clark in transition, the Indians had a chance to take the lead. But Robertson poked the ball away to give the Panthers possession.

Elijah Miller made a single free throw to put the Panthers up 46-44 with 2.9 left.

Lehighton moved the ball down court, but Robertson again reached in to disrupt the ball-handler and the Indians failed to get off a final shot.

“Jack, honestly, is special,” said Snyder. “Everyone always looks at boxscores in the newspaper, but there are just several plays in a game that don’t show up in a boxscore. We have the type of kids that make those plays, and it’s nice when your leader has such a will to win. And he just finds a way.”

“He’s just a really good all-around player,” added Miller of Robertson. “And he’s been doing it for four years. I’ve watched him from afar when we were in the Schuylkill League, and now I’ve seen him up close in person, and he’s about as good a point guard as you can have. And he showed that tonight. The multi-facet things that he can do for that team are impressive.”

SCORING LEADERS ... Robertson, who also came up with some key rebounds down the stretch, finished with a game-high 23 points, including five three-pointers while Clark ended with 13. Dietz topped Lehighton with 15, and Roth added 11.

SENIOR SO LONG ... The Indians will lose three key seniors from this season’s squad. “This senior group is part of a group that turned the program around. Obviously, without them we’re not in the position that we are right now ... Joe Roth was a 1,000-point scorer, Brayden Johnson was our point guard the last few years, and John Light was a spark plug his whole career. Those are guys that’s we’re going to really miss. And even the guys that don’t get a lot of playing time, as seniors they’re just positive guys to have in your program, and they’re all going to be missed.”

LEHIGHTON

Solt 0-0-0-0, Light 1-0-0-2, Meek 2-2-2-8, Johnson 1-0-0-2, Roberts 2-1-2-6, Roth 3-5-7-11, Dietz 4-4-4-15. TOTALS: 13-12-15-44.

SAUCON VALLEY

Gilbert 1-0-0-2, Weiss 0-0-0-0, Miller 2-1-4-6, Robertson 8-2-3-23, Chaffier 0-0-0-0, Best 0-0-0-0, Clark 5-3-3-13, Grim 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 17-6-10-46.

Lehighton 15 14 6 9 - 44

Saucon Vy. 10 11 17 8 - 46

Three-pointers: Lehighton - Dietz 3, Meek 2, Roberts 1; Saucon Valley - Robertson 5, Miller 1.

Records: Lehighton (17-9); Saucon Valley (21-6).