Creating offense with defense has always been a successful way to generate quality shot opportunities.

Palmerton was able to do just that on Tuesday in its Colonial League matchup with Northern Lehigh.

The Bombers (9-4) pressure defense was stellar from the onset, forcing eight Bulldogs’ turnovers in the first quarter to set the tone and enable them to come away with a 58-50 victory.

With the game knotted at six, the Palmerton defense picked up the pressure. Brianna Moore and Beth Morgan led the charge, combining for 10 points in the first quarter, mostly all coming off turnovers and transition baskets.

The Bombers built a 19-12 lead as they shot 9-for-16 from the field.

“It was good to get out to that early lead, because we needed it as the game went on,” said Palmerton head coach Dan Beck. “We were able to put some pressure on them early and at different times throughout the game, which definitely helped us out offensively.

“Getting that early lead was definitely needed. I also thought we did some nice things defensively tonight.”

Leading 31-22 at intermission, it looked as if the Bombers were going to pull away in the third quarter. A 13-3 run to start the quarter put them up 19.

Moore was the catalyst in the third, scoring 11 points. The junior scored in a variety of ways, getting buckets from beyond the arc, in transition and with the midrange jumper.

But as they did throughout the contest, the Bulldogs (4-5) battled back, led by Emma Niebell’s nine-point third-quarter effort. Niebell’s play helped NL close to within 48-37 heading into the fourth.

“We’ve only played nine games so far this season,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Ken Shankweiler. “That’s no excuse and I’m not giving excuses, but there’s a lot of new girls out there and everyone is still getting to know each other, so I think that’s where some of our turnover issues are coming from right now.

“But these girls work hard and they play hard, and as you can see tonight, they battle. I’m proud of the effort; they didn’t quit.”

There was certainly no quit in Northern Lehigh as Palmerton looked to hit dagger after dagger in the fourth, but the Bulldogs kept on coming back.

Northern Lehigh outscored the Bombers in the fourth quarter and had a chance to cut their deficit to six points with just under a minute remaining. But the Bulldogs’ drive inside from the left block didn’t go down, and on Palmerton’s ensuing offensive possession, a lay-up from Reagan Nemeth put the game away.

LEADERS … Moore scored a game-high 24 points for Palmerton. Morgan and Nemeth each added 10. For Northern Lehigh, Niebell hit five triples in the game on her way to a team-high 22. Madison Seier had a nice night, chipping in with 13.

TURNOVER TOWN … Palmerton forced 22 Northern Lehigh turnovers, which led to a host of transition baskets. The Bulldogs were never able to generate any consistent momentum due to their turnover woes.

PALMERTON

Moore 11-0-0-24, Morgan 4-1-2-10, Nemeth 4-0-1-10, Balliet 4-0-0-8, Matsko 1-2-2-4, Frantz 1-0-0-2, Barry 0-0-0-0, Gursky 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 25-3-5-58.

NO. LEHIGH

Niebell 8-1-3-22, Seier 5-3-7-13, Pollard 3-4-8-10, Hunsicker 1-0-0-3, Whalen 0-2-2-2, Lear 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-10-20-50.

Palmerton 19 12 17 10 - 58

No. Lehigh 12 10 15 13 - 50

Three-pointers: No. Lehigh: Niebell 5, Hunsicker 1; Palmerton: Moore 2, Nemeth 2, Morgan 1.