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Bombers roll into CL title game

CATASAUQUA - After losing just one game all season, the Blue Bombers were determined not to lose again.

In Wednesday’s Colonial League semifinal game against Wilson, they threw a little bit of everything at the Warriors and returned home with a 50-31 win along with a ticket to the league finals for the second straight season.

Even though she would not admit it, the night belonged to Palmerton junior Bethie Morgan, who finished with a career-high 26 points - 18 of which came in the first half as Palmerton (21-1) opened with a commanding lead.

An 18-point second quarter, with 10 coming from Morgan, sealed the deal and put the Bombers up by 17 at halftime.

“I got the most points tonight, but the girls are getting me the ball,” said Morgan. “It’s not just me. It’s a team effort. We just play as a team.”

Much of getting the ball to Morgan came from senior Brianna Moore, who is the team’s leading scorer this season. Moore hit for 11 of her own points, but was content feeding the ball to Morgan and having her finish off the plays.

“We have been playing together since we were little,” said Morgan. “I know she’s an animal and can get up the court, so I can just throw it and know she will be there. It’s the same with me getting passes from her. It just feels great having that connection on the court not just with Bri, but with all the girls.”

Up 8-6 with two minutes left in the first quarter, Palmerton went on its first big run of the night with 13 unanswered points that took them to the midway point of the second frame and opened a 15-point lead.

The Bombers opened the third quarter with a nice jump shot from Moore to go up by 19, before Wilson looked to chip away and went on an 8-0 spurt.

Palmerton, however, matched the run with one of its own to lead 40-21 with 6:42 left in the game. The Bombers’ run put a padlock on the game, and gave the starters the rest of the night off.

For Wilson (16-8), senior Brielle Reidinger led the scoring with 14 points, while junior Keyearah Volious tallied seven.

Turnovers hurt Wilson, especially early in the game, when it gave up the ball 13 times in the first 16 minutes of play.

Wilson will regroup and get ready for the District 11 tournament. Currently, the Warriors are seeded fifth in Class 4A.

Meanwhile, Palmerton and Northwestern will square off at Freedom High School in Bethlehem Friday night for the Colonial League title.

The game will be a rematch of last year’s championship, which was won by the Tigers. At least one member of Palmerton’s team has been quietly hoping for a rematch.

“I wanted them personally,” said Morgan of playing against Northwestern. “They beat us three times last year, and now we have a chance to get our third win against them this year. I think it would mean a lot to us to beat them.”

THE GAME PLAN ... “We need to control (Paige) Sevrain,” said Palmerton coach Dan Beck of the upcoming game against Northwestern (20-4) for the Colonial League Championship. “They have a couple role players, and hopefully they don’t get hot from the outside. Sevrain is their key, and if we can limit her shots and her rebounds, I think we will be OK.” Palmerton beat Northwestern 53-40 early in the season, and then downed them 50-42 in late January. Sevrain, who averages 14 points per game, scored 10 in the first meeting, and 13 in the latest outing.

CLEAN GAME ... The teams combined for just 10 total fouls in the game, six from Palmerton and four from Wilson. They combined to go 3-for-6 from the line, with neither team getting any free shots in the second quarter of the game.

WILSON

Reynolds 1-0-0-2, Errico 2-0-0-4, Mustafa 0-0-0-0, Volious 3-0-2-7, Roth 2-0-0-4, Reidinger 7-0-0-14. TOTALS: 15-0-2-31.

PALMERTON

Bollinger 0-0-0-0, Frantz 0-0-0-0, Peterson 0-0-0-0, Barry 0-0-0-0, Matsko 4-0-0-8, Pengelly 0-0-0-0, Balliet 1-0-0-2, Nemeth 1-1-2-3, Morgan 11-2-2-26, Moore 5-0-0-11. TOTALS: 22-3-4-50.

Wilson 6 7 8 10 - 31

Palmerton 12 18 8 12 - 50

Three-pointers: Wilson - Volious 1; Palmerton - Morgan 2, Moore 1.

Brianna Moore (32) of Palmerton lays up a shot over Wilson defender Brielle Reidinger. NANCY SCHOLZ/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS