During the first three years of their varsity careers, Palmerton’s Raegan Nemeth and Brianna Moore have grown into their respective roles on the girls basketball team.

And in each season, those roles have helped the Blue Bombers reach both the Colonial League and District 11 playoffs.

But for whatever reason, the program just couldn’t reach the ultimate prize - a championship.

As freshmen, the two were part of a team that finished runner-up in districts.

A year ago, they had to settle for silver medals in the league and district playoffs.

Even this season, despite being the No. 1 seed in the league, Palmerton couldn’t gain that elusive title when it was upset in the finals to Northwestern.

All that changed, however, in this year’s district playoffs.

Relying on patience and hard work, Nemeth and Moore finally reached the top of the mountain when the Bombers won the Class 3A crown - the program’s first district title since 1997.

“We’ve been wanting this,” said Moore, one of the Bombers’ tri-captains, along with Nemeth and junior Bethie Morgan. “We’ve been working hard for this postseason. I thought we worked very well together to finally come away with that gold medal.”

Moore - who reached the 1,000-point club earlier this season - is the team’s leading scorer and a spark plug on both offense and defense.

Nemeth, meanwhile, continues to be the Bombers’ main threat from long range, adding to her program’s three-point record - which is currently at 145.

Besides their play on the court, the two upperclassmen have also stressed another factor which helped lead to their gold medals.

“If we put our minds to it, we can work hard and accomplish anything together,” said Nemeth. “And that’s exactly what we did to win the district title this year.”

Following its loss to Northwestern in the league finals, the team adopted a “united we stand” attitude, and were set on completing unfinished business in district play.

A usually soft-spoken Nemeth was quick to talk about what it finally took to get over the hump and capture a championship, along with what it will take to continue winning in the state playoffs.

“We just need to continue to talk constantly out on the floor to keep on winning, and remain positive if our shots aren’t going in,” Nemeth said. “And that’s what I had to do. As I kept shooting, I stayed confident within that we could win our games.

“I think it boosted our ego winning these games, and it opened our eyes that we can do anything if we just keep working together as a team.”

Nemeth and Moore both scored 15 points in the Bombers’ District 11/12 subregional semifinal win against Executive Education Academy Charter School. The victory clinched the district title, as Pine Grove lost in the other subregional contest, leaving Palmerton as the only team left from District 11.

The Bombers followed that close decision with a decisive 54-27 triumph over MaST Charter School in the subregional final. Moore led her team with 17 points, while Nemeth hit for 14 - including a pair of three-pointers.

The pair hope the winning ways continue when the state playoffs begin tonight. Palmerton will face the No. 4 seed out of District 12 - Martin Luther King, which competes in the Philadelphia Public League’s American Conference. The Cougars are 9-5 this season, having defeated Philadelphia High School for Girls 33-32 in the District 12 playoffs, before falling to Audenried 56-12.

The Bombers will host the game, which starts at 7 p.m., with the winner returning to action Friday against either Riverside or Towanda.

“We were not expecting to have another home game this season,” said Moore. “As seniors, for Raegan and I, to be able to come back and have another home game, it feels really good for us since we ended on a loss on our home court.

“So, if we’re able to come out with this win, it will feel really amazing. It just feels good to have another chance to play on our home court in front of our community and fans.”