Blue Bombers cruise past MLK
Fast and furious.
That’s how Palmerton likes to start off a game, using its full-court pressure to get out to an early lead, creating offense with its defense.
The Blue Bombers accomplished just that on Tuesday evening in their PIAA Class 3A first round matchup against the No. 4 seed out of District 12 - Martin Luther King.
It was off to the races for Palmerton from the tip against the Cougars, forcing turnovers and getting out in transition, helping it get out to a supersonic 17-0 start and come away with a convincing 49-31 victory.
It was the first state playoff win for Palmerton (24-2) in 25 years.
“Our goal right from the start was to press them. We didn’t have any film on them, so we didn’t really know what they had,” said Blue Bombers head coach Dan Beck. “But once we got in our pressure, we saw they were a young team, and we could have some success with our press. We got out to a nice a lead, which helped us get the win.”
The Bombers forced 11 Martin Luther King turnovers in the first quarter to lead 21-4 at the end of one. Bethie Morgan - who has been playing her best basketball of the season down the stretch - scored 11 of Palmerton’s first 13 points.
The Bombers continued their dominant play to start the second, going on a 8-0 run to lead 29-4, fueled by more turnovers and more transition offense. Palmerton gave up just two more buckets in the frame to hold a 31-8 advantage at intermission.
“We didn’t know anything about them, so we just wanted to come in and play our game and play fast,” said Palmerton senior guard Brianna Moore, who had four steals and eight points in the first half.
“We were working hard in our press and we got on the fast break, and that’s when we’re at our best.”
The Cougars played much better in the second half, albeit with Palmerton getting out of its press and rotating many different lineups throughout that span.
MLK outscored the Bombers 12-11 in the third, but Palmerton still held a 22-point lead after three. Ashanti Williams finished the third on a 6-0 run of her own to get some positive things going for the Cougars.
The Bombers finished the fourth with a full lineup of reserves and young players, closing out the win to advance to the second round.
“We have a full team of girls here that come to practice every day and practice hard, so it was good to get some of our younger players some experience in a state playoff game,” said Beck. “The more experience the better. We’re looking forward to moving on to the next round and competing.”
LEADERS
... Morgan led the way with 13 points for the Bombers, with Moore adding 10.
NEXT UP
... Palmerton will now move on to the second round, where it will play District 2 champion Riverside (21-4), which defeated Towanda 57-29.
MARTIN LUTHER KING
Devero 4-2-2-10, Williams 6-0-0-12, Harris 0-0-1-0, Watson 1-0-0-2, Patterson 0-0-2-0, Chance 3-0-0-7. TOTALS: 14-2-5-31.
PALMERTON
Bollinger 1-0-0-2, Frantz 3-0-0-7, Peterson 1-0-0-2, Barry 1-1-2-3, Matsko 1-0-0-2, Pengelly 0-0-4-0, Balliet 0-1-2-1, Nemeth 2-0-0-5, Andrews 2-0-2-4, Morgan 6-0-0-13, Moore 5-0-2-10. TOTALS: 22-2-12-49.
Martin LK 4 4 12 11 - 31
Palmerton 21 10 11 7 - 49
Three-pointers: Martin Luther King - Chance 1; Palmerton - Nemeth 1, Morgan 1, Frantz 1.