WHITEHALL - It was a game that left fans breathless.

The District 11 Class 2A girls quarterfinal round game on Saturday between Northern Lehigh and Panther Valley was a high-scoring, evenly matched, offensive battle that couldn’t be settled in regulation play

The Bulldogs ultimately found a way to escape with an 85-84 win. And it was definitely an escape - with the winning basket coming with 1.4 seconds remaining.

“It’s a shame for either team to lose that game because both teams played with a lot of heart,” said Northern Lehigh coach Chris Heery about the contest.

The entire game was a thriller.

First, Panther Valley jumped out to a six point lead at the start of the game, before Northern Lehigh fought back and went ahead by seven.

The Dawgs held that lead for most of the afternoon and midway through the fourth quarter led by 12. But Panther Valley rallied and eventually tied it in the final seconds to send it into an extra period.

In the four-minute overtime, Northern Lehigh scored the first five points. Adding to the Panther woes, leading scorer Maddison Maynard got her fifth foul - becoming the second Panther starter to foul out.

Panther Valley coach Rob Kovac admitted that he thought his team was doomed at this point.

But that wasn’t the case.

The Panthers began to commit deliberate fouls and force Northern Lehigh to convert from the free throw line. It seemed like a good plan, considering that up to this point the Bulldogs were just 15-for-31 from the line. But the plan backfired as the Bulldogs connect on nine of 12 free throws down the stretch.

Despite the Bulldogs’ heroics at the line, however, the Panthers found a way to once again rally. Panther Valley made five baskets - one by Brenna McAndrew and then four in a row by star outside shooter Sera Robin, including a trio of three-pointers . The final shot by Robin came with :17 to play and put PV ahead, 84-83.

Northern Lehigh didn’t give up, either. The Bulldogs pushed the ball downcourt where Dekota Barthold sunk a bucket with 1.4-seconds left to give her team the win.

“Give credit to Northern Lehigh, they shot the ball so well,” said Kovac. “And if they didn’t, we’d probably would be playing on Wednesday.”

Four of the five Bulldog starters hit double figures, with Aubrey Pollard netting 31 points, Dekota Barthold 19, Katelyn Barthold 18 and Cadence Peters with 12.

Heery pointed out a big stat for Peters as she was the leading rebounder with 14.

Heery aid it was fortunate his team had a good night offensively because, “I don’t think anything on our defense worked well tonight, to be honest with you. Defensively, we were actually doing a lot of things we wanted to do and were giving Maddie (Maynard) hard shots, but she was making them.”

Maynard - who was averaging 21.9 points coming into the game - was the top scorer for PV with 37. She was a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line. Robin added 24, including six three-pointers.

“Losing in the playoffs is always painful but when you lose like this it’s even tougher,” said Kovac. “We’re so proud of the kids. We had a lot of chances to check-out today, but we dug our heels in and we just kept battling.

“We just kept finding ways to lengthen the game. We turned it into a marathon and held on. I’m so proud of them. “It’s a great learning experience for next year. We have everybody back but one (player). I think better days are ahead for us.”

A LOT OF POINTS ... Both teams had their season-high in points. This was the second meeting of the season for the two teams. They met in the season opener with the Bulldogs winning 69-55. Until Saturday, those 69 points were the most NL scored in a game. Panther Valley’s highest scoring game was against Mahanoy when they also scored 69 points.

GOOD DAYS AHEAD ... Both teams have a lot of talent coming back. For PV, its only senior is Robin. Northern Lehigh has two seniors on its roster - Peters and Aiyanna Bosch. Peters is the only starting senior.

NEXT UP ... No. 4 seed Northern Lehigh (14-9) will now face top-seeded Marian on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Martz Hall in Pottsvile. Panther Valley finishes the season with a 12-11 record..

PANTHER VALLEY

Krapf 2-0-0-5, Vermillion 3-0-0-9, Robin 9-0-0-24, Maynard 13-10-10-37, Orsulak 2-1-6-5, O’Brien 0-0-0-0, Yuricheck 1-0-0-2, McAndrew 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 31-11-16-84.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Whalen 1-2-12-5, K. Barthold 6-5-6-8, Pollard 9-10-15-31, Bosch 0-0-0-0, Barthold 7-3-6,19, Peters 4-4-4-12, Snyder 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 27-24-43-85.

Panther Valley 13 13 20 26 12 - 84

Northern Lehigh 21 16 18 17 13 - 85

Three pointers: Northern Lehigh - Pollard 3, D. Barthold 2, Whalen 1, K Barthold 1; Panther Valley - Robin 6, Vermillion 3, Krapf 1, Maynard 1.