NORTHAMPTON — Tuesday night marked the third time this season that Colonial League foes Northwestern and Lehighton faced off.

Except this time, there was a lot more on the line, as a trip to the District 11 4A finals awaited the winners.

It was the Tigers’ defense that once again proved to be the deciding factor, just like it was in the previous two battles. Northwestern’s pressure spurred a huge run late in the first quarter, helping it pull away for a 52-36 victory over the Tribe.

Lehighton was without standout shooting guard Cole Dietz (16.3 ppg, 79 three-pointers), as he was ruled out due to an illness. But still, the Indians got off to a strong start, leading 9-4 early.

Blake Roberts got hot for the Tribe, popping two early three-pointers. However, Northwestern then turned up the heat.

A three from Shane Marth got the Tigers’ run going, and a string of steals from Northwestern led to transition opportunities, quickly putting the Tigers in front 11-9 with 1:30 remaining in the quarter.

Another big triple, this time from Cannon Fitch, gained even more separation for Northwestern, but it was the Tigers’ defensive barrage with about 30 seconds to go in the frame that put the game firmly in their favor.

Three straight steals to end the first, with back-to-back finishes from Eli Zimmerman and a strong lay in by Gavin Nelson, capped off an 18-0 run to give Northwestern a 22-9 advantage. Zimmerman led the way with eight points in the first as the Tigers forced eight Lehighton turnovers.

“We talk a lot about defense. It’s what we preach. We work hard on it every day at practice,” said Northwestern head coach Pat Wanamaker. “That’s what we’ve been able to do all season long, is make runs because of our defense. And luckily we did, because they battled back.

“And we’re not surprised by that. They have some really good players, and they’re well coached and well prepared. We expected them to battle. Again, it was big going on that run, because it built up a cushion for us.”

The Indians weathered the storm, and were able to chip away at the Tigers’ lead. Lehighton kept its deficit at 13 going into the half.

Three-pointers from Talin Fairchild and Roberts helped keep Northwestern from getting too far in front. The Tribe then made their move in the third quarter, going on an 8-2 to start the frame.

Joe Roth scored all eight points for Lehighton during the rally, as it cut Northwestern’s lead to seven (34-27), and later to six (37-31) at the 2:02 mark.

The Tigers ended the third with two free throws by Shane Marth to take a 39-31 advantage into the fourth.

“I thought our guys responded really well to some of the adjustments that we made. We wanted to make it a priority to get the ball to Joe Roth and have him attack the basket,” said Lehighton head coach Trevor Miller. “We were able to do that, and we were able to chip away at the lead. But it seemed like any time we would get some momentum, we would turn the ball over.

“We knew we had to limit our turnovers, but we just turned the ball over too much. Credit to them. That is what they do, and they thrive on it. And I thought when we were able to get them in half-court sets against our half-court defense that we did a pretty good job. But unfortunately our turnovers too many times led to easy transition points for them.”

A make from beyond the arc to start the fourth by Zimmerman gave the Tigers some breathing room, upping their lead to 11 (42-31). Northwestern’s defense, as it was late in the first quarter, was once again swarming, as it allowed just five points in the fourth.

An 11-2 Tigers’ run made it 50-33 late to ice it, sending Northwestern to the District 11 4A championship game.

“This is what we all wanted and worked so hard for. It’s great for our kids, the school and the community, but it’s also great for the program,” said Wanamaker. “1998 was the last time we played in a district final. So, it’s been a really long time. I’m just grateful I get even more time with these guys to coach them. It’s a special group to be around. The longer I can be with them the better.”

BOX SCORE … Eli Zimmerman led all scorers with a game-high 19 points, while Nelson added 14. Marth chipped in with 11 points, and also came through with 11 rebounds and four blocks. For Lehighton, Roth scored 17 and Roberts added 12.

FAST AND FURIOUS … Forcing turnovers is what this Northwestern team does. The Tigers forced 17 Lehighton turnovers in this one.

NEXT UP … No. 1 Northwestern will take on No. 2 Allentown Central Catholic on Friday at 8 p.m. at Easton in the 4A championship. Lehighton and Saucon Valley will battle for a chance to head to the state tournament in the 4A consolation game at 6 p.m. on Friday at Northern Lehigh.

LEHIGHTON

Light 0 0-0 0, Meek 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 2-2 2, Roberts 4 1-2 12, Roth 7 2-2 17, Solt 0 0-0 0, Fairchild 2 0-0 5. TOTALS: 13 5-6 36.

NORTHWESTERN

Krimmel 1 0-0 2, Bollinger 0 1-2 1, E. Zimmerman 9 0-2 19, Nelson $ 4-6 14, Marth 4 2-2 11, Wambold 1 0-0 2, Fitch 1 0-0 3, B. Zimmerman 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21 7-12 52.

Lehighton 9 10 12 5 - 36

Northwestern 22 10 7 13 - 52

Three-pointers: Lehighton - Roberts 3, Fairchild 1, Roth 1; Northwestern - Marth 1, Fitch 1, E. Zimmerman 1.

Records: Lehighton (17-8); Northwestern (24-2).