There’s a saying in sports that goes, “It’s not how you start ... it’s how you finish.”

However, the hot shooting of Bomber junior Justin Hosier propelled his team to a 24-7 first frame lead, which proved to be just as crucial as any other part of Wednesday’s contest.

Eventually, Salisbury battled back and fought valiantly to the end, before the hosts prevailed 65-61 to improve to 5-1 this season.

“That was a great high school basketball game,” Palmerton head coach Ken Termini said. “I have nothing but respect for Salisbury and the job that coach Jason Weaver does. They took our best punch and just kept coming.”

A Quinton Stephens steal and lay-up opened the second period, and three straight buckets by the Blue Bombers swelled their lead to 30-9 with just over five minutes to play before half.

“It’s huge to get out to an early lead against a really good team like them,” Hosier said. “Especially the way they can shoot the ball. If we didn’t have that early lead, who knows what would have happened in the second half.”

The Falcons’ posted an 11-0 spurt in the second quarter, before the Bombers took a 36-25 lead into the lockerroom.

“I can’t explain the slow start by our guys,” Salisbury head coach Jason Weaver said. “We talked about how energized Palmerton has been playing and how good they’ve been playing lately, and we still came out a little flat. It’s unacceptable. We can’t be down 30-9 and give Hosier 19 in that first quarter.”

In the third, the Falcons continued to challenge and chip away at the Bomber lead, outscoring the hosts 15-11 in the session, to trail by six (47-41), heading into the fourth.

In the final eight minutes, the back-and-forth caused for some entertaining ball.

However, it was the Bombers’ free-throw shooting that proved to be an integral factor, as they finished 19-for-22 from the charity stripe in the game.

“The kids knew how well they shot from the line and they realize the importance of it,” Termini said. “It’s something we practice every day and we don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it, but that was huge.”

With the win, the Bombers move on to play Nazareth Saturday night in a non-league tilt, and Termini hopes to continue to move in the right direction.

“We have to work on attacking close outs, hedging some screens, and just keep getting better, because if you’re playing your best basketball in the summer, you’re not going to win anything in February,” Termini said.

SPARK PLUG ... With the Falcons climbing back into the game and momentum swinging slightly in their favor, the Bombers’ Seth Young came up with two of the biggest shots of his career - a pair of triples from the left corner on back-to-back possessions to provide his team with a much-needed boost.

BIG NATE ... Senior guard Nate Dougherty had another impressive outing with 18 points as he consistently got to the rim. He also added six assists.

SALISBURY

Foley 3-0-2-9, Weber 2-0-0-5, Sylvester 3-0-0-8, Stephens 3-5-7-11, Herrera 0-0-0-0, Frankenfield 2-0-0-4, Panariello 2-0-0-5, Warmkessel 2-0-0-4, Snyder 5-3-4-15. TOTALS: 22-8-13-61.

PALMERTON

Christman 0-0-0-0, Kratzer 2-0-0-4, Young 2-0-0-6, King 0-0-0-0, Dougherty 3-12-15-18, Hosier 10-7-7-33, Buck 0-0-0-0, Silfies 2-0-0-4. TOTALS: 19-19-22-65.

Salisbury 7 18 16 20 - 61

Palmerton 24 12 11 18 - 65

Three pointers: S - Foley 3, Sylvester 2, Snyder 2, Panariello 1; P - Hosier 6, Young 2.