D-11 4A Girls’ Basketball: Thomas leads Northwestern Lehigh past Blue Mountain
The Blue Mountain girls' basketball team huddles during a timeout during a District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals game against Northwestern Lehigh. The Tigers defeated the Eagles 34-28 (photo by Eli Doyle).
LEHIGHTON — It was truly a battle for all four quarters.
Cara Thomas netted a game-high 18 points as Northwestern Lehigh edged Blue Mountain 34-28 in a District 11 Class 4A girls’ basketball quarterfinal at Lehighton Elementary School.
Thomas was a menace against the Eagles and head coach Rose Carper all game. A 5-foot-8 senior guard, Thomas personified the Tigers’ ability to play stand-up defense and also run the floor.
“(Northwestern Lehigh’s) length,” Carper said about frustrations in the matchup. “They have some long arms. With Thomas out there in the front kind of poking everything away, it makes it kind of difficult to try to get into the paint a little bit. It can be hard to get shots off sometimes and that kind of rushes you sometimes on offense.”
Northwestern Lehigh’s Olivia Reinhart netted a pair of free throws to get the Tigers on the board for the first score of the game. Thomas added a fast-break layup for Northwestern to break a nearly 3-minute scoreless stretch.
Blue Mountain battled back as Cameryn Campbell and Makayla Keck gave the Eagles the lead 9-8 with 30 seconds left in the first. The Tigers went empty to finish the quarter. Campbell collected six points and Keck added a 3-pointer.
Northwestern started the second quarter with a 14-0 scoring run capped by a bucket and free throw by Paige Bissell followed by another fastbreak layup by Thomas. The Tigers’ defense was stifling and ferocious as they held Blue Mountain scoreless through the frame until Kelly Canfield split a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left to play in the quarter.
Northwestern Lehigh dominated the quarter and outscored the Eagles 14-1 and led 22-10 at halftime.
The Eagles had a renewed sense of urgency after the break.
“At halftime I said ‘Look, we’re not going to get this all back all at one time,'” Carper said. “One stop, one score, and take it one piece at a time. I have a team that doesn’t ever give up. And they never gave up. They never gave up the whole season when we had some tough battles and showed tonight that they played with heart the whole time, and a never give up attitude.”
After what felt like a chess match to begin the quarter, Ruby Henninger netted a pair of 3’s and totaled eight points after the midway point of the third quarter to cut Northwestern’s lead to three. Peel netted a layup to bring Blue Mountain within one and then did it again to give the Eagles the lead at 27-26.
Blue Mountain outscored the Tigers 17-4 in the third and willed its way to a 1-point lead heading to the final quarter of regulation.
