North Schuylkill coach Rich Wetzel talks things over with his squad during a timeout in Wednesday's District 11 Class 4A girls' basketball semifinal against Palmerton (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

BRODHEADSVILLE — The three-point shot.

In the modern world of basketball, hitting from distance has become not only more prevalent — but a much-needed weapon.

In Saturday’s District 11 Class 4A girls’ basketball consolation, the perimeter game was once again a major factor as Northwestern Lehigh used its outside touch to earn a 51-34 victory over North Schuylkill at Pleasant Valley High School and a berth in the PIAA state playoffs.

The Tigers went 8-of-21 from beyond the arc, including five from Brook Balliet, while the Spartans managed just 3-of-19. Simple math shows that five extra threes result in 15 more points — which nearly matched the margin of victory.

“We knew going into this game we were going to have to make some three-point shots,” Northwestern Lehigh coach Chris Deutsch said. “They play a really good zone, and those are the shots they do give up, but you have to take advantage of it. And I thought we did a good job taking advantage of that.

“You don’t see the mid-range game anymore. It’s either a three-point shot or a layup. We’re not overly big, and we do rely on the three-point shot. It was big today, eight to three in three-point shots, so that makes a big difference …

“In today’s game you have to be able to make three-point shots.”

Balliet knocked down three of her treys in the opening six minutes to help the top-seeded Tigers (24-4) gain a 17-6 lead. After North Schuylkill (19-8) rallied in the second quarter, trimming a double-digit deficit to just one by halftime, Balliet connected two more times in the third with her second bumping Northwestern’s lead to 41-31.

“We were coming off a terrible loss (to Palmerton in the semifinals), but the girls were pretty focused Thursday (at practice),” North Schuylkill coach Rich Wetzel said. “We went over how to take those threes away, but we just got lost sometimes.

“I do my research, and (Natalie Conner) was around 60 (threes made this season) and others were in the 20s, maybe 30 at most.

“They’re going to hit some open looks … It wasn’t like we were going to let her shoot it. But I was more worried about the kid that had 60 than the kid that has 25.”

Balliet — and her teammates — recognized that she was being given ground and made the most of her open looks.

“I definitely had a good shooting day today,” said Balliet, who was 5-of-8 behind the 3-point arc. “My teammates were finding me and seeing me, and I was open a lot of the time, so I was able to get up a lot of shots … I’m just happy that I was able to help my team out a lot.

“They were in that 2-3 (zone) and they were leaving me open. We were able to rotate the ball pretty quick and my teammates were able to swing the ball from one side of the court to the other, and that would lead me wide open. So, I would just take my time on those shots and was able to help me keep my composure when I had a little bit more time.”

While Balliet was hot early, things cooled off for the Tigers in the second frame. The Spartans forced seven turnovers and Northwestern went 1-of-12 from the floor. That allowed North Schuylkill to get back in the game, as Jadelin Stitzer’s five points helped pull the second-seeded Spartans within 20-19 at intermission.

“You have to execute what we go over, and in the second quarter we did what we had to do,” Wetzel said. “We held them to one bucket … but we didn’t make up enough ground. Free throws (9-of-20 in the game) hurt us a little bit again.

“My kids played hard, and I’m proud of them every single year. We lost four starters and nobody gave us a chance to really do anything, and they did much more than people thought they would.”

Balliet helped the Tigers regain a 10-point advantage, but North Schuylkill managed to narrow the gap again — pulling within 32-29 late in the third.

But a 14-3 run from that point — which included threes from Emma Freeman and Conner and six Spartan turnovers — put the game out of reach.

“I thought Brook got us off to a great start, and then later hit some big threes for us,” Deutsch said. “She stepped up, and I’m really proud of the way she played. She did a great job and that got us going, and I thought we got contributions from multiple players today.

“It’s exciting to be going for another week. We know we’ll have a great challenge … but it’s good to be with the seniors for a little while more.”

Mya Conti paced the Spartans with 15 points, tying Balliet for game honors. Cara Thomas netted 14 for the Tigers, while Conner chipped in with 11.

Northwestern Lehigh advances to the PIAA playoffs to face District 12 runner-up Neumann-Goretti in the opening round Saturday.

Game Summary

District 11 Girls’ Basketball

Class 4A Consolation

At Pleasant Valley HS

NORTH SCHUYLKILL (34) — Selgrade 2-0-0-5, Conti 6-1-2-15, Monohan 0-4-6-4, Capone 0-0-0-0, Balicki 1-0-2-2, Ja. Stitzer 1-3-6-5, Kane 1-1-4-3, Halko 0-0-0-0, Kowalonek 0-0-0-0. Totals 11-9-20-34.

NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH (51) — Balliet 5-0-2-15, Bissell 0-2-2-2, Freeman 1-0-0-3, Thomas 5-3-5-14, Gober 0-0-0-0, N. Conner 5-0-2-11, M. Conner 0-0-0-0, Reinhart 2-2-3-6. Totals 18-7-14-51.

NS (19-8)                8 … 11 … 11 … 4 — 34

NWL (24-4)           17 … 3 … 16 … 15 — 51

3-point FGs: Conti 2, Selgrade, Balliet 5, Freeman, Thomas, N. Conner