Both the Lehighton boys and girls varsity basketball teams hosted Palmerton at the Lehighton Elementary Center on Friday night.
The girls game tipped off at 6:00. The game was closely matched in the first quarter, with Palmerton only maintaining a 14-13 lead over Lehighton. The Lady Bombers began putting up the points in the second quarter though and took a large 28-18 lead going into halftime. Palmerton senior, Kayla Cincilla, put up 13 of her 17 points during this half.
The Lady Bombers rolled in the second half, offensively and defensively. They only allowed the Indians to score 17 points the entire half, while putting up 27 points themselves. They went on to win 55-35 over the Indians. Lehighton’s top scorer was sophomore Hailey Miller with 10 points. Palmerton’s was freshman Bethany Morgan with 18.
The boys tipped off at 7:30 with the 248 trophy at stake. In the first, the game was very back-and-forth between the rivals. Lehighton was able to make four three-pointers in the first half, two coming from senior Ben Schatz. Palmerton looked to generate offense early as well, with senior Justin Hosier scoring 12 of the Bombers first 19 points. Lehighton led Palmerton 30-28 at the half, thanks to a spark from junior Richard Ytturino.
The Bombers gained some momentum back in the third, feeding off a three-pointer coming in the final seconds before halftime from senior Kody Kratzer. They led the Indians 42-41 with one quarter to play. Lehighton responded with a run to start the fourth, but Palmerton kept battling back.
In the end, clutch free-throwing from the Indians helped secure their 61-58 victory. Ytturino led the Indians with 19 points on the night, while Hosier led the Bombers with 25. The Indians start the season 1-0 and will face off against Marian Catholic on Monday night.
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