Northwestern Lehigh Fends off Late Catty Comeback, Wins Back-to-Back Colonial League Titles with a 59-56 Victory

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Catasauqua	10	8	18	20	56
Northwestern Lehigh	16	18	14	11	59

Fresh off a double-digit 2nd half comeback against Salisbury, Northwestern Lehigh was looking to ride that momentum into the Colonial League Championship Game against Catasauqua, who had emerged victorious in a back-and-forth affair against Notre Dame Green Pond to get here. For these 2 rivals, It was a shot at redemption for Catty, who lost the Colonial League Championship 74-57 at the hands of this same NW Lehigh team last year. For NW Lehigh, it was a shot at both history and back-to-back Colonial League Titles.

What followed was a tail of two halves. It was all NW Lehigh in the first half, and mostly Catasauqua in the 2nd half, particularly the 4th quarter. With a fortunate NW Lehigh bounce to Senior, Cannon Fitch, they were able to survive a furious Catty comeback and preserve a 59-56 win to become Colonial League Champions.

The 1st quarter saw a barrage of 3 balls. Early on, it was Catty who hit those 3s, including Aalani Nix and and Reece Lopez. However, NW Lehigh’s Mason Bollinger would help start their first half run, popping 3 three-pointers of his own. After 1, NW Lehigh would lead 16-10, primarily on the back of Bollinger, who Catty’s Coach Snyder put an emphasis on his team slowing down prior to the game.

The 2nd quarter saw NW Lehigh extend their to 34-18. Mason Bollinger added 4 more points, bringing his total to 13 in the half as the leading scorer of the team, but his teammate Cannon Fitch would also be a steady presence for the team, as well as Malachi Coleman hitting a 3 pointer that helped start what looked to be a NW Lehigh rout. While Catty was outplayed in every facet of the game in the 1st half, they still had a bright spot in their 3 point shooting. Although Hamaad Jenkins lead all Catty scorers with 6 points at half, Lopez and Nix would serve as the 1-2 punch that left Catty with hope in the 2nd half.

The 3rd quarter saw Catty chip away at the 16 point deficit, but for the most part, it still seemed like NW Lehigh would easily cruise to a blowout victory. Frankie Pujols flashed his speed up the court recording multiple layups on fast breaks, and Catty’s 3 point shooting really started to wake up with Reece Lopez hitting some in the 3rd. However, NW Lehigh couldn’t be stopped as long as Bollinger was staying hot and Brady Zimmerman hit a 3 that once again seemed to end Catty’s comeback hopes. Facing a 48-36 deficit at the end of 3, Catty needed a 4th quarter miracle to win the game.

The 4th quarter saw Catty nearly pull that comeback off. Aalani Nix played the quarter with ice in his veins as he drained two clutch 3 pointers to bring Catty to within 1 score twice in the matter of 3 possessions. The first one cut NW Lehigh’s deficit to 54-51, and the 2nd one to 56-54. Suddenly, the NW Lehigh crowd, who was loud all night and expecting an easy victory, was quiet. Catty felt that with just a couple more defensive stops, they would be Colonial League Champions. While Catty kept the game within striking distance by making their shots and playing the foul game, the score stood at 59-56 with around 3 seconds to go, with Cannon Fitch at the line. With Catty needing 2 misses to have a glimmer of hope, Fitch missed the 1st free throw, prompting a NW Lehigh timeout. He later missed the 2nd free throw, and Catty got the break they needed… or so they thought. In what was an unfortunate turn of events for Catty, the 2nd missed free throw bounce back to Fitch and he grabbed it, as that would seal Catty’s fate and give NW Lehigh the 59-56 victory and Colonial League Championship.

NW Lehigh not only pulled off back-to-back Colonial League Championships, but did so against the same opponent two years in a row, which is also a feat in itself. Cannon Fitch was the leading scorer of the game with 19 points and also picked up the crucial rebound at the end. Mason Bollinger added 15 points and the team also received 11 points from both Brady Zimmerman and Brady Krimmel. NW Lehigh now awaits their opponent during their upcoming bye week. For Catasauqua, it was a resilient effort that ended up falling just short due to a slow start and an unlucky missed free throw rebound. Although the effort was lot closer than last year, Catty will have to wait until next year for a possible 3rd consecutive shot at this NW Lehigh team.