The storyline seems all too familiar.

The Lady Tigers fall behind and trail, sometimes by double-digits, late into the second half. Then a few plays swing the momentum and Northwestern leaves as victors.

Last Thursday night's Colonial League girls' basketball game between Northwestern (15-1 overall, 9-1 CL) and Notre Dame Green Pond (7-7, 6-4) aligned with that plot perfectly as the Lady Tigers overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the Lady Crusaders, 44-41, in a rematch of last year's league semifinal game.

"I'm getting older now and the nerves can't take too much of this," head coach Chris Deutsch joked. "I probably go through Pepto Bismol like it is nothing because I am a bundle of nerves. I may look calm, but deep down I'm very nervous."

Despite turning the ball over on three of their first six possessions to open up the contest, Deutsch didn't have much to be nervous about after the first quarter of play as his team trailed 12-10.

However, Notre Dame's lead increased quickly as Northwestern hung tough until senior Trista Cunningham (13 points, 12 rebounds) made the second of two free-throws with 3:05 left, which was the last point the Lady Tigers scored in the first half. The Lady Crusaders took advantage and chalked up eight points in those final minutes to make it 27-16, in favor of Notre Dame heading in to half.

The Tigers went 6-for-18 shooting from the field in the first half.

"They were making us shoot shots," Deutsch said. "They were really packing the zone on us. However, I didn't have an issue [with the shot selection]."

After a basket courtesy of junior Sarah Segan (14 points, two rebounds) to begin the third-quarter, Tigers went even colder. Collectively they shot 3-for-17 from field in the third, 2-for-10 from behind the arc, as Segan and sophomore Megan Landrigan (10 points, three rebounds) were the only Lady Tigers to score in the third frame.

To add insult to injury with one minute left in the third junior Sabrina Mertz picked up a foul and was then given a technical foul. That left Mertz with four fouls and limited her production as she registered three points and three rebounds on the night.

With senior Kylee Bennett helping out in Mertz's role, the Tigers went into the fourth down, 35-24.

Notre Dame drained two foul shots to make it 37-24, but went scoreless for the next 4:23. That's when Northwestern found its shooting touch. The Tigers went on an 11-0 run during that Notre Dame drought, which made it a two-point game at 37-35.

Following a Notre Dame basket, Segan drained a three-point shot to bring Northwestern to within one. Following a miss by the Lady Crusaders, Landrigan drained a clutch three with 2:22 remaining to reclaim the lead for Northwestern, 41-39, and the Lady Tigers never let go of it.

Landrigan scored seven points in the fourth quarter.

"She is a pressure player," said Deutsch. "Some players run away from the ball late in game, but not her."

As for playing in games down to the wire, Segan is OK with it.

"I think the parents and the coaches would rather us win in easier fashion, but we love to battle from behind," said the junior forward. "We don't like to be leading with all the points, it is no fun that way."

The Lady Tigers visit Palmerton on Friday, host Wilson on Saturday and welcome Bangor to New Tripoli on Tuesday.

Northwestern can win out to clinch the top seed in the Colonial League playoffs. The Tigers hold the tiebreaker of Southern Lehigh, which leads the South Division with just one loss.