Bethlehem Catholic’s girls basketball team plowed through the District XI Class 5A semifinal round and came up with a 45-26 victory over Blue Mountain last Wednesday night at Catasauqua High School.

“Their rebounding was a challenge that we expected, but I think we did very well, making sure we boxed out and keeping Blue Mountain off the glass,” said Becahi senior Cydney Stanton, who led the Lady Hawks’ charge on defense.

Another Lady Hawk senior, Stephanie Donato, picked up where she left off in the East Penn Conference championship game and opened the district semifinal by knocking down a 3-pointer in the first 30 seconds of play.

Teammates Cici Hernadez and Yarian Fernandez also drained 3-pointers in the first quarter.

“Blue Mountain is definitely big, so we had to make sure we got good shots off, used our pull-ups and get the extra passes in,” said Becahi guard Kiki Walters, who tallied 10 points on Wednesday night.

By the end of the third quarter, it was clear the Eagles failed to gain ground on missed foul shots, including a technical foul that went against the Hawks, allowing Becahi to produce a double-digit lead. The Eagles were also charged with a technical in the fourth quarter.

“It was definitely an aggressive game, and there was a lot of tension between everybody, but I think we made sure we locked in and didn’t get out of our mental state,” said Walters. “They were really good at keeping in front of us and jumping the passing lane, so we had to make sure to fade one to make one.”

All fourth-quarter points were accumulated on foul shots by both teams.

Becahi’s victory advanced the Lady Hawks to the district final on Saturday.

“We had a tri-scrimmage versus Jim Thorpe and Parkland, so it was very good for us,” said Stanton, who had 13 points in the semifinal. “A lot of people thought we had days off (before districts), but we really didn’t.”