Every athlete has a dream of having a clutch moment, where their actions seal a win in dramatic fashion. Jonathan (J.J.) Kolumber got to experience his fantasy sports moment for real in Monday’s basketball game against Palmerton.

The Kids had the ball out of bounds near their bench with 14.7 seconds left and the score tied at 43. Kolumber got the ball from Tyler Kauffman with 8 seconds left, took three dribbles to the right, pulled up from the top of the arc and swished a three-pointer to cinch the game for Northampton.

A beaming Kolumber described the moment, “It was great. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that, hit the game-winning shot. It felt amazing. We thought they we going to be in standard 2-3, but they switched to man. I went off Parker Christman’s screen, pulled back and drilled it.”

Head coach Matt Scholl explained the play, “We had two plays called and when they went to man we went to the high pick and roll. We had a guy in the corner and J.J. just made something happen. When the pick didn’t happen exactly right I thought about using our last timeout, but we’re on game 19 this year and you have to trust your guys and he made a big shot.”

The Blue Bombers came into the game boasting 15-3 record and are regarded by the local basketball cognoscenti as one of the 10 best teams in the area.

Brody Graff got the Kids off to a fast start by scoring their first 11 points, all within the first 2:10 of the contest. Northampton led 17-15 after 1 period and stretched the advantage to 28-20 at halftime.

Palmerton aggressively pounded the glass in the third quarter and stifled the Kids’ offense. The Bombers turned the 8-point deficit into a 4-point lead, 37-33, before the period was over.

While not as dramatic as his game-winning shot, Kolumber also started the Northampton comeback by draining a corner 3 to give the Kids the lead at 38-37. It was the first of 6 lead changes over the final 6:44 of the game.

Christman led the Northampton with 12 points. Graff finished with 11. Kolumber totaled 10. Tristan Pinnock chipped in 7. Kauffman and Shakim Dunbar both had 3.

The win was huge for the K-Kids as they attempt to qualify for districts. A narrow 38-35 loss to Parkland on Tuesday leaves the Kids at 9-11 on the season, tied with Nazareth and Allen for the 5th, 6th, and 7th spots. Any team that gets to 11-11 is automatically in, but a minimum of 6 teams will qualify in 6A.

Nazareth finishes their season with Easton (2-17) and Bethlehem Catholic (13-6). On Friday, Northampton hosts Whitehall (11-9) for Senior Night while Allen is at Central (14-6). On Monday, the Kids visit the Canaries for what might be a de facto playoff game.