BETHLEHEM - Evenly matched and equally skilled.

The final of the District 11 Class 2A singles tournament was a showdown of the top two seeds - and two deserving champions.

Northwestern’s Mallory Conner, a junior playing in her second straight district final, and Allentown Central Catholic’s Bernadette Gasser, a rising freshman who showcased her skills throughout the tournament.

It was fitting that a back-and-forth match between the pair would go down to the wire. In the end, it was Gasser who prevailed on Tuesday at Freedom High School, winning the 2A title 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Conner.

“I know she’s pretty disappointed,” said Conner’s tennis coach Brian Bleam. “Her goal is to win, and she came very, very close. But, you know, one or two games short.

“I thought this year she was more improved, especially with her slice shot. She’s really working on keeping people off balance with the slice, and her serves were really good. Some of the better serves compared to last year. And up until this last match, I think, she won 21 games, and had four losses. So she was doing really well.”

Conner, the top seed, captured the first set against Gasser, winning the first three games, and recording an ace to go up 4-1.

Gasser continued to battle, pushing it to 5-3 on deuce point and forcing another deuce on set point before Conner prevailed to go up 1-0.

In the second set, Gasser took the first game before Conner tied it at 1-1. Conner again fought back to cut it to 3-2 before Gasser surged to a 5-2 advantage.

Gasser closed it out to takes the second set and tie it at 1-1.

“I saw her play yesterday, so I knew she was a pretty solid player,” Bleam said of Gasser. “She didn’t make too many mistakes, and she had pretty good composure as a freshman.

“She’s a good athlete, and was able to come out on top today. But I felt like it probably could have went either way, especially if she could have got one of those last two games. I felt like if it went to a tiebreak, it could have been the game changer. But you never know.”

Conner led 3-2 in the third set before Gasser rallied to go up 5-3. Conner saved match point before Gasser closed it out to win the title.

“Oh, incredibly proud,” Vikings coach Jared Smith said of Gasser. “She was down 6-3 in the first set, never gave up, stuck to the game plan, started making her play longer rallies on her points, and that worked in her favor. And in the third set, she was down twice, 40-love, and battled back. Incredibly impressive performance for a freshman.

“Mallory is a very good opponent and a tough player. She has a lot of variety to her game, so it makes it difficult to stop. We knew though that if we could get it to play seven to 10 shot rallies, that favored Bernadette. But it’s tough to do, so you have to be a very patient player.”

Conner advanced to the finals with a commanding performance in the semis, topping No. 4 seed Laura Li 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals.

While the disappointment was impossible to ignore, the result of today’s final didn’t diminish what Conner had accomplished, something even more impressive for a player who competes without a team at Northwestern.

Conner is driven to succeed and determined to win. Something that won’t change anytime soon.

“I know for a fact she played better this year than she played last year,” said Bleam. “No question in my mind. I know she’s disappointed, but I’m very proud what she’s done, and I know everyone else is, too.

“And to play independently, you have to develop a certain type of personality to compete at a high level. But she’ll have the same goal next year, to be a district champion.”

Conner fell to Moravian Academy’s Francesca Bartolacci 6-4, 6-0 in the finals last season.

She opened this year’s tournament with two-set wins in the opening round and quarterfinals on Monday at Lehigh University.

“I picked up a racquet when I was five,” said Conner. “I knew tennis would be my sport. A lot of things just came naturally to me, and Brian has helped me since I was five. I knew I had to be consistent to get the ball into play, but I really didn’t have any obstacles to overcome.”

Since then, the Northwestern junior certainly has made her mark in Lehigh Valley tennis circles as the Tigers’ lone representative in the District 11 tournament.

In her freshman year, Conner finished third in the district Class 2A bracket, and she notched a runner-up ending last season.

Monday afternoon, Conner quickly disposed of Notre Dame’s Viktoria Vosseller, 6-0, 6-0, in the opening round before dumping Moravian Academy’s Emily Reynolds, 6-0, 6-1 in the quarterfinals at Lehigh University’s Ulrich Tennis Courts.

With the victories, Conner advanced to the district semifinals this afternoon.

Conner was confident she would have a fast start after a hard-fought victory in a match during a tournament in Exeter last weekend. She typically will play in a higher age bracket at tournaments than her designated one.

“I thought I played well,” said Conner about her play Monday. “I was happy that I only gave up a point.

“I had a really good match in Exeter, and I felt that got me fired up for this week.”

Conner believes playing on the weekly tournament circuit — anywhere in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Maryland — has made her more battle tested, especially for the district postseason. With her consistent schedule, as well as weekly workouts with her coach, Conner also has adopted an individual mindset.

She often crosses with some of the area’s top players at summer camps and workouts at Northwood Racquet Club in Easton.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m in New Jersey more than in Pennsylvania,” said Conner. “Playing in tournaments, the competition in districts usually isn’t as strong as I see in tournaments. When it gets to the semifinal round, it can get difficult.

“Being on my own isn’t anything new to me. I started training and playing when I was very young, and I was on my own. I do think about what it might be like on a high school team, but I like where I am right now. At times, it can be a lone wolf mentality.”