The Northwestern Lehigh boys basketball team has won nine of its last 10 games and has done it through a packed schedule that has the team playing a number of back-to-back games.

The Tigers’ last 10 games have come in just 17 days, leaving the team a little tired but still able to turn aside opponents.

While the offense has continued to be one of the more potent attacks in the Colonial League, the emphasis has been on defense, which has frustrated opponents throughout the season.

During its current six-game winning streak, Northwestern has held opponents to just 39.2 points per game while it has averaged 72.8 points per game while scoring 69 or more in all four contests.

“We always want to come out and get off to a great start, especially defensively,” said senior Gavin Nelson. “Coach [Patrick] Wanamaker always tells us that’s where we want to hang our hats. We really pride ourselves on being a great defensive team and our defense really leads to offense, so it’s huge for us to come out strong.”

Against Salisbury recently, the Falcons got the first basket of the game but didn’t score again until they were down 13-2 late in the first quarter. They managed just one other basket in the first eight minutes.

Northwestern (11-1 Colonial, 14-2 overall) went on to win 77-42 over a team that is young but has also played well this season and is fighting for a potential playoff spot in both leagues and districts.

In the end, Northwestern was able to use their size and quickness to a distinct advantage over Salisbury. The Tigers had 12 points on second-chance baskets and eight points off steals in the game. The Northwestern bench scored 30 points in the win over the Falcons.

“We rebounded the ball really well,” said head coach Patrick Wanamaker. “That’s a point of emphasis for us because we want to finish possessions, rebound the ball defensively and then be able to get out and run in transition. On nights when we’re able to do that, it generally leads to a good offensive night for us.”

In its last four games, Northwestern has held leads of 26, 31, 22, and 8 points at the half.

Nelson, the most recent Tiger to reach the 1,000-point milestone, has averaged just over 16 points per game in the last four wins. Shane Marth has averaged just under 13 per game and Eli Zimmerman has averaged 9.5 points per game to give Northwestern a balanced scoring attack. Malachi Coleman dropped in 10 points in the win over Salisbury.

In addition to the win over the Falcons, Northwestern downed Pen Argyl 69-26, Palisades 73-40, and Jim Thorpe, who trailed by just eight at halftime, by a score of 74-33.

The tough schedule has been a result of the success of the football program that pushed back the start of the basketball schedule and condensed Northwestern’s schedule into a shorter period of time.

“You can feel it a little sometimes, but when it’s a big game, you just forget about that and get a second wind,” said Marth. “It’s helped too that we have been able to get big leads in a few games and we can get a break and get other guys into the game and give them some experience. I think overall we feel pretty good and we’re ready to keep going.”

The Tigers got 30 points from their bench Friday night with Malachi Coleman leading the way with 10 points and Brady Zimmerman adding eight.