On the surface, Northampton’s 66-33 loss to Parkland in the District 11 Class 6A championship game last week may appear a game to forget about for the Konkrete Kids.

Yet, leading scorer junior Noah Walakovits saw some positives to take from it.

“I think the game as a learning point for us,” reflected Walakovits, who had seven points in the defeat. “We know we have our core coming back, and that has helped grow our confidence all season.”

Sophomore Ethan Raphun, who had a team-high eight points against Parkland, had the defeat hit home.

“I think the Parkland game was a really tough one especially since we’ve been playing so well lately,” he stressed. “We won the league championship, and we’ve been playing our hearts out night after night. To lose to Parkland in the district final really stings.”

Head coach Matt Scholl saw his team’s slow start and Parkland’s fast start as a deterrent to bring home the first district title since 1972.

“Unfortunately, we did not have a great effort in the district championship game against Parkland,” offered Scholl, whose team (19-9) reeled off 10 straight and hadn’t lost since Jan. 21. “They came out and hit seven out of 10 three-pointers, and we were a little careless with the ball.

“Once we fell far enough behind, we had to get out of our matchup zone defense and we just aren’t ready to play that type of game yet.”

Fortunately for the Kids, the upcoming state tournament gives them another opportunity to keep their magical season going that resulted in the first league crown in 52 years.

The Kids will host Hazleton (13-12) Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in a District 2-4 subregional game. Hazleton lost to five-time defending champion Scranton in the District 2 Class 6A final. The Cougars are led by Dylan Stish (17.6 points per game) and Luis Guzman (17.3 ppg).

Northampton did scrimmage neighbor Catasauqua during the week.

“Luckily, we still get to host a state playoff game against Hazleton,” added Scholl. “They a very good team but one we feel that we can compete with. Our goal is to make a run in states and get as many games as possible.

“They are a tough team if they made it this far,” added Walakovits. “We can’t take any team lightly.”

“Hazleton is a great team, but we’re going to not let this setback hold us back from going on a state run,” noted Raphun. “We’re going to work in practice to get ready for them.”