The Northwestern Lehigh girls basketball team didn’t end the season how the team would have hoped but the Tigers still put together an impressive season that saw them meet many of their goals and finish with the second-most single-season wins ever for the program.

With all of that in mind, head coach Chris Deutsch looked back on the season and saw a lot to be proud of. When he looks ahead, he sees a lot to be excited about.

The Lady Tigers finished 24-5 this season, falling just one win short of the most ever in the program’s history. They finished with silver medals around their necks after reaching the Colonial League finals and reached the PIAA playoffs after an impressive win over North Schuylkill, the team that ended their run a season ago.

“We would have liked to win the league and districts,” said Deutsch. “We set that as a goal for ourselves every season, but we still can look back and be proud of what we accomplished this year. The 24 wins were the second most ever and we reached states, which was another goal for us. I know the girls were bothered by how it ended (a 76-27 loss to Neumann Goretti), but I told them to hold their heads high because they did a lot of good things.”

Deutsch will lose seniors Brook Balliet, Paige Bissell, and Cara Thomas. Balliet and Thomas were both four-year starters with the team and became a duo that other teams had to guard against.

Over the past two seasons, Thomas was probably the most impressive player in the league.

She not only passed milestones but crushed them. She became the first junior in the school’s history to score 1,000 points, went on to surpass the girls’ all-time scoring record and the school’s all-time leading scorer.

In her senior season, Thomas scored 524 points and a combined 963 points over her final two seasons to finish with 1,537 points for her career, resetting the mark of 1,450 set by Showers in 2007.

Throughout her high school career, Balliet showed herself to be best in big games, whether it was in soccer or basketball. On Saturday against Neumann, Balliet scored 11 points, hitting three from beyond the arc, not ever willing to give in even with her team facing a large deficit.

The combined guard play of Balliet and Thomas leaves a big hole for Deutsch to fill down the road.

“Those two were phenomenal together,” said Deutsch. “They had a good chemistry, and both were unselfish with the ball and became real leaders for our team. Both of them just kept getting better year after year and that’s what you look for in players like that.

Bissell did not play basketball in her junior season but returned this season after helping lead the soccer program to their first state championship this fall. Her role with the soccer and basketball teams was much different, which is exactly what Deutsch impressed Deutsch so much.

“She was the player of the year in soccer and didn’t play basketball last year, but she wanted to come back for her senior season,” noted Deutsch. “Not many players can go from being the best in one sport and not starting in another. She came in and accepted her role and was an important part of the team for us this year.”

Looking ahead, Northwestern has young players to build on. Freshman Natalie Conner scored 455 points this season to put herself in position to match some of Thomas’ accomplishments. Junior Olivia Rinehart has worked to become a presence down low for Northwestern and will return for her senior season.

Meanwhile, the JV team went undefeated this season and Deutsch likes some of the talent that may work their way up to the varsity squad.

“We have some young players who were impressive on JV and I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop over the summer and what they might be able to do for us next season,” said Deutsch.

One sidelight to not just the season, but to the program’s history under Deutsch. In his 22 seasons, the team has never had a player ruled ineligible for academic reasons. That says something not just about the on-court accomplishments, but the caliber of players and the focus of the team.