Regardless of how the 2017-18 season ends, the Northampton boys basketball team will always remember the third weekend in January.

The Kids beat two PIAA top-10 teams on back-to-back nights, knocking off Central on Thursday, Jan. 18 and Bethlehem Catholic on Friday, Jan. 19.

The clash with the Golden Hawks is the early favorite for East Penn Conference game of the year. With 5.3 seconds remaining and Becahi leading 51-50, Northampton drove the length of the court in three passes, with senior Cory Weisenberger hitting the game-winning layup as time expired.

Weisenberger scored a game-high 22 points for the K-Kids, who have won nine-straight games entering their Jan. 24 matchup with William Allen.

Becahi led 16-14 after the first, but the K-Kids held the Hawks scoreless for the first four minutes of the second quarter. Northampton used a 9-0 run to take a 28-22 lead into halftime.

Hawks’ 6-10 standout Ryan Young scored eight points in the first quarter, but the Kids’ defense limited him to just eight more the rest of the game.

Despite a severe height mismatch against Ryan and Kyle Young, Northampton’s Michael Torres was instrumental in the K-Kids’ interior defense.

Weisenberger said their defensive strategy was to “keep them off the boards, and do it to the best of your ability.”

The Golden Hawks opened the second half on 7-0 run to take a one-point lead, but Northampton immediately answered to lead by six after three periods.

Becahi once again opened the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to take a one-point lead, but the K-Kids had a counterpunch at every turn.

Becahi’s Justin Paz sank two free throws to give the Hawks a one-point lead with under a minute remaining. Aidan Ellwood missed a layup at the other end, but Tyrese Brandon forced a turnover to set up the eventual game-winner.

“We are a resilient team,” Coach Coy Stampone said. “A lot of times they came at us and I thought, ‘Man, are we going to fold?’ But we just fought right back.”

Ellwood finished with 15 points and Zachary Gula chipped in 11, including three 3-pointers.

The win over Becahi clinched a District XI playoff berth for the K-Kids. Northampton hosts Liberty on Friday, Jan 26, followed by a nonconference road game at Blue Mountain on Saturday, Jan. 27.