Bethlehem Catholic didn’t waste any time erasing any notion that Friday’s state playoff game against Greater Nanticoke Area High School would be a repeat of last year’s meeting.

The Golden Hawks took command early, using a stifling interior defense, along with some torrid outside shooting, to go up 19-3 after the first period.

From that point, they kept the Trojans from mounting any consistent offensive rhythm and breezed to a 71-30 victory at Liberty’s Memorial Gymnasium. The Hawks will now face Conwell-Egan in the second round of the 4A PIAA playoffs. That game is scheduled for March 13.

The Trojans scored their first field goal on a drive by guard Nate Kreitzer who converted the three-point play to make it 10-3. They didn’t score their next field goal until the 5:50 mark of the second period, a three-pointer by Colby Butcynski.

That field goal drought was due in large part to the Swat Brothers, Ryan and Kyle Young, who made sure that the Trojans wouldn’t be able to generate anything down low, blocking a number of shot attempts in the paint. They were also dominant on the glass, not allowing the Trojans to get second attempts.

Their inside presence was one of the main factors that helped the Hawks defeat the Trojans in their state playoff rematch.

“I thought that the biggest thing about our defense in this game was that we were able to rebound the ball inside,” said Bethlehem Catholic head coach Ray Barbosa.

Barbosa said that they finished with 15 offensive rebounds, and controlling the boards was one of the things they wanted to accomplish in the game.

“We knew they were small, so we wanted to pound the glass and just dominate inside,” said Barbosa.

Their tenacity on defense helped fuel an offense that was draining three pointers at a feverish clip. It began with a trey by Scott Kuna to open the scoring, and was quickly followed by threes from Justin Paz and DeAndre Gardner. After a Paz drive and foul, Ryan Santana closed out the first quarter with their fourth three.

They Hawks finished the game with 10 three-pointers, six of those coming in the first half. The Trojans were left reeling from the Hawks’ perimeter precision, and staggered to the intermission trailing by 27 points.

“We always talk about throwing the first punch,” said Barbosa. “And we did that tonight.”

That allowed them to put the Trojans “on their heels right away,” and the Trojans never recovered from that initial jab.

Paz was one of those players landing haymakers. He finished with a team-high 17 points, connecting on four threes, sharing that three-point total with Gardner. The junior said that while last year’s game was still in the back of their minds, their mission was to keep the contest in perspective.

“There was definitely revenge in the game itself, but our coach preached that it was the same as any other game,” said Paz. “Of course we watched film on No. 2 [Kreitzer], the point guard on their team, so I wanted to handle him, and then see what they can do as a team.”

Kretizer, the lone starter from last year’s squad that defeated the Hawks, spent much of the Trojans’ possessions dribbling as he probed for an opening. But Paz didn’t let the guard get comfortable as he repeatedly turned the ball over as the defense swarmed.

Paz said that they also knew that Kreitzer would eventually get fatigued and take bad shots. That allowed their bigs to begin the fast break which was made more productive once they watched Nanticoke’s transition defense and how to attack it.

“We had our guards fill on the outside, and we dished it up and got those threes,” said Paz.

Paz said that last year’s loss was devastating to them, but they regrouped with a singular mission.

“We fought back, we got better this season, and we listened to our coaches, and they did a great job of preparing us,” said Paz. “It was a good win for us.”

Barbosa echoed his point guard’s assessment, saying that they were extremely effective in initiating fast breaks once their bigs secured the rebound. Ryan Young was particularly deft at delivering the outlet pass to their guards who were streaking down the floor.

Ryan Young finished the game with five points, while Kyle dropped in nine. Gardner had 12 points in the win, while Kuna added eight and Santana had five.

As they embark on the next leg of their state championship quest, Paz said it’s important just to “play their game.” Paz said that includes playing good defense which gives their offense adrenaline and energy.