Northampton head boys’ basketball coach Coy Stampone knows all too well that one quarter normally does always dictate the rest of the game.

That is, unless your team can execute the same way.

The Konkrete Kids found out the former in their 45-39 loss to Parkland in a Class 6A district semifinal at the PPL Center in Allentown last week.

Northampton looked in pure, fluid postseason form in the first quarter when they swiftly moved the ball around the perimeter for open looks that led to a 15-0 opening burst and a 15-4 advantage after the opening quarter.

But Parkland began to find its touch and shut down the Kids’ passing lanes, and it brought them into a tight 19-15 halftime.

“We didn’t move the ball enough,” said Stampone. “Sometimes when you get out to an early lead, it can work against you and be a false read.

“Everything we were doing, we were doing right. But we got away from that. We weren’t involving all five players on the court.”

Stampone noted the team only had three assists as opposed to 17 in their quarterfinal win against Dieruff. He also highlighted the fact that the Kids shot 3-for-21 from the three-point stripe.

Junior Issac Harris, the team’s leading scorer throughout the year, led them with 16 points and rising sophomore Lucas Lesko added 15. Lesko was pulled in the second quarter when he picked up his second foul, a session in which Parkland outscored Northampton, 11-4. Freshman Nick Coval led the Trojans with 14 points.

“The second quarter got away from us,” added Stampone. “But we fought back. We had it down to two (points) late in the game, but we couldn’t take advantage of our opportunities.

“Parkland is a very good team, and Coval is a very good player who is going to get better,” said Stampone. “He is a pure shooter and we saw him lift some shots over Lesko.

“It was a dogfight.”

The Kids will lose senior starter Joe Kerbacher along with senior reserves Brayden Hurst and Steve Rohl.

“Joe had a tough night shooting,” said Stampone. “He’s a gamer and a tough kid. He plays so hard, and we’ll miss him because he is the engine.”

Despite the finish, Stampone and his team enjoyed the moments.

“If someone would have told me that we would play nine games with the COVID situation, be co-county champions with Easton, and be in the district semifinals, I would have taken it,” he stressed. “This was a long year in mental toughness.

“It was a good season. We want to win, but being there (PPL Center) was such a great experience. Once we got there, we walked out on the floor, and you saw all the kids pull their cellphones out.

“We’re happy we were able to get this far.”