Something had to change for Bethlehem Catholic’s girls basketball team as the Golden Hawks trailed Emmaus by as many as 14 points in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinal on Feb. 10 at the PPL Center in Allentown.

“We came out so undisciplined in the first half,” said Becahi guard Leah Ault. “It was like, who are we? Coming out of the first half, that was not us. Sometimes you’ve got to get yelled at a little bit, you know? It worked. It changed the game.”

After watching the Hornets capitalize on multiple turnovers, and after a little halftime scolding, the Hawks returned to the court with a new sense of us and toppled Emmaus, 63-55.

“They’re a very strong team, but I’ll definitely say it was us that changed,” Ault said. “In the second half, we punched first.”

In the first 15 seconds of the third quarter, Aliyah Brame hit a 3-pointer.

Ayva Radande added four points, and Brooklyn Lewis, Kendall Nickischer, and Brame combined for six straight points.

Emmaus’s only third quarter points were scored on six free throws, and the Hawks took a 45-41 lead into the fourth quarter.

“Digging out of that hole with that big of a gap, that shows how adversity fueled us,” said Ault. “It’s like our motto this year. We showed them we’re gonna stick together, and we’re gonna pull through no matter who we face. No matter what the opponent is, we can dictate the game.”

Becahi guard Kamryn Gallis provided two timely threes: the first, with 1:25 left in the third quarter and the second, with 2:40 left in the game.

Radande, who was crucial on defense, scored on the inbound from Nickischer, and was part of an offensive play along with Ault that resulted in two points for Nickischer.

“We always work on one-more passes in practice, and being able to, throughout that chaos, still continue to do that consistently, and then being able to execute it on the court is a very big deal,” said Nickischer, who made four free throws in the final seconds. “Being able to extend that gap and being able to make that basket and get to the foul line so many times, it was important.”