Blue Mountain did just that Tuesday night.

The Eagles used late free throws and clutch defensive stops to outlast Saucon Valley 39-36 in a District 11 Class 4A first round girls’ basketball playoff game at Blue Mountain High School.

Blue Mountain advances to face No. 1 seed Lehighton (23-2) in the quarterfinal round at 1 p.m. Saturday at Palmerton Area High School.

“I think we responded really, really well to a tight game and the game situations that we’ve been practicing the last couple of days,” Blue Mountain coach Rose Carper said. “They were prepared for that; they were ready to go. I think they really just dug deep, too. When they came to the bench it was like, ‘Hey, this is it,’ give your last-ditch effort and everything you have on defense, and the offensive stuff will come.”

The Eagles (12-11) erased a four-point deficit in the final two minutes and sealed the win at the foul line to move on, while Saucon Valley’s season ended at 12-12 on the road in a valiant effort.

Blue Mountain trailed 36-35 after Saucon Valley’s Sierra Skoda calmly buried two free throws with 1:16 remaining. But the Eagles answered immediately. Junior guard Callie Peel drew a foul on the ensuing possession and knocked down two free throws to put Blue Mountain back in front, 37-36, with 1:11 left.

After a defensive stand and a Panthers empty trip, Blue Mountain suffered a five-second violation with 28.1 seconds remaining to give it right back.

Moments later, Peel came up with a steal on the inbounds pass and was fouled again, converting both shots with 10.6 seconds to play for a three-point cushion.

Saucon Valley’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.

It was a back-and-forth battle throughout.

Saucon Valley jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held a 12-9 edge after one quarter. Blue Mountain responded in the second behind Delaney Walborn, who drilled three 3-pointers in the period as the Eagles surged ahead 23-21 at halftime.

The Panthers regained control in the third.

Grace Donahue’s 3-pointer tied the game at 27-27, and Skoda converted inside during a late run that helped Saucon Valley take a 31-27 lead into the fourth.

Blue Mountain struggled offensively for stretches but stayed within striking distance. A strong finish inside by Karley Koch off a Walborn assist cut the deficit early in the fourth, and Mila Fleagle’s putback with 1:18 remaining gave the Eagles a brief 35-34 lead before the final flurry at the line.

Skoda led Saucon Valley with a game-high 17 points, including two 3-pointers. Donahue added seven, while Savannah Schlegel chipped in seven more.

Walborn sparked Blue Mountain with nine points — all from beyond the arc — while Fleagle netted a team-high 11 points, and Peel finished with eight, six coming in the final quarter. Koch contributed nine points for the Eagles.

“That’s been us all year,” Carper said of the balanced scoring. “Some games we have two kids in double digits, some games it’ll be two other kids in double digits. That is what makes a team hard to defend, and as we go into the next game it makes it really hard to decide who you’re going to put your best defender on because any given night, anyone can open up the scoring. That’s what makes our team tough, so we’ll see what we can do.”

Both teams battled foul trouble and turnovers throughout, combining to shoot 17-for-39 from the free-throw line before Blue Mountain’s late perfection proved decisive.

In a playoff game decided by possessions, the Eagles made just enough of them count.