North Schuylkill turned a halftime deficit into a District 11 Class 4A quarterfinal victory Saturday, using a dominant third quarter to defeat Tamaqua 46-40 at Martz Hall.

The fifth-seeded Spartans (17-8) outscored the fourth-seeded Blue Raiders 16-3 in the third period, erasing an eight-point halftime hole and seizing control of Round 3 between the Schuylkill League Division I rivals.

Tamaqua (16-8) led 29-21 at the break after a strong second quarter, sparked by Millie Black, who finished with a game-high 18 points. The Blue Raiders appeared poised to complete the season sweep after splitting the regular-season meetings.

Instead, North Schuylkill came out of the locker room with purpose.

Mya Conti scored seven of her team-high 17 points in the third quarter, knocking down key shots to ignite the surge. Gianna Capone buried two 3-pointers as part of her 13-point effort, and Jadelin Stitzler added three points during the decisive run.

In just eight minutes, the Spartans flipped the script — turning an eight-point deficit into a five-point lead entering the fourth.

Tamaqua managed just one field goal in the third quarter as North Schuylkill tightened defensively and controlled tempo.

The Blue Raiders attempted to rally in the final frame behind Kendle Miller, who hit three 3-pointers and scored 10 points, and Lauren Ligenza, who added eight. But the Spartans answered at the foul line and with timely baskets to keep the margin intact.

Capone’s perimeter shooting and Conti’s steady scoring paced North Schuylkill, while Selgrade chipped in five points and Urbanowicz, Stitzler and Digris each contributed to a balanced effort.

North Schuylkill advances to Wednesday’s semifinals, where it will face another familiar foe in Blue Mountain (13-11), who knocked off Lehighton 49-34 in Saturday’s quarterfinal round at Palmerton.