Bethlehem Catholic competed all season in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. The EPC, however, doesn’t feature many 6-foot-7, 225-pound sophomores.

North Schuylkill does.

The fifth-seeded Spartans rode a double-double by Xavier McNally to a 43-36 victory over the fourth-seeded Golden Hawks in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals on Friday night at Allen’s Sewards Gymnasium.

North Schuylkill (14-9) advances to meet top-seeded Northwestern Lehigh, the Colonial League champion, in the district semifinals on Tuesday at a time and site to be determined.

McNally couldn’t be contained in the post on Friday. The sophomore registered 20 points and 18 rebounds.

Bethlehem Catholic took a 32-27 lead with 7:10 remaining in the fourth quarter when senior guard Parker McClary splashed a 3-pointer.

After North Schuylkill rallied to tie the game at 34-34, senior guard Sammy Barona pushed the Golden Hawks back in front, 36-34, via a putback with 3:40 left on the clock.

Spartans senior guard/forward Caden Mengel sank a 3-pointer, the Spartans’ only trey of the evening, to put his squad ahead 37-36 with 3:15 remaining. After a Bethlehem Catholic timeout, the Hawks’ next possession was spoiled when McNally stole an inbound pass.

McNally went 1 of 2 from the line to extend the lead to 38-36 with 1:25 on the clock. Bethlehem Catholic’s next possession was also undone by a turnover, but North Schuylkill missed a pair of free throws to keep it a one-possession contest.

The Hawks came up empty on their next trip down the court, and North Schuylkill sophomore Logan Damiter grabbed the rebound. Mengel then sank two from the charity stripe, stretching the advantage to 40-36.

Becahi missed a 3-point attempt and McNally blocked a putback attempt for good measure. With 25.4 seconds remaining, McNally converted a couple foul shots, putting the game out of reach for the Hawks.

Becahi was held scoreless for the final 3 minutes and 40 seconds. The Hawks were 12 of 51 (23.5%) from the field on Friday.

McClary paced Becahi with 12 points. Barona added nine points and seven rebounds. Senior guard/forward Jackson Wickenheiser finished with eight points and nine rebounds.

The Hawks ended the season 12-11. They’ll graduate starters McClary, Barona, Wickenheiser and Brodie Muir, as well as key reserve Roman Jackson.

This story will be updated. Check back on lehighvalleylive.com shortly for the full version.