SCRANTON — Lampeter-Strasburg went toe-to-toe with Abington Heights in the first quarter.
Then, Jackson Danzig caught fire and Abington Heights rolled to a 67-48 win over the Pioneers in the first round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 5A boys basketball playoffs March 10 at the Lackawanna College Student Union.
The Comets junior scored all 14 of his points and knocked down four 3-pointers in the second quarter when Abington Heights outscored the Pioneers, 27-12, to take a 41-25 halftime lead. George Tinsley, who finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, also scored six in the quarter.
Danzig also contributed six assists, four blocks and two steals.
“It felt great,” Danzig said. “I went out and shot earlier in the day to get ready for the game, and it carried over. We’re becoming more of a family after every practice and every game, and everyone is playing great.”
Trey Koehler, who finished with a game-high 19 points, scored six in the first quarter to help Abington Heights take a 14-13 lead.
“I wanted to attack the basket because my (defender) was a little bit smaller,” he said.
Ben Sandberg, who led Lampeter-Strasburg (17-11) with 15 points, scored eight in the first quarter.
Tinsley believes Abington Heights’ tenacious defense played a big factor in the team’s win. The Comets forced 12 turnovers and limited the Pioneers to six of 21 shooting from three-point range.
“We knew coming in that they were a really good shooting team and we had to lock them down from outside,” he said.
Jared Houck scored six of his 11 points in the third quarter for Lampeter-Strasburg.
Seth Maxwell scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds and Tom Rothenberger finished with five points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Comets.
Abington Heights (23-3) will play Martin Luther King (21-9), the second-place team from District 12, in the second round at 8 p.m. March 16 at Parkland High School in Allentown.
