The 15th annual Pink Game was a success for the Abington Heights girls basketball team.
Maggie Coleman hit four 3-pointers Jan. 30 as the visiting Lady Comets ended North Pocono’s four-game winning streak with a 35-29 victory in the Lackawanna League Division 1 girls basketball crossover game.
Abington Heights built a 15-point lead in the first half and carried a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter, giving it plenty of room to hold off a late comeback effort.
The win, however, was just a small part of the story.
Abington Heights and North Pocono joined forces for the fifth straight season to raise funds for the Foundation for Cancer Care, a local organization that provides financial assistance and support for cancer patients.
During the pregame, representatives from the two teams presented a ceremonial check for $45,832 to the foundation. The total donations in the history of the game, which began with a 10-year series between Abington Heights and Scranton Prep, are approaching a half-million dollars with the help of this year’s total, which was the highest ever.
While fundraising continued with basket raffles and other activities at the game, the teams took to the court.
Caroline Murray helped Abington Heights immediately establish control.
Murray had all seven of her points in the first quarter, including six in the team’s 8-0 start.
Abington Heights forced a held-ball tie-up before North Pocono got off a shot on its trip down the court, then forced the Lady Trojans into four straight turnovers before they got off their second attempt.
Coleman added a 3-pointer later in the quarter, which ended with Abington Heights in front, 13-5.
Murray had eight of her game-high 14 points in the second quarter.
The Lady Comets opened the lead to 24-9 before the Lady Trojans scored the last four points of the second quarter and the first four of the third.
Abington Heights then outscored North Pocono, 9-2, for the rest of the quarter to take a 33-19 lead.
Madison Zalewski scored her only two baskets 25 seconds apart, ending a 5:24 scoring drought. She hit a 12-footer in the lane and followed up by hitting from 19 feet on the right side in transition.
Kate Scoblick then converted one offensive rebound before grabbing another to locate Coleman for a 21-footer with a second left to end the third-quarter scoring.
The Lady Comets had enough off a lead to withstand only scoring two points in the fourth quarter when they twice missed the front end of a one-and-one.
