Abington Heights won a pair of Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state boys basketball tournament games before a collision with one of the nation’s top high school players and teams ended the Comets’ season in the Class 5A quarterfinals.
Scranton Prep made the second round before it was eliminated in Class 4A.
Imhotep Charter 65, Abington Heights 38
Imhotep Charter rolled over Abington Heights March 17 on the way to its ninth state title since 2006.
University of Kentucky commit Justin Edwards scored 12 of his 31 points in the first quarter to help the Panthers offset a strong start by the Comets for an 18-14 lead.
Imhotep Charter then blew the game open by outscoring Abington Heights, 38-8, in the second and third quarters combined.
Freshman Jordan Shaffer scored all of his team-high eight points for the Comets in the fourth quarter.
Abington Heights gave Imhotep Charter its second-closest game of a state tournament in which it won all five games by at least 22 points.
Abington Heights 61, Pocono Mountain West 56
Ryan Nealon scored 18 points to lead four Abington Heights scorers in double figures and the Comets held off Pocono Mountain West March 14 for a second-round state tournament win at Hazleton Area High School.
Will Marion added 14 points while Mason Fedor and Robby Lucas added 11 each.
Fedor grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots. Marion dished out seven assists.
The Comets held the Panthers scoreless for a stretch of more than six minutes while scoring the last four points of the first quarter and the first seven of the second quarter for a 24-16 lead.
Marion’s drive put Abington Heights up 17-16 after one quarter.
Pocono Mountain West got back within 31-30 before Abington Heights scored 21 points in six minutes of the third quarter.
Lucas had seven points, Nealon six and Fedor five during that stretch which included half the team’s 3-pointers. The Comets shot 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) on 3-pointers.
Nealon’s layup gave Abington Heights its biggest lead, 54-43, with 7:30 left.
The Comets then held on against the Panthers pressure.
“We were ready for that swarm and the double teams,” Lucas said. “We were prepared for all of it. You just have to make good passes.”
Pocono Mountain West got within 58-56 with 1:37 left.
“We were able to adjust to it at the end and get past it,” Marion said.
Nealon scored the last three points on a layup and the front end of a one-and-one.
Abington Heights 67, Murrell Dobbins 36
Nealon scored 15 points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high 26 when Abington Heights started strong in a March 11 state tournament opener on its home court.
The Comets opened an 18-10 led after one quarter and Nealon had his second straight game of five 3-pointers by halftime.
Dobbins Tech from Philadelphia fought back, outscoring Abington Heights, 21-10, in the third quarter to close within, 49-47.
Fedor added 12 points.
Lucas had seven points and Marion five in the fourth quarter. Both finished with 10 points.
Bishop Shanahan 69, Scranton Prep 57
Bishop Shanahan ended Scranton Prep’s season in the second round of the state tournament March 14 at the Easton Middle School.
Scranton Prep 62, Octorara 53
James Pettinato scored 15 points and Daniel Santaniello added 14 March 11 when Scranton Prep defeated visiting Octorara to open the state tournament.
Scranton Prep trailed, 22-15 after one quarter and 28-27 at halftime.
Pettinato and Santaniello put the Cavaliers in the lead with five points each in the third quarter, then Chase Scanlan and Brycen Martin scored five each in the fourth quarter to finish off the victory.
The Cavaliers took a six-point lead with a 15-4 run in the third quarter, opened the fourth quarter with a 7-1 run, then added a late, 8-0 run.
Scranton Prep opened the lead to 15 points before Octorara scored the last six points.
