Sarah Cantner shoots a three-point shot for the Lady Comets during their game with Wallenpaupack.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Lady Comets Emma Coleman plays defense against Wallenpaupack’s Lillian Williams.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Emma Coleman of Abington Heights puts up a long-range jumper against Wallenpaupack during their Dec. 18 game at Abington Heights.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Avery Brister shoots a three-pointer for the Lady Comets during their Dec. 18 game against Wallenpaupack.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Emma Coleman scored 14 first-half points while Abington Heights was limiting the entire Scranton team to six Jan. 5 when the Lady Comets used a 39-28 road victory to take a half-game lead in Lackawanna League Division 1 girls basketball and remain undefeated within District 2.
Abington Heights played five games in December against outside opposition, helping prepare the team for potential title contention locally. The Lady Comets remained undefeated through six district games, improving to 8-3 overall with the win at Scranton.
The Lady Comets entered the night in a three-way tie for the division lead. They moved in front when eight-time defending champion Scranton Prep lost and Valley View had the night off.
Coleman helped Abington Heights take control early on the way to a 20-point night that keeps her scoring average above 22 per game at the midway point in the regular season.
The junior guard went 5-for-5 from the line while scoring nine points in the quarter and helping the Lady Comets to an 11-2 lead.
The lead reached 20-6 at halftime with Coleman providing 14 points and Sarah Cantner adding the other six.
Coleman went 8-for-11 from the line and the team was 10-for-13.
Cantner finished with eight points and Sydney Pallman had six, all in the second half.
Chrissy Jacklinski led Scranton with 12 points, but was held to just two in the first half.
League Play Recap
Abington Heights returned to league play Jan. 2 with a 58-23 rout of Delaware Valley.
Coleman had 28 of her 34 points in the first half when Abington Heights was building a 42-7 lead. She had 14 in the first quarter to fuel a 20-3 start.
The other league win was also a comfortable one at home, 54-21 over Wallenpaupack.
Abington Heights led 16-4 after one quarter, 39-9 at halftime and 51-13 after three quarters. Coleman had 14 of her 19 points in the first half.
Abington Heights pulled away to win a non-league game at Wilkes-Barre Area 55-39 Dec. 22.
The Wolfpack was within 22-18 at halftime. Coleman scored nine of her 15 points in the second half and Sydney Pallman had 10 of her 12.
Abington Heights beat two other Wyoming Valley Conference teams in non-league home games earlier in the season.
The Lady Comets opened with a 46-34 win over Holy Redeemer 46-34 and shut down Wyoming Valley West 43-22.
Holy Redeemer led 7-1 after one quarter, but Abington Heights moved in front 20-16 at the half.
Abby Schneider scored eight of her nine points in the second quarter.
Coleman then scored 16 points after the break to finish with 20 points and four steals.
Pallman grabbed nine rebounds.
Coleman scored 20 points and Cantner grabbed 10 rebounds against Valley West.
Coleman leads rally in Shootout victory
Emma Coleman led a late surge Dec. 12 that carried Abington Heights from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to a 58-57 victory over Plainfield, N.J., in the second annual Electric City Shootout at the Lackawanna College Student Union Center.
Coleman scored 11 of her 29 points in a 13-2 closing run over the final 4:12. She hit the game-winning free throw with 17.2 seconds remaining.
Plainfield began to pull away late in the third quarter, then used an Imani Mullings 3-pointer with less than five minutes left to match its largest lead at 55-45.
Coleman started the comeback with a step-back, 3-pointer from the left wing, then scored again 23 seconds later on a drive down the right side in transition.
Mullings scored the last Plainfield points on a drive with 3:20 left.
Abington Heights closed with the game’s final eight points.
Coleman hit a 3-pointer with 2:33 remaining.
Abby Schneider made two free throws with 1:25 to go and Coleman made a steal on the ensuing in-bounds pass to add the tying basket on a layup just four seconds later.
Coleman finished 9-for-17 from the floor, 3-for-6 on 3-pointers and 8-for-12 from the line. She was 7-for-8 on foul shots before missing three straight in the fourth quarter, including the first of two attempts with 17.2 seconds left.
After Coleman made the second shot, the Abington Heights defense finished off a strong late-game effort.
The Lady Comets had two deflections and never allowed Plainfield a clean look at the basket, resulting in a hurried runner from the left elbow that was off the mark at the buzzer.
Coleman also had eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Lily Scoblick provided a key block with less than two minutes left.
Sarae Croley-Battle scored 26 points and Mullings had 22 for Plainfield.
The shootout was one of three special events in which the Lady Comets participated during the month of December. The other two were tournaments in central and western Pennsylvania, where they went 1-3, with Coleman earning all-tournament selections in each.
State College Tournament
Abington Heights had a fourth-quarter lead get away in a 51-46 loss to Norwin, then beat Reading 39-23 for third place.
Norwin outscored the Lady Comets 19-11 in the fourth quarter.
Coleman scored 25 points and Scoblick grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss.
The Lady Comets took third place behind 15 points and five steals by Coleman.
Avary Brister added 10 points while Scoblick and Sydney Pallman grabbed eight rebounds each.
Parkland Holiday Tournament
Abington Heights finished fourth with losses to Wilson West Lawn 55-35 and Bethlehem Liberty 56-49.
Wilson took a 38-19 halftime lead.
Coleman had 18 points in the semifinal and 29 in the consolation game.
The Lady Comets were within a point going into the fourth quarter against Liberty.
