SCRANTON – Packy Doherty led a second-quarter outburst in which Scranton Prep shot better than 70 percent from the floor Jan. 3 while pulling away from host Scranton for a 63-42 Lackawanna League Division 1 boys basketball victory.
The win improved Scranton Prep to 6-2 overall and left the Cavaliers at 2-0 in the division, tied for first with Abington Heights and unbeaten Valley View heading into Jan. 6 games.
Doherty scored 11 of his 27 points in the quarter as part of an 11-for-18 shooting night from the floor. He also grabbed five rebounds, three of them offensive.
The Cavaliers closed the half on a 22-5 run over the final six minutes to open a 40-16 lead.
Doherty, Brody Martin, Max McGrath and Chicky Skoff all had multiple baskets during the run. The Cavaliers shot 12-for-17 during the 26-point quarter.
Many of the baskets were of the easy variety. During the run, the Cavaliers converted three offensive rebounds and two steals, along with Martin getting to the basket twice and making passes to set up layups by his teammates two other times.
Martin finished with 15 points and four assists. Max McGrath had eight points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Skoff made five of the team’s 14 steals, which were part of forcing 25 Scranton turnovers.
The Cavaliers again contained record-setting scorer Tony Battaglia, who was coming off a 47-point game in the Lynett Tournament semifinal. Battaglia led the Knights with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers to give him a school-record 202 for his career.
Recap
Scranton Prep, which is second to Valley View in the 12-team race for seeds and eight berths in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs, is unbeaten within District 2.
In four games against District 2 opponents, who have a combined 24-9 record, the Cavaliers are winning by an average of 25.5 points.
The losses came by scores of 92-86 to Erie Cathedral Prep in the season opener and 68-51 to Cardinal O’Hara from Philadelphia in the third game of the season.
Scranton Prep also has a 73-58 win over Devon Prep and a 52-41 victory over Bethlehem Liberty.
The Cavaliers pounded Delaware Valley 60-29 in the league opener Dec. 20 to start their five-game winning streak.
Doherty is averaging more than 20 points per game. He scored 31 in the season opener and the latest win was his fifth straight game with at least 20 points.
Skoff, a sophomore point guard, and Martin are also averaging in double figures in scoring.
