SCRANTON — Abington Heights’ Trey Koehler scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, but it was a 3-pointer from the senior guard in the third that started to shift the momentum back in the Comets’ favor.
An 11-0 run by Scranton Prep, that began with 1:35 left in the first half, turned a six-point deficit into five-point lead when senior guard Brian Boland, who scored 12 points and had four assists, hit a corner 3-pointer with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter and energized the Cavaliers’ faithful.
Koehler knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key, off an assist from senior guard Jack Nealon, that sparked a 15-2 run over the final five minutes of the third quarter and put the Comets ahead 41-33.
Abington Heights (20-2, 13-0 Div. 1) never trailed again and defeated Scranton Prep, 60-51, to claim the Lackawanna League Division 1 boys basketball title Feb. 14 at the Xavier Center.
“Their crowd was really loud and I was just trying to make sure they would be silent a little bit,” Koehler said. “I knew it would be a big shot if I made it and I’m just glad it went down.”
Jack Nealon also made a 3-pointer during the Comets’ spurt, and senior forward George Tinsley scored five points in the quarter and fed junior center Mike Malone for a layup in the closing seconds of the third.
“This team showed a lot of heart tonight,” Tinsley said. “We played very well today as a team. Everybody was making their shots and and it just looked real crisp.
“We knew they were starting to get more intense defensively and that we could catch them off guard sometimes.”
Malone, who finished with eight points and four rebounds, used his physicality around the hoop to score four points in the first quarter.
“Every bucket counts in a close game, so you have to get in there and show some grit,” Malone said.
Scranton Prep (19-3, 11-2 Div. 1) led 11-6 in the first quarter, but Comets junior guard Corey Perkins scored four of his six points over the final three minutes of the quarter to help Abington Heights pull even with the Cavaliers, 13-13.
Tinsley, who also had six assists, scored seven of his 18 points in the second quarter to help Abington Heights take a 26-25 lead into halftime. Senior guard Drew Nealon had a basket in the second for the Comets and senior guard Greyson Schermerhorn scored four of his eight points in the quarter for Prep.
Scranton Prep senior forward Leo O’Boyle, who missed the first matchup between the teams with an injury, scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and senior guard Nick Genco converted a four-point play to cut the Cavaliers’ deficit to four points with 2:20 left in the game, but Koehler made sure the Comets came away with the win by sinking six free throws and scoring off an assist from Tinsley in the final two minutes.
“It was great because we knew we were going to get a bigger battle than we did last time with O’Boyle being back,” Koehler said “They put up a fight and we came right back at them. It means a lot to get the league championship on their home court.”
