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District 2/11 Boys Game Recap (Abington Heights vs. Emmaus)
 

District 2/11 Boys Game Recap (Abington Heights vs. Emmaus)

Written by: Jon K on December 29, 2022

 

 

December 29, 2022

 

Comets Remain Undefeated with Overtime Victory

 

Abington Heights 58, Emmaus 55 (OT) 

 

by Jon K.

CLARKS SUMMIT – Playing tenacious defense to create offensive scoring opportunities.  Working the ball around the perimeter to find an open player for a high-percentage basket.  Over the years, those have been some of the hallmarks of winning basketball for Abington Heights.  But, on a Thursday afternoon matinee matchup against a highly-regarded opponent from the Lehigh Valley, it was the Green Hornets that were flipping the script and frustrating the Comets with their similar brand of hoops.  Emmaus used terrific ball movement and stellar defense to maintain control throughout the first half.  AH was able to stay within striking distance via some key long-range shooting in the second period and made some halftime adjustments to climb back into the contest.  This one (fittingly) needed overtime as the Comets remained undefeated as they held on for an entertaining 58-55 victory.

 

Junior guard Will Barber set the tone early for the Hornets, getting a steal and layup for a 2-0 lead.  He added another basket off a steal to give his team a 6-2 advantage.  The Comets settled down with baskets by juniors Will Marion and Mason Fedor before Emmaus took an 11-6 lead after another layup, this one by senior guard Jake Fotta.  Junior guard Ryan Nealon helped get AH back in sync with a triple (11-9) before Emmaus ended the first period with a layup from senior Jackson Lake to put the Green Hornets up by four points, 13-9.  Emmaus was owning the paint on offense and the Comets were having challenges holding onto the ball through the first eight minutes.

 

After Nealon nailed a triple to start the second quarter cutting it to 13-12, Emmaus proceeded to go on an 8-0 run which got rolling with a nifty feed inside for a Lake layup.  Senior guard Dylan Darville then got a pair of scores off Comet turnovers before getting a momentum-building slam dunk midway through the period for a 21-12 Hornets’ lead.  Marion responded with a triple and reverse layup.  Abington Heights then got some more help via a technical on the Emmaus bench, cutting it to 23-19.  But, on the ensuing inbounds, Emmaus again used their quickness as Darville got a steal and followed it up with a pair of layups for a 27-19 advantage.  AH was able to use a triple by senior Roman Cutrufello and layup off a steal by Marion for a 5-0 rally before Lake scored to send Emmaus into the locker room leading 29-24.        

 

Abington Heights made some halftime adjustment and did a much better job minimizing their turnovers.  They also began to work the ball inside, driving to the basket and getting to the foul line.  Nealon got things going with a trey followed by a floater in the lane from Emmaus junior forward Jametric Harris (31-27).  The Comets then began to slowly inch their way toward the lead over the next two minutes.  Emmaus got a drive from senior guard Chase Muckey followed by a basket by Fedor and free throw from AH senior Pat Walsh cutting the Green Hornet advantage to 33-32.  Nealon then made a drive to the hoop giving the Comets their first lead of the game, 34-33.  Emmaus responded by getting a layup from Muckey and pair of free throws by Harris before Marion scored for AH.  The Green Hornets took a 37-36 lead in to the final stanza.

 

Emmaus has excellent ball-handlers and decided to come out in the final period playing very patient, almost lulling AH into a moment of complacency before getting a dart of a pass to Lake for a layup and 39-36 lead.  Lake was having an excellent afternoon off the bench for Emmaus.  The Green Hornets then converted 4 of 6 free throw opportunities over the next minute for a 43-39 lead with 5:17 remaining.  The fouls were piling up for the Comets, but they responded with a 5-0 run via a pair of free throws from Fedor and triple by Cutrufello to regain the lead, 44-43.  The Comets, feeling the energy, hurriedly launched a pair of triples that were off the mark followed by a missed open layup.  Given an opportunity, Darville responded for Emmaus by hitting their first triple of the day for a 46-44 advantage.  Nealon tied the game with a pair of free throws with 2:28 left in the game.  Teams were patient in the closing minutes as Lake and Fedor exchanged scores as this one was headed for overtime tied at 48.

 

In the extra period, Cutrufello got a layup for a 50-48 AH lead.  Barber, Marion, and Lake would then hit baskets to again have this one deadlocked at 52.  Marion scored with 53 seconds remaining but missed the 3-point opportunity.  After an Emmaus miss, sophomore Robby Lucas calmly converted a 1+1 with 24 seconds left for a 56-52 AH lead.  Emmaus worked the ball around, finding Darville off a miss for an open triple with 10.3 remaining, cutting the Comets’ lead to 56-55.  After Fedor made a pair of free throws, Emmaus brought the ball down court with 9.3 on the clock.  With time running down, Barber got trapped near midcourt by Lucas and Nealon.  The resulting turnover secured the 58-55 victory.

 

Abington Heights (7-0) was paced by Ryan Nealon with 18 points (including 4 triples), Will Marion with 15 points, and Mason Fedor with 12 points.  Roman Cutrufello, Pat Walsh, and Robby Lucas combined for 13 points.  The Comets hit 7 triples and converted 13 of 17 free throws.  They will head into 2023 with the start of Lackawanna League play as they visit Scranton next Tuesday.

 

Emmaus (7-2) was led by Dylan Darville with 16 points.  Jackson Lake netted 13 points (off the bench) while Will Barber added 12 points.  Jametric Harris, Chase Muckey, Jake Fotta, and Dom Nunez combined 14 points.  The Green Hornets converted 7 of 12 free throw opportunities.  They will visit Northampton on Tuesday.

 

LLHoops would like to thank the Abington Heights Athletic Department staff for all of their assistance throughout the game.   

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