District 2 Boys’ Recap (Abington Heights 69, Scranton Prep 58)

Written by: Jon K on February 7, 2026

February 5, 2026

Comets Clinch Tie for Division Title

Abington Heights 69, Scranton Prep 58

SCRANTON – After playing nearly even through the first 16 minutes, Abington Heights moved out to a 10-point lead (43-33) midway through the third period after Jordan Shaffer scored two of his game-high 27 points. Scranton Prep, playing in front of a vocal home crowd, inched their way back twice trimming the gap to a single score as action moved into the final period, but the Cavs shooting went cold and the Comets showed their maturity first getting a nifty spinning layup from Andrew Kettel and later triples from Shaffer and Cooper Manning hitting his third of the game, each one coming at a critical moment. The Comets came away with the emotional 69-58 victory, their second win over the Cavaliers this season, clinching no worse than a tie in Lackawanna League Division 1 play.

Abington Heights jumped out to a 10-4 lead as Jordan Shaffer wasted no time using his size, strength and agility to drive to the hoop. Andrew Kettel hit a corner triple for the Comets that triggered a flurry of 3s for both teams. Trailing 15-7, Scranton Prep brought their fans to their feet after triples from Packy Doherty and Brody Martin (his third of the period) following a steal at the 2:15 mark. Carter Plantz and Charlie Skoff both netted inside scores to give AH a 17-15 advantage after the first quarter.

The second stanza was back and forth with several entertaining momentum shifts. Chicky Skoff tied things up at 17 with a pair of free throws. Liam Haggerty then gave Prep the lead (20-18) with a corner triple. Kettel responded with a trey giving AH the edge right back (21-20) before the Cavaliers went on a 4-0 spurt with a Packy Doherty score in the lane followed by a fast break layup by Jimmy Doherty to go up 24-21. The Comets then sent their fans into a frenzy with a 9-0 scoring explosion after triples by Tom Rese and Finn Goldberg plus a fast break layup from Kettel to grab a 30-24 lead. Prep fought their way back in the final three minutes of the first half getting a triple from Packy Dohery, score by Jimmy Doherty and a breakaway slam dunk by Charlie Skoff (31-30 lead) that had the Xavier Center erupting before Manning confidently hit another corner triple to give Abington Heights a 33-31 lead at intermission.

The Comets surged out to a ten-point lead (43-33) with a 10-2 run that began with inside scores by Goldberg and Manning. The Cavs shots were not falling and trailed 46-37 at the 3:06 mark before they began to inch their way back. Packy Doherty hit a free throw and then connected on a triple following an AH turnover. Jimmy Doherty then displayed yet another laser accurate pass inside, this one to Haggerty to cut it to 46-43. Kettel made a spinning move for a layup to give AH a 48-43 lead heading into the final period.

The Cavaliers continued to struggle to hit their shots from long range well into the final quarter so Packy Doherty drove to the hoop to cut it to 48-45 with 6:47 left in the game. The Comets then went on an 8-1 run getting a triple from Shaffer and yet another clutch one from the corner by Manning (56-46). Chicky Skoff nailed a triple at the 3:41 mark cutting the deficit to 7 points, but that as close as Scranton Prep would get the rest of the game. Trailing 60-53 with 1:04 remaining in the game, this one ended at the free throw line where the Comets converted 9 of 10 opportunities from the charity stripe to seal the 69-58 victory.

Abington Heights (12-0) was led by Jordan Shaffer with 27 points (hitting 12 of 14 free throws). Also hitting double figures was Andrew Kettel with 14 points and Cooper Manning with 11 points (including 3 key triples). Finn Goldberg, Carter Plantz, Tom Reese, and Chris Begley combined for 17 points. The Comets netted 8 triples and converted 17 of 24 free throws.

Scranton Prep (9-2) was paced by Packy Doherty (17 points) and Brody Martin (16 points). Chicky Skoff, Liam Haggerty, Jimmy Doherty, and Charlie Skoff combined for 25 points. The Cavaliers connected on 9 triples and converted 5 of 14 free throws.