The favorites won all four games this season, but true to the spirit of the basketball rivalry that exists between Abington Heights and Scranton Prep, in both genders, it was not easy.
Abington Heights has already won the Lackawanna League Division 1 boys title with more than a week left in the regular season, but its closest call in the league came against third-place Scranton Prep in the only overtime contest in the Comets’ 20-0 overall start.
Six-time defending Division 1 girls champion Scranton Prep won its first eight Lackawanna League games this season, extending its league winning streak to 88 games. Its closest two league wins, before the streak ended in a game at Scranton High School, came when the Classics faced third-place Abington Heights.
The Scranton Prep girls trailed at halftime of both meetings and were behind through three quarters of the game at Scranton Prep, just as the Abington Heights boys were in their overtime victory.
A look at each of the games in the rivalry, all of which were played in January:
Abington Heights boys 75, Scranton Prep 70
Abington Heights recovered from a rough third quarter to force overtime at the Larkin Center Jan. 5, then hit just enough free throws in crunch time to pull out the win.
The Comets were just 6-for-12 from the line through three quarters before going 9-for-13 in the fourth quarter and 7-for-10 in overtime.
Mason Fedor scored 15 of his 24 points after the third quarter.
Scranton Prep led after one quarter, then used a 22-9, third-quarter advantage to regain the lead at 51-46.
Fedor hit two 3-pointers and was 2-for-3 from the line in the fourth quarter, then scored seven points in overtime with the help of going 3-for-4 from the line.
Ryan Nealon added 18 points, including making both his overtime free throws and Lincoln Anderson went 2-for-4 from the line in the extra session.
The Comets finished 22-for-35 while the Cavaliers were 18-for-23.
Brycen Martin led Scranton Prep with 17 points. Packy Doherty added 15 and Chase Scanlon had 11.
Scranton Prep girls 44, Abington Heights 35
Bella Dennebaum scored 11 of her 16 points in the second half to rally Scranton Prep to the victory at Abington Heights Jan. 6.
Dennebaum hit 3-pointers in each of the last three quarters and had eight of the 10 points by the Classics as they were expanding a three-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Madison Zalewski scored 11 points and Emily McDonald had 10 for the Lady Comets.
Abington Heights boys 89, Scranton Prep 64
All five starters hit 3-pointers and scored in double figures and Abington Heights put up at least 20 points in every quarter of the home-court victory Jan. 25.
Mason Fedor led the way with 28 points.
Robby Lucas had four of the team’s 11 baskets from beyond the arc while scoring 16 points.
Nealon had 15 points, Jordan Shaffer 13 and Will Marion 11. Shaffer made three 3-pointers.
Martin drained four 3-pointers by Scranton Prep while matching Fedor’s 28 points.
Daniel Santaniello scored 12 points and Doherty 11 in the loss.
Scranton Prep girls 51, Abington Heights 46
Dennebaum again led Scranton Prep down the stretch, going 7-for-9 from the line and scoring nine points in the fourth quarter when the Classics overcame a 37-34 deficit.
Maya Jenkins shared the team scoring lead with Dennebaum adding 14 points. She was 6-for-6 from the line in the game and had 11 of her points in the second half.
Ashlynn Moore from Scranton Prep and Maggie Coleman from Abington Heights each made four 3-pointers in the game.
Peyton Houlihan had six of her eight points in the first quarter to help the Lady Comets take a 16-14 lead despite Moore making three of her 3-pointers.
Abington Heights led 27-22 at halftime.
Coleman scored 11 of her team-high 14 points in the middle quarters to keep the Lady Comets in front. Madison Zalewski added 11.
Moore had all 12 of her points in the first half.
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