Pink Game: Coleman, Zalewski rally Abington Heights to overtime victory

CLARKS SUMMIT – Maggie Coleman scored half of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime when she teamed with Madison Zalewski to help Abington Heights erase a seven-point deficit with less than three minutes left in regulation to pull out a 53-50 victory over visiting North Pocono Jan. 30 on a night when the Lackawanna League girls basketball game was just a small part of the story.

Players from the Lady Comets and the Division 2-leading Lady Trojans spent much of their pregame time together in ceremonies as part of the annual Pink Game, raising money for the non-profit Foundation for Cancer Care.

Together, the players from the two teams raised $20,433, while supporting efforts that led to sponsorships and donations that greatly added to the total that ultimately will be presented to the foundation as a result of the game.

Then, they took the court and put on a show that entertained the large crowd. They produced a game in which Abington Heights controlled much of the first half, North Pocono dominated large stretches of the second half and they wound up settling the outcome with an extra four minutes of basketball.

“It definitely is a little emotional in the beginning,” Coleman said. “It’s for a great cause.

“It’s a little difficult, but once the game gets going, you start to get your footing.”

Each team developed a distinct advantage in the first half.

The Lady Comets headed to the locker room with a 23-12 lead, but disappointed that they did not do more with the chances created by forcing 17 first-half turnovers while committing just four.

North Pocono stayed in the game by pounding the boards.

By the time the Lady Trojans grabbed the first five rebounds of the second half, they had a 27-9 lead in that category and had their comeback underway.

North Pocono outscored Abington Heights 18-8 in the third quarter when freshman point guard Ella Clementoni scored 10 of her 23 points. Clementoni finished 10-for-10 from the line while also contributing seven defensive rebounds, five steals and three assists.

“She is very good,” Abington Heights coach Deanna Klingman said. “She handles the ball well; she scores the ball for them; I thought she made some nice passes.

“I really like her. She’s very talented.”

The Lady Trojans put together a 21-6 run – 12-2 to end the third quarter and 9-4 to start the fourth. Clementoni had 11 of the points, including a step-back, 3-pointer in the left corner for a 42-35 lead midway through the fourth.

Abington Heights continued to struggle offensively until Coleman found two different ways to come up with three points.

Coleman went coast-to-coast for a three-point play with 2:46 left, starting a seven-point streak to help force overtime where she hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining to put the Lady Comets ahead to stay.

“We really had trouble converting, whether it was a 15-footer or a layup,” Klingman said. “I thought once we got a score, we would be OK.”

The Lady Comets finally evened up the board battle down the stretch and it paid off.

Peyton Houlihan scored on her own rebound to cut the deficit to two.

Zalewski grabbed a key rebound on the defensive end, got the ball back from Houlihan at the other end and hit a pull-up jumper from the left baseline for a 42-42 tie with 1:15 left.

North Pocono regained the lead, but Kate Scoblick hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Abington Heights never trailed in overtime.

After neither team scored for nearly two minutes, Scoblick scored on another putback.

Emily McDonald fought for two straight offensive rebounds, then managed to get the ball out of a crowd to Houlihan, who quickly reversed it to an open Coleman for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:20 left.

“We always say that is probably the easiest three to get on an offensive rebound kick,” Klingman said.

After a second half when the entire team found shots hard to get – and make – Coleman did not hesitate when the opening occurred.

“I knew I was ready for that moment and ready for that shot,” she said. “You’ve just got to take it. Luckily, I made it.

“The gym environment was crazy.”

It got crazier when the shot went in.

McDonald and Zalewski took care of things from there, stepping to the line with one-point leads with 20.2 and 11.2 seconds left and converting two shots each time.

Zalewski, who finished with 11 points, and Coleman each provided well-rounded games with four assists and four steals to go along with their double-figures point production.

McDonald scored 10 points and blocked two shots.