Good Thursday to you all.

The first two days of the District 2 Boys Basketball Tournament kept fans entertained. You can’t get much better than a buzzer-beater, and Abington Heights senior Corey Perkins supplied that in a dramatic 48-46 win come-from-behind win over North Pocono.

Abington Heights, which has won eight straight District 2 championships at various classifications, also has won 27 straight District 2 playoff games.

North Pocono had a 38-20 lead at 5:11 of the third quarter and appeared headed to the biggest upset of this year’s tournament.

Then came what Abington Heights fans will remember as The Comeback:

 

THIRD QUARTER. 5:11

• Jacob Anderson (AH) — Three-point play, North Pocono, 38-23
• Corey Perkins (AH) — 3-pointer. North Pocono, 38-26
• Corey Perkins (AH) — 3-pointer. North Pocono, 38-29. NP Timeout. 3:38
• Jacob Anderson (AH) — Layup. North Pocono, 38-31
• Phil Johnson (AH) — 3-pointer. North Pocono, 38-34

END OF THIRD QUARTER.

 

START OF FOURTH QUARTER

• Kyle Nealon (AH) — 2-pointer from the wing. North Pocono, 38-36
• Robert VanBrunt (NP) — 2-pointer off the glass. North Pocono, 40-36
• Corey Perkins (AH) — Layup on a fast break. North Pocono, 40-38
• Robert VanBrunt (NP) — Banks in another jumper. North Pocono, 42-38. AH Timeout 3:42
• Harry Johnson (AH) — 2 free throws. North Pocono, 42-40
• Phil Johnson (AH) — 2-pointer. Tied, 42-42 (First tie since 4:01 of first quarter)
• Matt Domanish (NP) — Banks in a short shot. North Pocono, 44-42
• Corey Perkins (AH) — 3-pointer at the top of the key. Abington Heights, 45-44 (First lead since 6:09 of second)
• Ryan Ruddy (NP) — 2 free throws. North Pocono, 46-45 (11 seconds remaining). NP Timeout :11
• AH Timeout :7
• Corey Perkins (AH) — 3-pointer. Abington Heights, 48-46 (Game winner)

 

COREY PERKINS | ABINGTON HEIGHTS

 

 

With that game being the signature moment of the first two days, for the most part, the tournament has held true to form. There have been only four upsets across the five brackets that have started.

CLASS 5A

 

• 5-Pittston Area 59, 4-Crestwood 53

 

CLASS 4A

 

• 5-Hanover Area 60, 4-Western Wayne 49
• 6-Nanticoke 46, 3-Tunkhannock 38

 

CLASS 2A

 

• 5-Old Forge 59, 4-Elk Lake 52

 

The rest of the top seeds held and did so convincingly.

33.0

Average Margin of Victory for Higher Seeds

 

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DISTRICT 2 SEMIFINAL PREVIEWS

FRIDAY’S GAMES

CLASS 5A

 

5-PITTSTON AREA (16-8)

vs.

1-WALLENPAUPACK (21-2)

 

 

WHERE: Scranton High School

WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Pittston Area upset Wyoming Valley Conference Division I champion Crestwood, 59-53; Wallenpaupack, the Division II champion, defeated rival Honesdale, 66-49.

AT STAKE: Winner advances to championship game on Feb. 28 at Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m. and qualifies for the PIAA tournament. Loser reaches the third-place game which is scheduled for Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: 

• Pittston Area — JJ Walsh (12.0 points per game); Brennan Higgins (11.9 ppg); Logan Booth (10.2 ppg).
• Wallenpaupack — Elijah Rosenthal (21.2 ppg); Gabe Springer (11.5 ppg); Gerard McGrath (7.0 ppg).

 

NOTEWORTHY: Wallenpaupack is trying to reach the PIAA playoffs for the second straight season. … Rosenthal is the all-time leading scorer for Wallenpaupack. … Pittston Area is coached by Al Semenza, who won his 450th win of his career earlier this year, and was last season’s Times-Tribune Coach of the Year after leading Western Wayne to the state playoffs.

 

 

 

CLASS 5A

 

3-DALLAS (18-6)

vs.

2-ABINGTON HEIGHTS (17-6)

 

 

WHERE: North Pocono High School

WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Dallas used a strong second half to turn back West Scranton, 57-39; Abington Heights defeated North Pocono, 48-46, on Corey Perkins’ 3-pointer at the buzzer..

AT STAKE: Winner advances to championship game on Feb. 28 at Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m. and qualifies for the PIAA tournament. Loser reaches the third-place game which is scheduled for Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: 

• Dallas — Jack Farrell (15.0 points per game); Austin Finarelli (12.2); Nico Nocito (11.0).
• Abington Heights — Corey Perkins (12.3 ppg); Harry Johnson (8.8 ppg); Kyle Nealon (8.0 ppg).

 

NOTEWORTHY: Abington Heights is trying to reach its ninth straight District 2 championship game. … The Comets have won 27 straight District 2 playoff games. … Abington Heights beat Dallas, 61-36, in the 2018 championship game on its way to a state title and 59-51 in last season’s district semifinals. … Abington Heights coach Ken Bianchi has 817 career wins. … Dallas is 5-0 against Lackawanna League teams, including North Pocono (62-61), Delaware Valley (57-43), Holy Cross (62-56), Old Forge (69-50) and West Scranton (57-39).

 

 

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CLASS 3A

 

4-RIVERSIDE (15-8)

vs.

1-WYOMING SEMINARY (22-2)

 

 

WHERE: Wyoming Area High School.

WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Riverside defeated Mid Valley, 50-45; Wyoming Seminary thumped Carbondale Area, 86-32.

AT STAKE: Winner advances to championship game on Feb. 27 at Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m. and qualifies for the PIAA tournament.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: 

• Riverside — Brandon Reed (17.5 points per game); Michael Rickert (16.8 ppg); Todd Monahan (7.5 ppg).
• Wyoming Seminary — Jeremy Callahan (14.3 ppg); Todd Phillips (13.5 ppg); Jake Koretz (13.4 ppg); Ethan Meuser (13.1).

 

NOTEWORTHY: Wyoming Seminary is the defending District 2 champion and the Wyoming Valley Conference tournament champion. … Wyoming Seminary’s losses have come against Cardinal O’Hara, 70-55, and Dallas, 64-58, and the Blue Knights have a win over Abington Heights. … Riverside has wins over Wyoming Valley West and Nanticoke this season. … Riverside’s Michael Rickert has scored more than 1,000 points in his career.

 

 

 

CLASS 3A

 

3-HOLY REDEEMER (16-6)

vs.

2-LAKELAND (18-5)

 

 

WHERE: North Pocono High School.

WHEN: Friday, 6 p.m.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Holy Redeemer defeated Dunmore, 80-43; Lakeland beat Lake-Lehman, 61-40.

AT STAKE: Winner advances to championship game on Feb. 27 at Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m. and qualifies for the PIAA tournament.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: 

• Holy Redeemer — Justice Shoats (16.8 points per game); Matthew Prociak (10.7 ppg); Mason Mendygral (10.3 ppg).
• Lakeland — Caleb Vigil (14.0); Nick Bertholf (12.6 ppg); Chris Mellon (9.4 ppg).

 

NOTEWORTHY: Holy Redeemer has won 14 of its last 16 games with both losses coming to Wyoming Seminary. … Holy Redeemer and Lakeland share two opponents — Valley View and Holy Cross. … Holy Redeemer lost to Valley View (44-39) and Holy Cross (44-36), while Lakeland split with Valley View losing 59-29 and beating the Cougars, 53-44 in 2 OTs, and lost to Holy Cross twice (52-47) and (76-72 in 2 OTs).