Lizzie Neville scored a game-high 20 points and sparked a third-quarter outburst that allowed Scranton Prep to pull away for a comfortable, 53-33 victory over visiting Abington Heights in a game to break a first-place tie in Lackawanna League Division 1 girls basketball.
Neville had half of her points during the third quarter when the Classics outscored the Lady Comets, 22-10, to open a 47-23 lead. She had the last five points when Scranton Prep ran off 11 straight points over the final 1:18 of the quarter to blow the game open.
The junior guard also led the team with four assists while also playing her usual role in a strong defensive effort, which limited Abington Heights to 17 points in the first 19-plus minutes.
Scranton Prep improved to 4-0 in the division and 5-0 overall while winning its 32nd straight over the past two seasons. Abington Heights is 3-1 in the division and overall.
The three-time defending division champion Classics are No. 1 among Big Schools in the My City Mortgage Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams. Abington Heights is ranked third.
Rachael Rose added 12 points and made 4 steals in the win. Cecelia Collins had 9 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists and a blocked shot.
Allison Dammer led Abington Heights in both points (12) and rebounds (8).
The Lady Comets never led.
After the game was tied twice midway through the first quarter, Rose did all the scoring in at 8-2 run to a 15-9 lead after one. She started and ended the run with 3-pointers.
The Classics held the Lady Comets to one basket over the final 6:40 of the half for a 10-2 run to a 25-13 halftime lead.
Anna Scoblick and Dammer scored in the lane to begin the second half and pull Abington Heights within 25-17.
Neville had 10 points in the quarter. She won the race to a long rebound, then hit a 3-pointer midway through the quarter and produced three the old-fashioned way while drawing a foul on a tough finish on the fastbreak.
The three-point play was part of five straight transition points by Neville to end the quarter. It came off a lead pass from Collins.
Neville then made a steal and turned it into a breakaway with 14 seconds left.
After hurrying up the floor for the 11-0 run at the end of the third, Scranton Prep slowed the pace from the start of the fourth quarter.
The numbers game
Scranton Prep’s other winning streaks are now at 45 games in league play and 47 straight in the regular season.
Abington Heights did not attempt a free throw in the first 20 minutes and neither team tried one until Neville made her first two attempts 2:32 into the second half.
Abington Heights held a 31-25 rebounding advantage, including six by Rachel McDonald and five by Anna Scoblick.
Scranton Prep’s defense held Clair Marion, the top Abington Heights scorer each of the past three seasons, scoreless until more than a minute into the fourth quarter.
Marion and Scoblick each finished with seven points.
Scranton Prep did not commit any turnovers in the middle two quarters when it outscored Abington Heights, 32-14. It finished with just 6 turnovers, compared to 15 by Abington Heights.
MORE:
Dunmore-Riverside. Detailed game story with quotes and additional statistics. https://nepabasketball.com/2020-21/articles/DunRiverGGame.
Milestone: Holy Cross junior Kaci Kranson reached 1,000 points for her career. https://nepabasketball.com/2020-21/articles/Kranson1000.
Friday’s roundup: A recap of the other games around District 2. https://nepabasketball.com/2020-21/articles/GirlsRoundup0129.
