North Pocono is sending a team to the District 2 championships at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza for the first time.
The host Trojans held Lackawanna League Division 2 champion Wallenpaupack without a field goal for the final 9:26 Saturday night to lock up a 53-40 victory in the District 2 Class 5A boys semifinals.
Ryan Ruddy scored 15 points and Billy Pabst added 14 for North Pocono, which outscored Wallenpaupack, 7-5, in the fourth quarter.
T.J. Schmalzle’s drive with 1:26 left in the third quarter was the last basket of the game for Wallenpaupack, which trailed, 44-35, after his score.
Jack Smith scored a game-high 20 points for Wallenpaupack, but was limited to two free throws in the fourth quarter.
Smith hit two 3-pointers and Wyatt Peifer scored five points in the first quarter which ended in a 14-14 tie.
North Pocono began taking control from there.
Ruddy scored seven points and A.J. Nemitz hit a 3-pointer while adding five as the Trojans took a 34-24 halftime lead.
Pabst had six points in the third quarter when the lead grew to 46-35.
Second-seeded North Pocono (18-5) will face top-seeded Pittston Area (19-4) Friday at 8 p.m. at the arena for the district championship.
Pittston Area rallied in the fourth quarter to beat North Pocono, 36-33, at the Lackawanna Student Union in December in the Conference Challenge.
The Patriots advanced with a 43-36 victory over Abington Heights in the only district game played Friday night.
