City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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They were almost the Kisses of Death.

Instead, Abington Heights found a second life, and a spot in the state championship game.

The Comets looked like they were ready to dispatch Bonner-Prendergast in regulation of their PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal matchup, with a potential game-tying shot by the Friars finding iron as the buzzer sounded inside Freedom High School up in the Lehigh Valley. But a late foul call -- and a shower of Hershey’s famous, aluminum-foil-coated chocolates -- allowed Bonner to extend the game four extra minutes.

Instead of folding at their misfortune, the Abington Heights players steeled themselves and controlled overtime just like they had the entire second half, advancing the program into the state championships for the first time ever after a 56-51 overtime win.

“It didn’t sink in yet,” 22nd-year head coach Ken Bianchi said afterwards. “I’m still shocked. I can’t believe it.”

That it would be Abington Heights ahead by five on the scoreboard at the final buzzer and not Bonner-Prendergast, that it was the Comets advancing to Friday’s final in Hershey against Mars Area High School, didn’t seem likely early on, when the Friars (25-5) -- powered by Rider commit Ajiri Johnson and high-major target Isaiah Wong -- jumped out to a 10-4 lead early on.

It certainly didn’t look likely when Abington Heights star George Tinsley, the main reason the Comets (26-3) were able to stay within four points of Bonner at halftime (31-27), picked up his fourth foul just seconds into the third quarter and hit the bench. Fellow senior Jackson Danzig, the Comets’ other primary scorer, had made just one of his eight first-half shots.

There was supposed to be a third big-time scoring option, but junior Trey Kohler -- who scored 31 points in an early-season win over Williamsport -- injured his foot seven games into the season and hasn’t played since.

So it was on Danzig, a 6-4 senior wing committed to play for his father Carl Danzig at D-III University of Scranton, who answered the call. He scored six straight points for the Comets during the middle of the third, helping turn a four-point deficit into a three-point lead at the end of the third.

“I came out with some foul trouble and I went to Jackson, I told him he’s got to take over this game, ‘it’s got to be you,’” Tinsley said. “And he did that real well. Locked in on scoring, getting to the free-throw line, just knocking down shots.”

Tinsley -- who finished with a team-high 18 points -- returned early in the fourth quarter, and avoided his fifth foul over the remainder of the evening.

Behind a 3-pointer from Danzig and four perfect foul shots from junior Jack Nealon, Abington Heights found itself up 48-45 with 10 seconds remaining in regulation. That’s when the unthinkable nearly happened.

A missed Bonner 3-pointer ended up in the hands of Friars’ junior Mike Perretta, who attempted to put a shot back up just ahead of the buzzer. Though the clock hit 0.0 and the buzzer sounded, the referees whistled a foul -- just as a hail of Hershey’s Kisses rained down upon the court.

As the Abington Heights players scrambled to try to clear the floor, the Bonner coaching staff made the case for the technical foul. Within a minute, it was granted.

So Petretta headed to the line alone, the Abington Heights players lined up at midcourt.

“I’ve been a part of some crazy stuff, but…” Bonner coach Jack Concannon couldn’t finish the sentence. “It’s the rule, as far as I know.”

Perretta’s first three foul shots were true. The fourth hit iron and bounced to the side, the Comets celebrating a second chance.

And instead of letting that opportunity go to waste, they seized it.

The Comets had been able to successfully slow the tempo all game long, and that stayed in overtime. Tinsley put Abington Heights up two points with a pair of foul shots, then scored the last of his 18 points with a driving left-handed layup to make it a four-point game in the final minute; the Division I recruit also had six rebounds.

Nealon, who finished with 14 points, added two more foul shots, making him a perfect 7-of-7 from the line. Danzig hit two more to finish off the scoring, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and three steals.

In addition to his key foul shots, Nealon was instrumental in limiting the second-half effectiveness of Wong, the 6-3 guard with offers from Villanova, Pitt, Miami (Fl.) and others. Wong had 15 first-half points but made just one shot and only had five attempts in the second half and overtime.

Nealon was constantly with Wong, face-guarding the future Division I guard as soon as he gave up the ball, and limiting him to four points in the final 20 minutes.

“The coaches challenged me and I had to step up,” Nealon said. “The kids at school would tell me [how good he was] but I kind of just shrugged it off. A game’s a game, you’ve just got to go play. Once you get to here, everyone’s good at this point, so that’s exactly what we did.”

Nealon and the Comets will have their hands full defensively in the championship, as Mars (25-4) is led by Notre Dame commit Robby Carmody, one of the highest-scoring guards to ever play in Pennsylvania.

After losing to eventual champ Archbishop Wood in the semifinals a year ago, Abington Heights is just happy to have a chance to play for a title.

“It’s great, it’s history,” Nealon said. “Last year we got here and it was bittersweet when we lost. To get back here again and win, it’s a very nice feeling.”