By Todd Hummel
HAZLETON — The difficulties the Mifflinburg boys basketball team had just getting to Hazleton High School for their PIAA second-round Class AAA boys basketball playoff game with Abington Heights turned out to be a harbinger of the difficulties the Wildcats would have with the Comets.
The Mifflinburg charter broke down on Interstate 80 on the way to the game and the players and coaches had to pile in parents’ vehicles to get to the game.
Once at the contest, the Wildcats’ offense had the same problems with the Comets’ 2-3 matchup zone defense — they couldn’t get off the side of the road for three quarters.
Mifflinburg fell behind by 16 points in the third quarter, and put together a big fourth-quarter rally before losing to District 2 champion Abington Heights, 55-41.
The Comets (29-2) advance to play undefeated District 3 champion Eastern York (30-0), a 78-47 winner over Dobbins Tech, on Friday night in the PIAA quarterfinals. Mifflinburg finishes its season at 23-4.
Both teams were tight to start the game, leading to a low-scoring first quarter, but the Comets solved the Wildcats first, opening up a 9-4 lead after a Michael Burke bucket with 17 seconds left in the quarter. Burke had seven of the Comets’ nine points in the opening quarter.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats were struggling from the floor. Mifflinburg scored off the opening tip, then managed just five field goals the rest of the first half.
“We got the looks we wanted early. We wanted to get the ball to Jim (Sowers) inside to start,” Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy said. “He was working real hard in the low post and finishing strong. We couldn’t get the ball to go or get the foul call.”
Abington Heights had everything working its way in the second quarter, opening up a 23-9 lead with 2:10 left in the second quarter on a three-point play by Ross Danzig. Danzig was actually whistled for the charge on the play for his third foul of the first half, but after a timeout and a discussion among the officials, it was decided that the foul was on Mifflinburg and Danzig was given credit for the basket.
The Wildcats would rally within eight at the break. Mifflinburg couldn’t make up any ground in the early part of the third, exchanging baskets with Abington Heights, before the Comets scored six consecutive points late in the third to open up a 40-25 lead after five consecutive points by Burke.
“Once we got aggressive and attacked the basket, we did a better job against the defense,” Hoy said. “We got complacent at times and that’s what happened near the end of the third quarter.”
Mifflinburg wasn’t going home easily, through. Travis Trutt scored late in the third quarter to start a 12-1 run for the Wildcats that saw them rally to within 41-36 with 5:19 left in the game.
“I thought the run was coming, it was a matter of when. They kids haven’t given up all year and I didn’t think they would (Tuesday night),” Hoy said.
The Wildcats had a chance to get closer, getting the ball back after missed foul shots, but couldn’t convert an open 3-point attempt. That’s when the Comets’ Justin Klingman canned a 3-pointer with 3:44 left in the game to push the lead back to nine as Abington Heights scored the next 11 points to push its lead back to double digits.
“Give that kid credit, he didn’t play much and when he needed to hit the big shot, he did,” Hoy said.
Danzig had a game-high 18 points, including his 1,000th of his career in the fourth quarter. Burke added 14 points, while Nathan Basalysa finished with 11 points.
Trutt had 12 points to lead Mifflinburg, while Zac Hoy and Sowers each finished with 11 points.
