On to Hershey
Neither Mars nor Abington Heights has ever claimed a boys basketball state title. That will change for one of them Tuesday night.
The Planets (25-4) and Comets (26-3) will meet in the PIAA Class 5A championship game with an 8 p.m. tipoff at Hershey’s Giant Center.
The game was originally scheduled for Friday night, but was postponed due to the recent winter storm.
“It would have been great to play Friday because both communities would’ve been out in full force,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody. “With the game now on Tuesday, it’s going to be harder for people to get there. You want the kids to play in the best atmosphere and I’m hoping that will be the case.”
Both squads enter the final with an impressive winning streak. While Mars has won 10 straight, the Comets are riding a wave of 12 wins in a row. Both teams have won seven straight postseason contests and were crowned champions of their respective district, Mars in District 7 and Abington Heights in District 2.
“What do you expect when you get to the state title game,” asked Carmody. “You expect to play one of the best teams in the state and that’s what we’ll be facing.”
Abington Heights, located just north of Scranton, emerged following a bizarre ending to its semifinal game against Bonner-Prendergast last Monday.
The Comets led 48-45 in the closing seconds when a BP player was fouled. Though the call was made with a second left on the clock, the final buzzer sounded and Comet fans, thinking the game was over, began throwing Hershey Kisses onto the court.
The officials called a technical foul on Abington’s bench for the disruption. After the court was cleared of chocolate, a second was put back on the clock and BP’s Mike Perretta went to the foul line for four shots, two for being fouled and two for the technical foul.
“You think you have it in hand and then you’re standing there just watching a guy shoot free throws,” said Abington Heights coach Ken Bianchi. “If he makes all four, we’re going home.”
Fortunately for the Comets, Perretta missed one of the attempts and the game entered overtime tied at 48.
“George Tinsley hit two quick baskets for us and we pulled it out (56-51),” said Bianchi.
“For him (Bianchi) to get his kids back up and finish the job, that was a great thing for them,” said Carmody.
Tinsley, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, teams with 6-6 senior forward Jackson Danzig to give the Comets a formidable scoring duo. They are both averaging nearly 18 points per game and have combined for 98 three-pointers this season.
“Danzig is their best player. He can shoot and handle the ball well,” said Carmody. “And Tinsley can take you off the dribble. Our guys have grown into playing good defense during the course of the season. We knew that once we got into the playoffs, teams were going to try and slow us down. That meant we had to play good, sound defense and we have done that.
“We’ve faced enough styles of play, it’s now up to our guys to adjust on the court when needed,” added Carmody. “Hopefully, we’ll play well from the start.”
Mars endured its own tense moments in its semifinal against Milton Hershey, but a late layup from Cade Hetzler, followed by a defensive stand, lifted the Planets to a 62-61 victory.
The Planets enter the game with three players averaging double figures in points — senior guards Robby Carmody (31.0) and Hetzler (10.7) and junior guard Andrew Recchia (12.1).
Bianchi, who has 773 career wins during his time at Abington (22 seasons), West Scranton, Scranton Tech and Line Mountain, respects Mars, but his focus is on his own players.
“Mars is good. Everybody’s good at this point,” he said. “We’ve been taking it one game at a time all season and have to do what we do well.”
The Comets have won seven straight district titles. Abington Heights has never played for a state championship, though it came close last season, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Archbishop Wood.
Mars’ one previous trip to the finals ended with a 99-66 loss to Neumann-Goretti in 2016.
