Pictured above: James Pettinato
Scranton Prep, Valley View and Bethlehem Catholic used strong starts to the fourth quarter Saturday to advance in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A boys basketball playoffs.
District 2 champion Scranton Prep and district runner-up and Lackawanna League Division 1 champ Valley View advanced with home wins.
Nanticoke went on the road and threatened an upset that would have produced a 3-0 sweep by district teams before falling short.
Scranton Prep 62, Octorara 53
James Pettinato and Daniel Santaniello lifted Scranton Prep into the lead, then Chase Scanlan and Bryce Martin sent the Cavaliers into the second round of the state tournament.
Octorara took a 22-15 lead after one quarter and was still up 28-27 at halftime.
Pettinato and Santaniello scored five points each in the third quarter, then Scanlan and Martin had five each in the fourth.
The Cavaliers (17-9) advance to play District 1 champion Bishop Shanahan (10-15) Tuesday at Bethlehem Liberty at 7:30 p.m.
Pettinato finished with 15 points, Santaniello had 14 and 5 Cavaliers finished with at least 7 points.
Scranton Prep put together a 15-4, third-quarter run to turn a five-point deficit into a six-point lead heading into the last minute of the third quarter.
Elijah Hamilton, who scored 12 of his 15 points in the third quarter, turned a backcourt steal into a three-point play with a minute left, then beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to pull Octorara within 44-42.
Scranton Prep opened the fourth quarter with a 7-1 run, then added an 8-0 run later in the quarter.
In all, the Cavaliers outscored the Braves, 18-5, to begin the fourth, opening a 15-point lead before Octorara scored the game’s last six points.
Martin started it with a 3-pointer 13 seconds into the fourth quarter. He had a hand in the first three baskets of the eight-point streak, scoring on the fastbreak and assisting two layups.
Kellen Casey’s putback created the game’s biggest lead, 62-47, with 2:20 left.
Ambrose Rossi had eight points in the win while Scanlan and Martin each finished with seven.
Octorara was led by Zach Kirk with 16 points, including nine in the first.
Santaniello kept the Cavaliers in the game with seven first-quarter points.
Valley View 53, Shamokin 39
Valley View broke open three-point game by outscoring Shamokin, 9-0, over the first 4:27 of the fourth quarter.
Taheed Jewell led the way for the Cougars with 19 points while Eli Yusavage scored 18 points and Kyle Rupp grabbed 13 rebounds.
Once in front, Valley View finished off Shamokin from the foul line.
Yusavage went 5-for-6 from the line in the fourth quarter while Jewell was 2-for-2 and A.J. Kucharski was 2-for-4.
The Cougars (22-4) move into the second round against District 7 runner-up Pittsburgh North Catholic (20-7) at Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Rupp grabbed nine of his rebounds on the defensive end.
Yusavage grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists.
Jewell and Connor Hilling each made three steals.
Yusavage scored seven points in the first quarter when the Cougars took a 13-12 lead.
Valley View led 23-20 at halftime and Jewell helped maintain the three-point advantage with nine points in the third quarter.
Bethlehem Catholic 43, Nanticoke 39
Marcus Drysdale scored 8 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to rally host Bethlehem Catholic to the victory.
Nanticoke held Becahi without a field goal in the first quarter took advantage of poor foul shooting by the Golden Hawks.
The Trojans led 10-1 after one quarter, 18-13 at halftime and 26-23 after three quarters.
Bethlehem Catholic made just one free throw in each of the first three quarters on five attempts in the first quarter, six in the second and three in the third.
After shooting 3-for-14 for three quarters, the Golden Hawks went 6-for-10 in the fourth, including 5-for-6 by Drysdale.
Jaidyn Johnson hit two 3-pointers while scoring eight points in the first quarter for Nanticoke. He matched Ibn Jordan-Thomas for the team scoring lead with 14 points.
