Pictured above: Rita Collins was one of Scranton Prep’s defensive leaders Saturday.
Maya Jenkins and Jenna Hillebrand led Scranton Prep through overtime three days earlier.
They got started much earlier in Saturday’s Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal.
Jenkins scored eight points and Hillebrand came off the bench to add seven during a 21-point, first-half streak that allowed the Classics to run away early, taking the Mercy Rule path to the state semifinals with a 59-36 rout of Trinity at Martz Hall in Pottsville.
The Scranton Prep offense started slowly, but the defense gave it plenty of time to put the streak together.
The Classics held the Shamrocks scoreless for 10:38 in the first half, without a field goal for 11:07 and to just one field goal in a stretch of 13:55 that extended all the way into the third quarter.
Trinity scored the game’s first four points, but Scranton Prep answered with its streak. The Classics led 11-4 after one quarter, 21-4 before the Shamrocks scored again and 27-8 at halftime.
Jenkins led four Scranton Prep players in double figures with 16 points. Rita Collins added 11 points while Hillebrand and Bella Dennebaum had 10 each.
The Classics (24-2) will play District 12 champion Lansdale Catholic (26-2) in Tuesday’s state semifinal at 7 p.m. at William Allen High School in Allentown. Lansdale Catholic, the state’s No. 1 Class 4A girls team, according to suburban Pittsburgh media outlet TribLive.com, reached the semifinals with a 49-29 victory over No. 4 Allentown Central Catholic.
Trinity was 0-for-9 with eight turnovers during Scranton Prep’s 21-0 run.
Collins was one of six Classics to make steals during that time and also blocked a shot to end the first quarter.
Dennebaum got the offense started after Trinity held Scranton Prep scoreless for 3:46 to begin the game. She scored inside off a Claire McGrath feed, then tied the game by cutting down the lane, receiving a Collins pass, and converting with 2:58 left in the quarter.
Hillebrand drove the left side 28 seconds later and the Classics led the rest of the way.
McGrath added a fourth straight basket in the paint by driving the right side, then the offense expanded with a Hillebrand 3-pointer for the 11-4 lead after one quarter.
Both McGrath and Hillebrand immediately followed their baskets with steals.
There was no scoring in the last 38 seconds of the first quarter and first 1:23 of the second, but then Scranton Prep picked up the offensive pace.
Hillebrand grabbed an offensive rebound and wound up getting the ball back from Jenkins to hit from the left baseline.
Jenkins scored the last eight points of the streak, all between the 4:20 mark and 2:31 left in the first half. She made two free throws, then hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions for the 21-4 lead.
Trinity scored four straight points, only to have Dennebaum scored the last four of the half to restore the 17-point advantage. Collins zipped a pass from 25 feet out for a layup, then Ashlyn Moore hit Dennebaum rolling to the basket.
Scranton Prep led 27-8 before Trinity scored again with 6:40 left in the third quarter.
Collins scored all 11 of her points and Scranton Prep went 10-for-12 from the line during the second half while working its way toward the Mercy Rule.
Moore was 3-for-3 from the line, Collins 3-for-4 and Dennebaum 2-for-2 during the half while Hillebrand made her only attempt to complete a three-point play.
The Mercy Rule was the second of the state tournament for Scranton Prep, which has won 10 straight.
The Classics opened state play with a 68-35 rout of Lewisburg, then needed overtime to dispatch of Nazareth Academy, 51-47.
Scranton Prep, which was eliminated by eventual state champion Archbishop Wood each of the last two seasons, is in the state semifinals for the second time in three years. The Classics were unbeaten and in the state quarterfinals when the 2020 tournament was shut down because of COVID.
