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SCRANTON — For nearly 23 hours, the basketball clock remained stuck.

Any anxiousness Nanticoke faced over having to wait to continue its upset bid against top-seeded Scranton Prep paled in comparison to the tensions the Trojans faced while trying to work through the final 23 minutes of basketball time.

If it seemed like time stood still Sunday afternoon at the University of Scranton’s John Long Center, it is because too often it did for Nanticoke as it tried to arrive at a game ending that just would not come fast enough.

“In the second half, the clock seemed to go slow and they were making plays,” Trojans coach John Beggs said after the Cavaliers rallied from 24 points down in the second half to pull out a 72-66, double-overtime victory.

Scranton Prep, which won the District 2 Class 3A title last season, used the win to earn a return trip to Mohegan Sun Arena to face GAR for the title Saturday at 4 p.m. Nanticoke will go back out Wednesday night against Meyers to try to land the district’s third 4A berth in the state tournament.

“I’ve never been a part of anything like this,” Scranton Prep senior point guard Paddy Casey said while trying to explain the unexplainable after scoring 21 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the comeback.

How did Scranton Prep manage to score just 10 points for more than half a basketball game, then score 60 after that?

How did the Trojans let a 24-point lead get away without having a particular meltdown.

“We were strong with the ball,” Beggs said. “We had a couple of more turnovers in the second half and a couple more fouls than we wanted to have.”

When the suspended game resumed, Nanticoke continued playing just the way it had Saturday before a roof leak at Lackawanna College halted progress with the Trojans in front, 11-3, just 14 seconds into second quarter.

If anything, Nanticoke was even stronger playing on a new day at a new venue.

“We tried to do pretty much the same thing we did (Saturday) and we wound up doing it even a little bit better,” Beggs said.

When Justin Casey scored to open the second half, the Trojans had a 34-10 lead.

Scranton Prep, the team that had gone unbeaten in the Lackawanna League while winning the Division 1 title, looked to be on the ropes.

But then the Cavaliers starting making some shots they had been missing and the Trojans missed some shots they had been making.

In addition, Nanticoke lost two big men who fouled out in the fourth quarter, contributing to a growing Scranton Prep advantage on the boards.

More than anything though, it was that clock.

It didn’t move when Scranton Prep was shooting 30 foul shots – and making 21 – in the last seven minutes of regulation and two overtime periods.

“At halftime, we just needed to get stops and box out,” Paddy Casey said. “Shots we’re falling, so we kind of figured out that we had to get stops and that way we’ll be able to run and get some easier baskets.

“We were able to get to the foul line a lot. When you can score with the clock stopped, that’s how you come back in a game.”

Scranton Prep outrebounded Nanticoke 33-22 after halftime and 50-42 for the game.

The Trojans were still ahead by six when Matt Piontkowski fouled out with 6:20 remaining in regulation and Justin Casey fouled out with 3:11 left.

“We had to be creative with our lineups,” Beggs said. “All the substitutes did well, but you can’t replace big guys with small guys and expect the same type of rebounding.

“Our guys fought to the end, but they were a little deeper than us and our guys wore out toward the end of regulation and overtime.”

Nate Kreitzer, who led Nanticoke with 19 points, got his fifth foul with the game tied in the final minute of the first overtime, just after Scranton Prep lost its only player, Leo O’Boyle, who had provided 10 points off the bench.

The Trojans did have some late heroics of their own.

After Scranton Prep used a 44-16 advantage from the 6:33 mark of the third quarter to the 1:26 mark of the fourth, Kreitzer and Luke Butczynski each hit 3-pointers to force overtime at 56-56. Butczynski drained a 25-footer from straight on with 14 seconds left to close the scoring in regulation.

“I told him when he came off ‘that’s one of the biggest shots a Nanticoke guy has hit in a long time,’” Beggs said. “He gave us a chance.

“His teammates were fouling out and he stepped up and drained a far one.”

Butczynski otherwise struggled to get his 3-pointers to fall, but he provided team-highs of 10 rebounds and five assists. He had hurt his left knee, slipping on the wet floor on the last play before the game was halted Saturday and Beggs was not certain what to expect until watching him in pregame and in the early moments of the game.

Trahjan Krupinski came off the Nanticoke bench to help inside. He hit all five of his foul shots, including the two that forced the second overtime, and finished with nine points and six rebounds.

Logan Bailey scored all 17 of his points after halftime for Scranton Prep.

The Cavaliers outscored the Trojans 9-3 after Butczynski’s two foul shots gave Nanticoke its final lead with 2:33 left in the second overtime.

Scranton Prep 72, Nanticoke 66

NANTICOKE (66) — Nate Kreitzer 4 8-11 19, Rich Wiaterowski 1 0-0 2, Cody Piestrak 4 3-4 14, Luke Butczynski 2 3-5 8, Justin Casey 2 0-0 4, Matt Piontkowski 3 0-1 6, Trahjan Krupinski 2 5-5 9, Zach Cardone 1 2-2 4, Alec Divers 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 21-28 66.

SCRANTON PREP (72) — Logan Bailey 5 7-14 17, Paddy Casey 7 9-12 24, Nick Dende 3 4-4 12, Brett Para 2 1-4 5, Wes Simons 1 0-0 2, Leo O’Boyle 4 0-0 10, Jake Brown 0 0-0 0, Greg Bormes 0 2-2 2. Totals 22 23-36 72.

Nanticoke`11`21`5`19`4`6`—`66

Scranton Prep`3`7`19`27`4`12`—`72

Three-point goals — NAN 7 (Kreitzer 3, Piestrak 3, Butczynski), SP 6 (Dende 2, O’Boyle 2, Casey).

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_BASKETBALL-13.jpg.optimal.jpg

By Tom Robinson

For Times Leader

Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @tlsports.