Allen 84, Pocono Mountain West 80 — Rapid Recap
In a high-flying game that put five 1,000-point scorers on the same court — one newly minted — the Allen boys basketball team put together a surge early in the fourth quarter to beat Pocono Mountain West 84-80 in the EPC semifinals Tuesday night at Pleasant Valley High School.
Turning point: After the Panthers went into the half with a two-point lead, the Canaries ended the third with a two-point lead of their own.
But the biggest push came to start the fourth quarter, when tensions were rising between the two teams. Allen senior guard Talek Williams and Pocono Mountain West senior Lance Singh had a battle going, which Williams used to his favor as he scored the first four points of the quarter to set off a 20-8 run that he later capped with a booming two-handed slam in traffic. That made it a 75-61 Canaries lead, which they held up by making their free throws down the stretch.
Top performer: Williams finished with 22 points while senior guard Tyrese Martin added 17 points — including the 1,000th of his career, coming on a corner three early in the game. Carlos Gutierrez (13 points) and JJ Winslow (11 points) chipped in important points in the win.
Jalen Vaughns (25 points), Singh (23 points) and Isaiah Wiggins (17) did the bulk of the scoring for the Panthers.
What it means: Allen gets what it came for: a rematch with the team responsible for the only game in its loss column, Bethlehem Catholic. The Golden Hawks, who beat East Stroudsburg North 60-58 in the earlier semifinal, and Canaries will square off in the EPC championship Friday night at a site and time to be determined.
Pocono Mountain West will set its sights on districts, when it could see Allen once again.
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @GJoyce9. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.
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