SCRANTON, Pa. — The Scranton boys basketball team claimed the Lackawanna League Division I championship last night - but it took their own Olympian-like effort to get it done.
Down 10 in the 4th quarter to a Scranton Prep team that beat them just last week, the Knights came back to win 51-49. Jason Shields put the team on his back, scoring 11 of his 22 points in the final four minutes.
The 2nd-ranked Knights have made a living out of comebacks and nail-biters. After winning two straight games on buzzer-beaters in overtime, this was the Knights' third straight win by one-possession - and it won them a championship.
"It's a great league," Scranton Boys Basketball Coach Tony Battaglia said. "Any time you can win this league, you're doing an amazing job. All the teams, every night, come out and play hard. To win it on our home court in front of our fans, it's just fantastic. They just keep fighting. The last two, three games, we were down late in the 4th quarter and came back to win all three of them. They just have a lot of heart and they play hard and they're great kids and I'm so proud of them."
"I'm just so proud of this team, how we fought until the end in this game, really all season," Scranton senior forward Jason Shields said. "That's what championship teams are made of right there. We play with extreme heart and to win the games that we have, down in the 4th quarter, time running out. For our team not to panic, it shows the experience and the heart that we really have. So I'm just so proud of our team."