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Abington boys rebound to trip Pennsbury

Possibly suffering the effects associated with a 25-point loss two nights earlier to Archbishop Wood, Abington started slowly Friday night against Pennsbury.

Possibly suffering the effects associated with a 25-point loss two nights earlier to Archbishop Wood, Abington started slowly Friday night against Pennsbury.

Buoyed by 6-foot-8 forward Mark Flagg, the Falcons jumped out to a 7-0 lead and were ahead by 17-11 late in the first half of the Suburban One League National Conference opener for both squads.

Abington shot 4 for 22 from the field, including 3 from 10 from beyond the arc, in the opening 24 minutes.

"We were just a little bit out of sync," 6-7 sophomore Eric Dixon said. "We had to shake off the loss to Wood. We eventually found our rhythm."

Dixon and the Ghosts found their stride early in the third quarter, put together a 13-0 spurt, and started their bid for a fifth consecutive National Conference title with a 37-31 triumph.

"Losing the way we did against Wood was disappointing," 6-5 sophomore wing Lucas Monroe said. "They caught us after an emotional victory Tuesday against Archbishop Carroll. We're better than that."

Down by 19-14 early in the third frame against Pennsbury, Abington (4-1 overall) came to life with a 9-0 spurt that was capped by Monroe's three-pointer up top, Robbie Heath's floater, and Dixon's layup off a nice feed from Heath.

Dixon produced all 10 of his points in the second half, grabbed 10 boards, including six on offense, and blocked two shots.

Heath, a junior guard and third-year starter, shot 7 for 10 from the line en route to 12 points; Monroe managed six points and five boards; and sixth man Eric Dougherty nailed a pair of second-quarter three-pointers for six points.

Joe O'Brien, a 6-8 senior forward, added seven boards, with five on offense, and a first-quarter putback.

Flagg posted 10 points, including a pair of treys, and four boards as the Falcons (2-1) went to the locker room with a 17-14 lead. He finished with 13 markers, nine boards, three blocks, and two assists.

Flagg cooled off in the second half, shooting 1 from 9 from the field. "We wanted to get into his chest and be more physical with him," Dixon said.

Dixon has drawn interest from Drexel, La Salle, Maryland and St. Joseph's. Monroe has scholarship offers from Colgate and interest from Davidson, Temple, and Virginia, and Temple, among others.

Pennsbury 7 10 2 12 - 31

Abington 8 6 11 12 - 37

P: Addison Howard 8, Mark Flagg 13, Tyler Sessa-Reeves 4, Billy Warren 6.

A: Robbie Heath 12, Lucas Monroe 6, Eric Dixon 10, Eric Dougherty 6, Joe O'Brien 2, Robert Young 1.

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