BY MARTY MYERS

 

It came down to a last-second shot, but probably shouldn’t have.

 

Scranton Prep had everything going its way in the first half of Saturday’s PIAA Class AAA first-round game with Greencastle-Antrim, including a 17-point lead.

 

But in an incredible second-half flurry, the Blue Devils knocked down nine of 13 3-pointers and stunned Prep, 43-42, at Scranton High School.

 

“We just told each other to keep our heads in the game,” said Greencastle’s Jenay Faulkner, a College of Holy Cross recruit who scored 20, 17 in the second half. “There’s going to be adversity in a road game and we knew that coming in.”

 

Adversity, yes, but this was worse. Prep (16-12) frustrated Greencastle (24-3), which missed 22 of its first 23 shots, and fell behind, 24-7, with Prep’s Julia Sirotnak scoring 13 of her 15 in the flurry.

 

“It’s a long bus ride, a new gym we never saw before,” Greencastle coach Mike Rhine said. “I didn’t anticipate a very good start, but I didn’t think it would be that bad.”

 

Prep shot just 6 of 47 in last weekend’s District 2 final, but the Classics opened quickly, with Sirotnak scoring and Jill Paulus facilitating. Sirotnak’s third 3-pointer of the half came with one minute to go.

 

“We don’t know this team, but we saw what you saw last Saturday,” Rhine said. “They aren’t going to hurt us from the perimeter, and they came out and hurt us from the perimeter.

 

“They got any look they wanted. They did whatever they wanted the first half and they did it well.”

 

But Prep got a little ahead of itself in the third quarter, and three turnovers swung the momentum as the Blue Devils hit a 3-pointer off each of them.

 

“We had chances,” Prep coach Bob Beviglia said. “The third quarter, when we came out and turned the ball over a couple times and they went down and exploited it. They had six field goals in the third quarter and they were all 3s, including the prayer at the end. If not for that, it might be a different outcome.”

 

Faulkner banked home a running 3-pointer from the wing to end the third quarter, slicing the deficit to 36-28.

 

“You go into desperation mode, a shot or two goes in and you’re feeling better about yourself,” Rhine said.

 

Prep didn’t score for nearly six minutes of the fourth quarter, and Faulkner and Hannah Crist scored the first 13 of the fourth as Greencastle rallied to lead, 41-36.

 

Prep answered, and when Calista Kline’s corner 3-pointer got a soft carom off the rim and backboard and fell with 15 seconds left, Prep led, 42-41.

 

But Crist was fouled with 8.9 seconds to go and hit both, only to see Prep fly up the court and find Alaina Weston wide open for a layup under the basket. But Faulkner raced back and swatted the shot out of bounds.

 

“I saw them getting a fast break,” Faulkner said. “I saw her wide open, so I had to sprint back just in time for the block.”

 

With one foul to give, the Blue Devils didn’t send Prep to the line, even though the Classics were sure that Sirotnak was fouled in the act of shooting with 0.9 seconds to go.

 

“I’m sure they’re disappointed in that last call,” Rhine said. “I get it, I do. That’s all luck. We had stuff on our side. One more possession and we could have lost the game.”

 

With Greencastle not in the bonus, instead of free throws, Prep had an inbounds play to try to win.

 

Freshman Kathleen Rose got a good look, but her 18-foot baseline shot was just off the mark.

 

“I feel bad for Kathleen, the last one doesn’t go in,” Prep coach Bob Beviglia said. “But she’s a freshman and she’s out there in a big spot.

 

“This group of seniors did a great job for us all year long, and we have a lot of build on for next year.”