Troy would take that nine point lead at the end of a 6-0 run with 1:39 remaining in the game. A Sammy Lawrence bucket and a Karson Dominick three pointer made it a four point game with 35 seconds left.

The Tigers sent Troy to the line for two free throws and they hit both to go up 49-43 with 32 seconds left.  

NP-Mansfield would then make it a one possession game with Dominick hitting another 3-ball with 20 seconds to play. NP-Mansfield sent Troy’s JB Burbage to the line, where he missed the first and made the second, for a 4-point Trojan lead and :13.9 showing on the clock.

Dominick would get a third three-point attempt, but was long, and Troy got the rebound and was able to run out the last few seconds for the win and the District title.

Dominick finished with 21 points to lead North Penn-Mansfield, including hitting four threes and going 3-for-4 from the line .. the Tigers’ only free throws of the game. Troy went 8-for-13 from the line in the game, and 6-of-9 in the final frame.

A back-and-forth first quarter showed that this third meeting between the two was going to be as tight as the first two .. a 43-40 NPM win and a 70-60 Tiger win that was tied going into the fourth quarter.

NP-Mansfield used a Brody Burleigh bucket and threes by Dominick and Alex Davis to match Troy in the first quarter, 8-8. The Tigers would take the lead with a Lawrence basket to start the second quarter, followed by Burleigh and Dominick trading scores with Troy to keep NPM’s lead at 15-14. 

Dominick went on a 5-0 run with a three and a pair of free throws and NPM took their biggest lead of the game, 20-14, with two minutes left in the first half. Troy would get scores from Evan Woodward and Justice Chimics and the Tigers got a late bucket from Burleigh to give NPM a 22-18 lead at the break.

Burleigh scored eight points for the Tigers in the loss, while Davis added seven points, Andrew Green had six points and Lawrence rounded out NP-Mansfield’s scoring with four points.

A 9-3 Trojan run to start the second half .. with the three coming from Green .. gave Troy their first lead since 6-5 in the first quarter, at 27-25 with 3:43 left in the third. Davis tied the game with a drive and finish and Dominick followed a Troy score with a putback to tie it at 29, but Troy got a three before the quarter ended and and took a 32-29 lead into the final frame.

Burleigh, who missed a good portion of the third quarter with four fouls, opened the fourth quarter with a bucket to cut the lead to one before fouling out. But that is as close as the Tigers would get for the rest of the game. 

Troy sandwiched seven points around a Green three to go up 39-34 before Green found Dominick inside to keep the deficit at three, but after a Davis floater, Troy went on their 6-0 run and held off Dominick’s two late threes to secure the upset win.

As runner-ups in the District, North Penn-Mansfield, now 24-3 on the season, qualifies for the State Championships. They’ll play District 3 runner-up Delone Catholic, 17-8, on Saturday, March 11th at a site/time to be announced.

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