BETHLEHEM — As is sometimes the case in the postseason, it can take just a little push from even an unlikely source to survive and advance.
Arthur Askew provided more than a spark for the Old Forge Blue Devils.
A senior who comes off the bench, Askew delivered a key long-range shot from beyond the 3-point line that gave the District 2 champions enough of a lift in a tight rematch with District 1 champion Delco Christian.
After that, he wasn’t finished. He converted a four-point play, added another key 3-pointer, and drilled free throws to seal a 62-53 victory for Old Forge on Wednesday night in the PIAA Class 2A boys basketball second round at Bethlehem Liberty High School.
The Blue Devils (20-6) advance to the quarterfinals for the second straight season. They will play Delone Catholic (25-1), the second-place team from District 3 that defeated Constitution, 49-47, in overtime, on Saturday at a site and time to be determined.
“I am a confident shooter,” said Askew, who finished with 14 points. “I trust my abilities to shoot the rock. My guys trust me. I am the microwave my dad (Art) calls me. I got it going, and I got us hot, and the team got hot.”
Old Forge got off to a sluggish start and trailed, 6-2, in the first 5 minutes. Then, Askew drained his first 3-pointer, and the offense kicked into gear.
From that basket, the Blue Devils outscored Delco Christian, 9-1, to seize a 14-7 advantage. Ryan DeMarco, the poised point guard, supplied seven of his 13 points in the push, and Old Forge never trailed again.
“This is amazing, beating this team two years in a row,” said DeMarco, citing last year’s 59-52 win at the same gymnasium. “This was a great opportunity. It is a tough thing to beat a team twice, and we came and played well and conquered.”
Old Forge gained confidence heading into the second quarter. Cameron Parker got charged up and scored six points, DeMarco again came through with five and the Blue Devils increased the margin to 32-17.
“Early on, everybody has some jitters,” DeMarco said. “You have to take a deep breath and slow everybody down. Once we got settled in, we took the pace of the game.”
Things got a bit dicey in the second half, however. After the teams battled to a stalemate in the third quarter with each scoring eight points, Old Forge maintained a 40-25 advantage. Parker scored six of his game-high 18 points in the quarter.
The momentum started to shift in favor of Delco Christian with a 6-2 burst. Bradford Berwick started it, Karter Shaheed-Freeman, who had a team-high 13 points, had two free throws and Joel Johnson scored, as the Blue Devils’ lead stood at 42-31.
Once again, Askew answered. He buried a 3-pointer from the corner, and Parker scored on a driving layup to provide a cushion.
That allowed the Blue Devils to absorb a 9-0 run by Delco Christian that made it 47-40. Nathanael Barnes had four points, Shaheed-Freeman scored and Berwick, who scored 12 points, had his second 3-pointer.
Delco Christian (20-8) started to create some more anxious moments, closing to 49-43 with 7:45 remaining, but Logan Fanning, who scored 14 points and had seven rebounds, and Askew each made two free throws to stave off that attack.
“I work on my free throws at practice,” said Askew, who shot 5-for-5 in the game. “We shoot like 25 a night. It felt good to knock those down.”
Laverne Sambola made two free throws to close to 54-47, but Delco Christian received a technical foul. That allowed Askew to drain two more free throws and Parker to convert a three-point play on the ensuing possession to secure the win.
“This was going to be a revenge game for them,” Parker said. “We beat them last year as an underdog. We knew they were going to come at us fast. In the fourth quarter, they attacked us with a lot of pressure, but we kept responding. We had guys come up big with some free throws.”