ALLENTOWN — Paul Robeson’s speed eventually wore down Susquehanna.
Jasir Tyler led four players in double figures with 15 points as the District 12 runner-up Huskies raced past the District 2 runner-up Sabers, 77-40, in a PIAA Class 2A boys basketball second-round game Wednesday night at Executive Education Academy Charter School’s Founders Hall.
Hanai Williamson added 14 points, Samir Toori followed with 13 and Raheem DeLoatch contributed 12 for Paul Robeson (21-6), which advances to the quarterfinals Saturday against undefeated District 6 champion United (28-0), which was a 53-39 winner over Clarion in its second-round game.
“They’re a really balanced team. It’s kind of hard to pick one guy on their roster that you can key in on,” Susquehanna coach Lawrence Tompkins said. “That makes them really tough to guard.”
If you had to pick one guy, though, it would be Tyler. In addition to his points, the senior guard had seven assists and seven steals.
“On film, he was a great shooter. In person, he was even more impressive,” Tompkins said. “He deserves all the accolades he gets, for sure.”
Griffin Fisk scored 15 points for Susquehanna. Hudson Stengel and Mason Keyes had nine points apiece for the Sabers (20-7).
Susquehanna kept up with Paul Robeson in the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Keyes gave the Sabers an 11-10 lead with three minutes left. Paul Robeson got consecutive baskets from Damien Lubin, Toori and Tyler, but Jaxon Downton scored with 3.4 seconds left to make it 16-13 after one.
Linden Baker hit one of two free throws with 5:57 left in the second to make it a 20-16 game. But that’s when the Huskies took off, finishing the quarter with a 16-6 run that gave them a 36-22 halftime lead.
“When you make shots, which we did in the first quarter, then you can set your defense,” Tompkins said. “In the second quarter, that kind of slowly started to dissipate a little bit. But you’ve got to give them credit. They’re a well-coached team, a deep team and a balanced team.”
Late in the third quarter, Susquehanna put together a bit of a rally. Fisk scored eight points on two layups and a 3-pointer to bring the Sabers within 50-36 with 1:38 left.
However, Paul Robeson scored the next 16 points. Williamson had the final four of the third quarter to make it 54-36. Jordan Belo scored the first four points of the fourth before Tyler hit back-to-back deep 3-pointers. A layup by DeLoatch capped the run and made it 66-36 with 5:04 remaining, invoking the 30-point mercy rule and running clock.
“Their speed and quickness obviously was a factor,” Tompkins said. “I thought in the first half we handled it well. Then in the third quarter they went on that quick burst and kind of stretched it out. At that point, our margin for error was pretty thin to begin with. Then once you get down, it’s really difficult to come back.”
While disappointed with the loss, Tompkins still was satisfied with the season that the Sabers had.
“Whenever you’re playing basketball on March 11, your season has been pretty successful up to that point,” he said. “This doesn’t happen at Susquehanna too often that you get into the second round of the states, so our season obviously is successful. Winning 20 games was a big deal, I think most programs would probably take that. I told them that I’m proud of them and love them.”