Sam Cornell and his Penn Manor teammates were determined to shut down the powerful inside play of Penn Wood's Aaron Brown and Shawn Oakman in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA boys' basketball tournament Saturday.

The Comets did just that, but were unable to account for the lights-out shooting by Tyree Johnson, the smallest player on the court.

Johnson, a senior guard, erupted for 26 of his team's 43 first-half points as the defending state champion Patriots roared back from a first-quarter deficit and cruised to a 76-57 win at Norristown Area High School.

The biggest shot of all was a 50-foot heave from half court at the buzzer that banked in and gave Penn Wood a 43-32 lead despite trailing by nine after the first quarter.

Cornell, one of five senior starters for the Comets, harassed Brown, a junior averaging 20 points a game, into a scoreless first half and only three points for the game. Oakman was limited to 14.

"Sam has been our defensive stopper all season and what he did on Brown was unbelievable," said Comets head coach Charlie Detz. "It was fun to watch. He did his job."

Penn Manor, which lost to Penn Wood in the first round for the second consecutive year, came out on fire in the first quarter. Five of the team's first six baskets were three-pointers as the Comets jumped out to a 14-4 lead. The Patriots twice cut the deficit to four, but went into the second quarter trailing 27-18 despite 14 points from Johnson. Six different players scored for the Comets.

"The first quarter we came out and executed our game plan," Detz said. "Our perimeter guys were not guarded closely and we were able to do a lot on offense."

The Patriots changed their strategy in the second quarter, taking the ball inside to Oakman, a 6-foot-9 center, when he was open, or dishing it out to Johnson to sink shots from the perimeter.

Penn Wood scored the first eight points of the quarter, and 16 of 21 over a five-minute stretch that ended with the Comets trailing by two, 34-32, after a clutch three-point shot by junior Dan Elliot. The Patriots responded, though, scoring the last nine points of the half, the last eight coming on three shots by Johnson (31 total points), including the one at the buzzer.

 "We went back to man-to-man in the second quarter but Johnson made some tremendous shots with guys hanging in his face and then the dagger at halftime. It was huge momentum," Detz said. "Our guys did battle well the first five minutes, though, and kept it close, but Penn Wood is so good with their size and the great shooting guards. It is why they are District One champs."

The game became more physical in the second half, and the Patriots started using their significant size difference to their advantage, tiring out the Comet defenders. Penn Manor cut the deficit to nine on a Patrick Welsh (14 points) three-pointer, but they could not get any closer. The Comets tried to be more aggressive, but this led to 11 second-half turnovers and 19 overall. Penn Wood also excelled on the glass, out-rebounding the Comets 34-16.

Cornell said he was pleased with the effort of his team this season.

"We are proud of what we have done," he said. "We faced a lot of adversity with some of our top scorers out this season. A lot of guys stepped up, and we were happy with the results."

 "There is only one Quad-A team that will get the win [the title]," Detz said. "It hurts now, but the kids will reflect on it and realize we overcame major injuries and still made the state tournament. Our guys never used the loss of three starters as an excuse. They kept battling and fighting."