Tuesday’s second meeting between Parkland and Emmaus started just like the first, with the Hornets racing out to a first-quarter lead.

But the ending of Part 2 of this rivalry was completely different from the first, one in which Emmaus won on Parkland’s home court.

After that early Emmaus lead of 12 points in the first quarter, Parkland steadily chipped away in the second, took complete control in the third and finished it out in the fourth. The Trojans (7-5 overall, 5-4 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference) handed the Hornets (11-2, 8-1) just their second loss of the season with a 76-63 victory at The Hive at Emmaus High School.

“We got kicked and we were down, but we weren’t down and out,” head coach Andy Stephens said. “I think our kids showed a lot of fight in coming back. I told them at halftime, other than finishing the game and making sure that we played good in the second half, I thought we overcame what could have been the hardest part of the game. And that’s being down 12 right away in a hostile environment.”

Emmaus had doubled up Parkland at 24-12 in the opening frame after six straight points from Matt Kachelries. That gave the Hornets a similar lead to the previous meeting when the two met, but this time it turned out to be their largest of the game.

A quick 10-point deficit after eight minutes turned into a 36-33 Parkland lead at halftime, due in large part to seven points apiece from Sam Iorio and Jake Bartholomew in the second. The duo combined for 52, led by a game-high 31 from Iorio.

“We had three starters that were sick,” Iorio said of the first meeting. “We’re all healthy finally. The team is playing the way we want to play. When we go out here and get a win like this, especially the way we did it, that’s big.”

Iorio, who wasn’t even supposed to play in the first meeting, was one of those sick Trojans a couple of weeks ago. But since then, he and the rest of the team have gotten healthy and are currently on a five-game winning streak. None have been bigger than defeating their rival and state-ranked Emmaus.

“We’re coming together as a team,” Iorio said. “The chemistry is real good. We’re finding the open man. We’re playing really good defense. Once we get that going, we’re a really good team.

“I think Emmaus always has us circled on the calendar,” Iorio said. “We always have them. It’s always a big game no matter what the sport is. We knew that coming in.”

Bartholomew hit his fourth of five three-pointers early in the third quarter to cap an 11-4 Trojan run and put the visitors ahead double digits. His fifth from long-range seconds later gave Parkland a 50-40 advantage it wouldn’t look back from.

“All five guys on the court, no matter who is in, I really think we can score the ball,” Iorio said. “We play really good team defense. It leads to big things.”

Bartholomew scored eight in the frame to pace his 21 points, and Iorio took over in the fourth quarter. The Trojan senior, who brought up the basketball as Parkland’s point guard for much of the fourth quarter, attacked the rim relentlessly to keep Emmaus at a distance. He scored 13 in the final quarter alone, including hitting seven of eight free throws and a dunk in the final seconds that cemented a signature win for the Trojans.

“We don’t necessarily have a true point guard, so we tell Sam every now and then it’s OK for him to bring it up,” Stephens said. “And we encourage him to bring it up. We don’t want him to do it too much, but here and there it’s OK. And especially when needed we are going to use it, and I think at that point in the game, having the lead, it was important to have the ball in his hands.”

“I’m just going to do whatever I can to help the team win,” Iorio said. “I know coach looks for me to score, so I just try to create. If I get to the rim I finish, and if I don’t hopefully there is a guy in the corner ready to knock down a big shot.”

Parkland is hoping this win can propel it into a potential EPC playoff berth and a lengthy district run.