Down by five points at halftime of Saturday’s game against York’s William Penn High School, the Parkland boys basketball felt confident it could turn things around quickly in the second half.

The Trojans did just that. After making just three of 14 first-half three-point attempts, they got hot from outside in after halftime and cruised to a 76-63 win over the Bearcats at the Reading Geigle Complex.

“I had a feeling we might be a little sluggish in the first half because we had a pretty big game last night and a long week,” said Parkland head coach Andy Stephens. “For us to get fully engulfed in the game took a little time

“I told them at half I think if we play a good second half we could win somewhat comfortably. We could not make a shot in the first half.”

Sam Iorio scored 11 of his game-high 35 points in the pivotal second quarter as the Trojans turned a 28-23 halftime deficit into a 49-45 lead after the third quarter.

When Iorio established his ability to drive to the basket early in the third quarter, the outside shots also started falling for Parkland. Michael Zeky hit a pair of third-quarter three-pointers, and had three in the game to finish with 15 points.

“I think sometimes when teams focus on me it allows me to get other teammates open and when they start making it, it makes my job easier,” said Iorio, who scored 23 points in the second half. He made eight of 10 shot attempts in the second half, including two of three from beyond the arc.

“We wanted to establish Sam inside because we didn’t feel like they could guard him inside,” said Stephens. “He did a much better job in the second half of scoring inside and drawing the double team and kicking it out to shooters.

“He’s a work horse. He can do a little bit of everything. He knows that he is an integral part of this team, but he has a lot of faith in his teammates. I think that’s where the chemistry is coming from – the guys having faith in each other.”

Parkland made eight of 15 three-point attempts in the second half. Jake Bartholomew missed his first five attempts from three-point range, but made four of his next six attempts to finish with 12 points. The junior guard had made 19 three-point attempts in his previous three games.

The win over York was Parkland’s seventh straight after a 2-5 start to the season. The Trojans picked up a win over Central Catholic Tuesday night to 10-5 overall and 7-4 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. They’re ranked fourth in the district in Class 6A and occupy third place in the EPC’s Skyline Division behind Whitehall and Emmaus, which were both 9-1 in league play heading into Tuesday’s games.

“We’re playing way better as a team than we were in the beginning of the year,” said Stephens. “I think guys are really figuring out and understanding what it takes to win. In the beginning of the year they were really in a learning curve there.

“I think they’re being great teammates right now, making each other better. Last night we had 27 assists, which is a great thing. We’re clicking right now and there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

Parkland graduated four starters from last year’s team and this year’s team had very little varsity experience heading into the season other than Iorio, a four-year starter.

“I think the new guys got adjusted to the level, the physicality and toughness of it,” said Iorio. “Now they’re doing their thing and it shows.”

The Trojans host Pocono Mountain East on Friday night and will have five games remaining after that, including a Feb. 3 visit to Whitehall and a Feb. 6 trip to unbeaten Allen. Their season finale is Feb. 8 hosting Northampton.

The EPC playoffs will begin Friday, Feb. 10.