Few high school players can take over a game like Sam Iorio. Coming into the fourth quarter against Stroudsburg, Iorio had 21 points before scoring 18 of the Trojans 20 fourth-quarter points to lead his team to a 63-54 win over the Mounties (13-10).

The win put Parkland in Wednesday’s District 11 semifinal with top-seeded Allen. That game was played after Press deadlines.

Parkland needed every bit of Iorio’s explosion to fend off a tough Stroudsburg team that led throughout the first half. Thanks to Iorio’s big third quarter, the Trojans caught the Mountaineers to tie the game 43-43 going into the final eight-minutes of play.

Besides advancing Parkland in the District 11 tournament, the win guaranteed the Trojans a spot in the PIAA playoffs, which begin next weekend.

“It was back-and-forth for a while, but I thought we played well as a team,” said Iorio, a senior headed to American University. “We came in with the mindset that this wasn’t going to be our last high school game. I thought we dug deep, found the extra effort to overcome some bumps we had early in the game and got a great win.”

Iorio’s second-half surge started when he hit a three-pointer early in the third quarter to give his team a 31-29 lead. From there, Stroudsburg and Parkland traded baskets and momentum before settling for a tie heading into the final stanza.

“We knew we should have taken over from the beginning and we didn’t,” said Iorio, who pointed out that his team wasn’t happy with its play in the first half. “We were playing hard, but I just think we found a little bit more effort, dug a little deeper and started to take over.”

“He [Iorio] has the ability to take over in any situation, but big games are especially where he shines,” said coach Andy Stephens. “He just gets that look about him and you can almost see the determination rise and from there. He just takes over.”

Stephens got on his team after the first quarter in an animated discussion and let them know that they had to step up their game if they were going to advance. Stephens was especially upset with his team’s ball movement and the fact that they were allowing Stroudsburg to handle them physically.

“We didn’t play our best, so I think the fact that we beat a good Stroudsburg team is a good sign,” said Stephens.

Fellow senior Jake Bartholomew hit three three-pointers in the game to finish with nine points for the Trojans. Mike Zeky scored eight. Just five Parkland players scored in the game. In addition to his 39 points, Iorio had 20 rebounds for Parkland.

Late in the regular season, Parkland lost to Allen 62-55. The Canaries are 25-1 on the season and may represent the biggest threat to Parkland’s quest for a fifth straight district title. The other semifinal has third-seeded Pocono Mountain West (18-4) going up against second-seed Emmaus (20-4).