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Carroll downs Prep in battle of Catholic League unbeatens

01/18/2016, 8:45pm EST
By Thomas Primosch

Archbishop Carroll senior guard Ryan Daly. (Photo: Tom Reifsnyder/CoBL)

Thomas Primosch (@ThomasPrimosch)
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There was a large crowd on hand at St. Joseph’s Prep to see a meeting between two of the remaining three unbeaten teams in the Catholic League as Prep hosted Archbishop Carroll on Martin Luther King Day.

Both teams came into the game unbeaten in six prior league contests, and a win would mean that one program would be on a level with only Neumann-Goretti with nearly half the league slate completed.

Even for a Monday afternoon game, the atmosphere inside the Kelly Fieldhouse was that of a marquee playoff matchup.

Those in attendance were treated to a fast-paced, entertaining game, but only one team could stay perfect in PCL play.

The visiting Patriots got off to a quick start against the Hawks, and that proved to be a telling sign. They never trailed on their way to a 63-49 victory.

Archbishop Carroll (15-1, 7-0) got out to a quick 8-0 lead to start the first quarter, forcing Prep coach Speedy Morris to call a timeout.

“You’d like to have that kind of start every game,” Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk said. “Sometimes you don’t but especially at another team’s gym, an away game...if they start 8-0 or 11-2 now the crowd’s into it a little bit differently.”

The Patriots went up 14-5 with 4:37 to go in the first quarter before both teams seemed to settle in and start going basket for basket.

Carroll got 11 first half points from senior Ryan Daly and they went into the halftime with a 32-30 lead. Daly, a 6-foot-4 Hartford commit,  finished the game with 28 points and five rebounds.

“I think my mid-range game lately has been better,” Daly said. “I scored a couple baskets in the first half on mid-range jumpers, because I think teams are just expecting a 3-point shooter so when I get by them, my pull-up has been working good for me.”

The Patriots offense was directed by senior Josh Sharkey who was his usual steady self. The Samford commit finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists and his composure never wavered throughout the entire game.

Carroll built its lead up to 38-32 with 4:44 left in the third quarter but the Hawks (11-4, 5-1) stuck around and kept the game close. Senior Temi Aiyegbusi nailed a 3-pointer with 2:52 left in the quarter to even the score at 40. It was the only time in the game Carroll didn’t hold a lead.

At the end of three quarters, Carroll held a slim 44-42 lead but the Patriots came out firing in the fourth quarter, going on a 7-0 run to build their lead to 51-42 and all but put the game out of reach.

Romanczuk was pleased with the way his team defended Prep sophomore Kyle Thompson, who had 11 points in the first half but was held to just three points in the second half. He specifically lauded the efforts of senior John Rigsby, a 6-4 wing who’s been having something of a breakout year on both ends of the court.

“Kyle Thompson is an excellent, excellent basketball player,” Romanczuk said. “For John to put out the defensive effort that he did in the second half...I’m not sure what Thompson did in the second half but it wasn’t...I mean the one three he hit in the second half was deep and was pretty contested by John.”

The entire Carroll team played solid defense, especially in the fourth quarter where they held the Hawks to just seven points.

“What we talked about at halftime was being more locked in and engaged defensively,” said Romanczuk. “They had 30 points in the first half and 19 in the second half so I think it all stems from our defense.”

The victory sets up a bit game for the Patriots as they head into a Friday night showdown with the also-undefeated Saints of Neumann Goretti.

The Patriots will look to avenge last years 69-67 defeat at the hands of Neumann in the Class AAA state title game.


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