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Greer finds Hart in final seconds as Roman tops Bonner for PCL crown

02/27/2018, 12:00am EST
By Rich Flanagan

Roman sophomore guard Hakim Hart (above) scored the game-winning bucket off a pass from Lynn Greer III with 1.6 seconds left. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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Lynn Greer III had gone through this moment in his head numerous times before.

The clock was winding down and he was going to be facilitating the offense on his team’s final possession. He recalled practices in Roman Catholic’s historic gym on the school’s third floor where he would take the ball end-to-end with only seconds remaining. For a player who had started 23 games as a freshman and was named a finalist for the 2017 USA Basketball Men's U16 National Team, he had not yet had the ball in his hands in the closing seconds.

That all changed on the floor of the Palestra in the Philadelphia Catholic League championship game.     

With seven seconds remaining, Greer drove and found teammate Hakim Hart for the go-ahead basket to seal Roman Catholic’s 51-49 victory over Bonner-Prendergast and clinch the program’s third league title in four years. The Cahillites began their final possession with over 1:20 remaining on the clock but took as much time off the clock as possible to get off the final shot.

As a freshman, head coach Matt Griffin began instilling the confidence in Greer, who finished with 12 points, to make key decisions late in the game but this was his first example to prove to his coach he can handle the pressure that comes with that.

“He told me to go get the ball,” Greer said. “Last year, my freshman year, he told me he believes in me to make the big plays. I knew I was going to do something with the ball whether it was shooting it or making the right play. I just did a good job of getting my teammates open.”

Greer’s emergence as the Cahillites point guard harkens back to many floor generals Roman Catholic has produced in the past such as Tony Carr, Maalik Wayns and Brad Wanamaker but much of his court presence comes from his father, Lynn Greer Jr.

Greer Jr. played at George Washington Carver High School on W Norris Street then starred at Temple for four seasons, ultimately finishing as the schools’ second all-time leading scorer. The elder Greer has taught his son a vital ingredient, which may have enabled him to make that final play.

“The main things for these young guys is patience,” Greer Jr. said. “They could’ve gotten flustered when they were down five points with two minutes to go but they remained calm. That’s one thing I try to teach him. The game is not over until it’s over.”

After Isaiah Wong (19 points) knocked down two free throws, the Cahillites trailed 48-43 with 3:03 left. Seth Lundy knocked down a pair of his own then nailed a dagger three-pointer to tie the game. After Tariq Ingraham and Greer exchanged one foul shot apiece, it was the sophomore’s time to create.

What was more impressive about Greer’s final drive was who was on the receiving end. It was not fellow First Team All-Catholic selection Lundy or Towson commit Allen Betrand but Hart, a Kingsway (N.J.) transfer. Hart, who finished with six points and five rebounds, understands his teammate’s tendencies so well, he knew exactly where to be at the right time.

“I was waiting on the baseline and I knew when Lynn gets to the basket he’s going to find me,” Hart said. “Throughout the year, we’ve grown with each other and it showed on the court with this championship.”

Still, with so much time on the clock, Greer Jr. thought it was enough time for the Cahillites to lose focus and get lackadaisical with the ball. What kept him confident Roman would pull out the victory? His son’s playmaking ability.

“He kept going through the legs and behind the back while I’m thinking ‘Please don’t dribble over half court” especially with the last shot,” Greer Jr. said. “I have so much confidence in his one-on-one ability. It was a great idea by the coaches to hold that ball, a great pass by Lynn and a great cut by Hakim.”

Greer had replayed that final possession over and over in his head whether it be at practice and taking in games he used to watch his dad play in. He was able to recount the early-season losses to Neumann-Goretti and the overtime defeat at the hands of the Friars. He stressed how those losses paved the way for the Cahillites run to the title and how this was seen as revenge on Bonner-Prendergast.

“Every team that we’ve beaten since that loss to Bonner, we’ve been saying in our heads, ‘We’re playing against Bonner or Neumann-Goretti,’” Greer said. “Those are the only teams we want to beat and we we're not worried about the other teams.”

For one night, Greer doesn’t have to imagine making the “right play” because he’s accomplished that and lifted Roman back to the top of the Catholic League.


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