City of Basketball Love

Stephen Miller (@stevemiller078)
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ALLENTOWN –– Anchored to the bench after collecting four first-half fouls, Anquan Hill reassured Archbishop Carroll coach Francis Bowe at halftime.

Hill would sit as long as Bowe saw fit and provide encouragement from the sideline. When his chance to return to the floor came, he wouldn’t waste it. 

Hill checked in to start the fourth quarter with the Patriots trailing Bethlehem Catholic by two points. He scored Archbishop Carroll’s first nine points of the quarter to set the stage for a taught finish. 

Freshman Dean Coleman-Newsome delivered the shot that extended the Patriots’ season, connecting on a 3-pointer with 29.3 seconds to play. Archbishop Carroll then survived a 3-point try by Bryan Santana that came up short and a last-second heave from Julian Thomas to escape with a 46-44 win in a PIAA Class 4A boys basketball first-round game Friday at J. Milo Sewards Gymnasium in Allentown. 

Coleman-Newsome undoubtedly hit the biggest shot for the Patriots (17-9 overall), the District 12 No. 3 seed. His lone field goal of the night turned a one-point deficit into a two-point lead. 

Archbishop Carroll wouldn’t have had a chance to win late had Hill not returned for the fourth quarter and avoided picking up the fifth foul that would have disqualified him.

“We set up a real quick pick-and pop screen [early in the fourth quarter], and he spun off of 21 [ Bethlehem Catholic’s Isaiah Alexander], who’s a heck of a player, and he made the play,” Bowe said. “It was funny, he came back after a timeout and said, ‘I told you coach! I’m ready.

“He was huge.”

Hill, a 6-foot-8 junior, came into Friday seeking a big performance to end a late-season funk. He said he felt out of sorts on offense over the past few weeks. 

It didn’t show Friday. 

Hill connected on his first five shots against Bethlehem Catholic, the District 11 4A runner-up. He didn’t take any shots in the second and third quarters, however, thanks in part to his foul trouble. 

Archbishop Carroll allowed Hill to stay on the floor with two fouls late in the second quarter. He doubled his total on one sequence.

After a scramble on the floor, he was whistled for a loose-ball foul that guaranteed he would finish the half on the bench with three fouls. Upset with the call, he cursed within an official’s ear shot, earning him a technical foul for personal No. 4. 

Hill owned the mistake as he walked toward the bench, telling Bowe he cursed. He refused to allow frustration to derail his night. 

“I just came with energy and effort,” Hill said. “I stepped the intensity up at practice and I just came with the mindset that there’s no way I’m not going to play well. 

“The last few games, I haven’t been scoring that great. I haven’t been efficient. Today I just thought it was a day I should really step up, especially for the seniors.”

Hill finished with a game-high 16 points while making seven of his eight field-goal attempts. He also snared four rebounds and blocked two shots. 

John Camden added 10 points, eight in the first half. That helped compensate for an off night from 6-foot-7 forward Tairi Ketner. The Bryant University recruit finished with just eight points on 11 field-goal attempts.

Ketner converted his final shot to give Archbishop Carroll a late 44-43 lead. He left Allen High School with one of his fingers in a splint after breaking or dislocating the finger earlier in the game. 

The Patriots will hope for good news on Ketner before Tuesday. They will play District 3 runner-up Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg), a 78-58 winner over District 11 No. 4 seed Wilson, in a second-round matchup at a site and time to be determined.

“I feel like we should have won by more, but we got the win, and that’s all that counts,” Hill said. “We have to play better next round.”

By Quarter
Archbishop Carroll:     14 | 10 | 8 | 14  | 46
Bethlehem Catholic:   14 | 10 | 10 | 10  | 44

Scoring
Archbishop Carroll: Hill 16, Camden 10, Ketner 8, Coleman-Newsome 5, Stewart 4, Carter 3
Bethlehem Catholic: Thomas 12, Alexander 11, B. Santana 9, Glassmacher 5, Stianche 4, R. Santana 3

~~~

South Philadelphia couldn’t complete a District 12 4A sweep at J. Milo Sewards Gymnasium. The Rams, the No. 5 seed from District 12, scuffled against District 11 champion Allentown Central Catholic’s 2-3 zone while suffering a 47-26 loss in the back half of the doubleheader. 

South Philadelphia (16-7) managed just 13 points in each half. Brandon Blue led the Rams with 14 points, but no one else scored more than six. 

“I think if we got back on defense it would have been a tighter game,” third-year South Philadelphia coach Thomas Terry said. “They had 22-23 transition points from what I counted.”

It was a long night for the Rams before the game even started. They didn’t arrive in Allentown until the fourth quarter of the Archbishop Carroll-Bethlehem Catholic game thanks to Friday night traffic. 

They still finished the season with 16 wins, an increase of four victories from last season. South Philadelphia won 10 games when Thomas took over the program for the 2017-18 season. 

Thomas would like to see the Rams leap to 20 victories next season, when they should return eight varsity players. 

“We had a successful season,” Thomas said. “Of course, we didn’t reach as far as we wanted to reach, but it’s just another year to build on.”

By Quarter
South Philly:      8 | 5 | 8 |   5 | 46
Allentown CC:  14 | 10 | 10  | 10 | 44

Scoring
South Philly: Blue 14, Dixon 6, Evans 3, Wiggins 3
Allentown CC: Filchner 20, Joyce 13, Thomas 6, Green 4, Spugnardi 4

~~~

Class 1A
Mt. Calvary Christian 63, North Penn-Liberty 57
Nativity BVM 74, The Christian Academy 71
Lancaster County Christian 59, Northumberland Christian 51
Sankofa Freedom 73, Linville Hill Christian 21
St. John Neumann 79, Conestoga Christian 70
Southern Fulton 67, Halifax 66
Notre Dame ES 71, Sullivan County 64
Chester Charter 57, Greenwood 41
Vincentian Ac 93., Allegheny Clarion Valley 63
Berlin Brothersvalley 73, Geibel Catholic 37
Cameron County 61, Williamsburg 38
Commodore Perry 87, Bishop Canevin 35
Elk Co. Catholic 56, Imani Christian Ac. 34
Cornell 74, Saltsburg 29
Shade 63, Nazareth Prep 55
Bishop Carroll 62, Clarion-Limestone 60

Class 4A
Bonner-Prendergast 78, Eastern York 40
Valley View 70, Athens 58
Archbishop Carroll 44, Bethlehem Catholic 42
Bishop McDevitt 78, Wilson Area 58
Allentown CC 47, South Philadelphia 26
Pope John Paul II 56, John Bartram 46
Tamaqua Area 48, Danville 42
Susquehanna Twp. 64, Scranton Prep 54
Imhotep Charter 70, ELCO 60
Montoursville 66, Nanticoke 51
Lancaster Catholic 59, Ringgold 56
Belle Vernon 65, Clearfield 60
Highlands 50, Harbor Creek 40
Grove City 59, Bedford 43
Huntingdon 70, Blackhawk 57
Hickory 58, New Castle 48