City of Basketball Love

Jerome Taylor (@ThatGuy_Rome)
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West Catholic’s boys team is coming into this season with Palestra expectations, thanks to their experience, versatility, and length. But on Friday night, one of their shortest players helped lead them to victory in the second game of the City of Basketball Love Tip-Off Showcase.

Burrs head coach Miguel Bocachica’s “one small–four talls” lineup will be pivotal for the Burrs bringing a Philadelphia Catholic League championship to 45th and Chestnut, something they haven’t done in 62 years. And in a gym full of energy, Bocachica’s lead “small,” 5-foot-10 Adam “Budd” Clark, led the Burrs to a 72-62 victory over Lincoln (0-1). 

“Budd has been great for a while now, and I think it’s only a matter of time before everyone starts to see his impact on the basketball game regardless of his size… Adam Clark is a very special player, and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the city sees it,” Bocachica said.

In a game where fans provided energy that high school basketball was missing for two seasons, Clark finished with 19 points and four assists in the Burrs’ (1-0) comeback victory. The junior guard finished in traffic, made mid-range jumpers, and dropped dimes, all the while electrifying a vocally polarized crowd.  

Clark’s ability to probe the defense and find open teammates was key to West Catholic’s come-from-behind victory. And one player that was on the receiving end of Clark’s playmaking ability was game MVP Nasir Griffin.

“We’re going to win games because we got Adam Clark,” Griffin said. “We just try to make him the decision-maker, and we just get to open spots, and he’ll make a decision for us.” 

Though Griffin has high praise for his point guard, the 6-7 senior forward’s versatility on the offensive end was equally crucial to the Burrs’ success. The East Stroudsburg commit finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, and he was as effective from the perimeter as he was from the post (7-of-9 FG, 3-of-4 3PT).

“There’s not a style of game that [Griffin] hasn’t been through since he’s been here, so for him, it was business as usual,” Bocachica said. “He’s a kid that can shoot, he can play inside. Today there wasn’t going to be much easy on the inside, and they left him open a couple of times, and he made them pay each and every time.”

Griffin and Clark had to step up in a scrappy game that took them out of their rhythm in the first half.

For Clark, he had to adjust to the full-court trap that Lincoln deployed. And for Griffin, he had to step outside of the clogged paint and start knocking down shots from the outside.

The Railsplitters’ full-court defense was effective at speeding up the Burrs, and that, combined with a lackluster performance on the boards plus an incredibly physical game in the paint in the first half, had the Burrs down 35-29 at halftime. 

Bocachica had prepped the Burrs for Lincoln’s physicality and knew that the same intensity that Jamel Lindsey played with when the two were younger would be instilled in the Railsplitters.

“I’d show up to the park, and [Lindsey and his staff] were the old heads on the court,” Boccachia said. “That’s how the games were when I used to play with them, so I know the energy that he’s giving them kids.”

“We weren’t startled, they were in here clapping, but we weren’t worried about that,” Griffin said. “We were just like, ‘Next play, this is what we’re doing wrong, let’s correct it…’ and I think that’s what happened in the third quarter.”

The third quarter was huge for the Burrs as they eliminated the deficit and tied the game at 46 in large part due to aggressive play that was rewarded with a parade to the free-throw line. 

The Burrs shot 20 free throws to Lincoln’s 13. 

The free throw disparity slowed the game down for West Catholic. And the change in pace allowed for the Burrs’ offensive depth to become more evident in the second half.

Senior Kaseem Watson (who is heading to Cal-Bakersfield with his twin brother Kareem) scored seven of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, and freshman Issac Cole (9 points 3-3 3pt), who got minutes due to Zion Stanford and Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui’s absence, stepped up to help propel them to victory.

“For us, it was just weathering the storm,” Bocachica said. “The more we got in the penalty, the game kind of slowed down, and then we settled into the game… we go into the fourth quarter 0-0, and we just competed.”

Lincoln was also without a significant piece of their roster, as senior Matt Williams didn’t suit up. In his absence, junior Jameer Trout (16 points) and senior Aymere Thomas (14 points) led the way for the Railsplitters. 

Bocachica is grateful for these games early in the season to help prepare his team for a demanding conference schedule and hopefully postseason play. But before conference play starts, their schedule doesn’t get easier as they take on Archbishop Stepinac (NY), who is ranked 25th nationally, according to MaxPreps, on Dec. 18. 

“I’ll take a battle, and a fight, and a rumble over an easy 20-point game any day,” Bocachica said.