Matthew Ryan (@matthewryan02)
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It was a reminder of how things used to be.
“You can’t do that,” the Bonner-Prendie student section chanted after a foul call.
“He can’t guard you,” Cardinal O’Hara fans yelled after Izaiah Pasha got one of his many buckets on the day.
Izaiah Pasha (above, in Dec.) and Cardinal O'Hara topped Bonner-Prendergast in their annual rivalry game. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
It was something missing last year when fan attendance was limited for the O’Hara vs. Bonner rivalry matchup. But on Sunday afternoon, the old days of a packed house for the contest between the two teams was in full effect, with the Lions holding off a late Friars push to hold on for a 66-53 victory at home.
“It was awesome to see fans in the crowd after last year, after a rivalry game,” O’Hara head coach Ryan Nemetz said. “I think it’s a great sense of normalcy for everybody. So it’s just fun to have everybody in the gym and enjoy the win.”
While the game came down to the wire at the end, the first three quarters had all the makings of a blowout. When Pasha banked in a three pointer at the end of the first half to give him 17 points, O’Hara entered the break with a 14-point advantage. And after the third quarter came to a close, Bonner found itself in a 48-26 hole, not able to get anything going on the offensive end.
But as the fourth quarter went on, the Friars continued to chip away, bringing the contest as close as six with 1:24 to play. After that, though, clutch free throws down the stretch by Hunter Johnson (14 points) and Zuri Harris (eight) sealed the deal for the Lions, giving them a 8-6 record overall, 4-3 in the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Undoubtedly the star of the show was Pasha, who finished with a game-high 23 points. For the 6-foot-5 wing, playing in such a big rivalry game is somewhat of a nuanced experience. Pasha is in his first year at O’Hara after transferring from Central Dauphin East High School in Harrisburg, where crowds like Sunday’s don’t happen every weekend like in the PCL.
“I’ve never really been in a big rivalry game,” Pasha said. “Big atmosphere like a game like this, so just knowing that, the mentality coming in was just kill, and that’s every game. Come in and kill.
“I live for moments like this. So when it’s a big moment like this, all I do is just stay composed and just know my game [...] I look at games like this like any other game.”
Not only does winning the Delco matchup give the Lions bragging rights for the next year, but it also puts them in a good position entering the back half of PCL play. After starting out 0-2 in the PCL, wins over La Salle (60-51), Archbishop Carroll (55-53), Conwell-Egan (80-72) and now Bonner have O’Hara above .500 in league play and currently in eighth place.
As talented as the Lions are, they are equally as inexperienced. There are no seniors on the roster and on Wednesday, Nemetz started two juniors and three sophomores. But, so far, the talent seems to be overpowering the youth.
“We still have a young team… so I kind of knew in the Catholic League there’s going to be some games that we need to pull out that are close which we’ve had so far, against Carroll, against La Salle and now the Bonner game,” Nemetz said. “We’re doing what we need to do as a young group, so it’s good to see.”
The loss puts Bonner (5-6, 1-4 PCL) at 12th place in the PCL, tied with Carroll and currently half a game behind St. Joseph’s Prep (2-4 PCL) for a playoff spot.
Entering the season, the general expectation was that the Lions would be towards the bottom of the league but still competing for a PCL playoff spot. Seven games into league play, they’re exceeding those expectations. They’re in position to not only advance to the playoffs but potentially garner a top-six spot, giving them a first-round bye.
With six games remaining, there’s still work to do. Ahead are pivotal games against West Catholic (5-1 PCL), Devon Prep (3-2), Neumann-Goretti (1-0) and Father Judge (2-3). But midway through league play, the goals inside of O’Hara’s locker room are clear.
“Win every game possible,” Pasha said. “I feel like we can win any game, it doesn't matter who’s on the team, what’s the hype about. And just making it to the Palestra, then once we make it to the Palestra, winning the whole PCL. And that’s the goal.”
By Quarter
Bonner: 6 | 13 | 7 | 27 || 53
O’Hara: 14 | 19 | 15 | 18 || 66
Scoring
Bonner: Brady Egan 12, AJ Dreger 10, Shakur Smith 9, Baasil Saunders 8, Saaid Lee 8, Deuce Ketner 4, Elijah Gunther 2
O’Hara: Izaiah Pasha 23, Hunter Johnson 14, Pearse McGuinn 11, Josh Coulanges 10, Zuri Harris 8
Tag(s): Home Matthew Ryan Boys HS Catholic League (B) Bonner-Prendergast Cardinal O'Hara High School