City of Basketball Love

Ty Daubert (@TyDaubert)
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SPRINGFIELD — As it has been for much of this season for Cardinal O’Hara, the team’s Philadelphia Catholic League playoff opener was a bit up-and-down. 

Entering the postseason with a 6-7 PCL record, O’Hara could never seem to get fully rolling during the year; for every big win, the team would drop another. While the Lions struggled to gain momentum, they believed that the experience their young core gained throughout the season would help them achieve a goal they set out before the year: winning a Catholic League playoff game.

In their first opportunity against No. 9 Bonner-Prendie, the eighth-seeded Lions jumped out to a comfortable first-half lead, but found themselves fighting to preserve it down the stretch. While it wasn’t pretty, O’Hara did just enough to hang on for a 49-47 win on Wednesday night on its home floor.

“I was super proud of the guys,” Lions coach Ryan Nemetz said. “We didn’t end it the way we wanted to this game, but just to get a win in the playoffs with a young team is huge for their confidence. It’s awesome.”

O’Hara is centered around a rotation of juniors and sophomores, many of whom got to play together for the duration of last season. The notable exception is standout transfer wing Izaiah Pasha, a first-team All-Catholic selection who arrived from the Harrisburg area in the offseason.

Through the wins and the losses this season, O’Hara has continued to build chemistry and learn as the year goes on.

“We’ve definitely grown,” sophomore forward Pearse McGuinn said. “Coach Ryan, he’s built us. Mentally, we’re not even a young team. We should act like we’re juniors and seniors instead of sophomores and juniors.”

Even so, the Catholic League playoffs is a different beast. Taking the court in front of packed student sections, players needed to step up in a crucial spot. Behind Pasha’s 15 points, McGuinn (14 points) and fellow sophomore Amir Speights (10 points) did just that.

Pasha scored seven points in the first half, but struggled to find a real groove. After taking a 14-10 lead in the first quarter, the Lions ran out to an 11-0 run to begin the second quarter. The 6-foot-5 McGuinn provided solid interior defense in that stretch and cleaned up around the rim as O’Hara took a 30-20 lead into halftime, while Speights scored seven points in the quarter.

“They’re sophomores, first time playing in this environment,” Nemetz said. “Don’t forget, last year there were no fans, so it was like scrimmages. For them to make those plays in a big game, it’s huge for those guys.”

While Pasha found his shot a little more in the second half, hitting a stepback 3 early in the third, the rest of the O’Hara offense hit a wall, and Bonner began chipping away.

The Friars’ Shakur Smith, who scored 16 points, headed the comeback attempt with several looks at the basket. They cut the deficit to four with 1:04 remaining, but O’Hara dug in on defense and only allowed a last-second layup before the buzzer sounded.

“Fourth quarter,” Nemetz said, “even though we got a little stagnant, we got enough stops to win the game, which is huge.”

Despite the end-of-game struggles, the Lions players were thrilled to pick up a victory in the Catholic League tournament.

“It feels great,” McGuinn said. “Everyone’s screaming, it gave me the chills. It was definitely a great win, especially coming in the playoffs.”

With the win, O’Hara moves on to face No. 1 Roman Catholic (12-1 PCL) in the quarterfinals on Friday, 7 PM at Cristo Rey. The Lions know they’ll need to play much better if they want any chance of giving the star-studded Cahillites a run for their money. O’Hara will look to be more aggressive and free-flowing, and the team thinks it can do that with this win under its belt.

“We got to be ready,” Nemetz said. “If we play like we did today, we’re not going to beat those guys or have a chance against those guys. We just got to keep improving and keep going.”

While changes will need to be made before the next round, this O’Hara team also took pride in its win on Wednesday. Advancing in the PCL playoffs is a sign of progress for the program, and it’s been in the works for months.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment,” Pasha said. “Just in the gym every day and working on getting better and staying together as a team. All I can say is: We got the job done tonight.”

By Quarter
Bonner-Prendie:   10  |  10  |  16  |  11  ||  47
Cardinal O’Hara:  14  |  16  |  13  |   6   ||  49

Scorers
Bonner-Prendie: Shakur Smith 16, Jamal Hicks 10, Baasil Saunders 9, Brady Eagan 8, AJ Dreger 4

Cardinal O’Hara: Izaiah Pasha 15, Pearse McGuinn 14, Amir Speights 10, Zuri Harris 6, Hunter Johnson 4