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PIAA Class 4A: Carroll's unexpected run ends in semifinals

03/18/2022, 10:15pm EDT
By Kyle J Andrews

Kyle J. Andrews (@KyleJAndrews_)

SPRING MILLS – Archbishop Carroll found themselves in a tough stretch from Jan. 11-21, losing four consecutive games in a four-game span, part of a stretch of losing seven in nine during Catholic League play. They thought their season was over on Feb. 16 when they lost to Devon Prep, but were given another chance after Martin Luther King decided not to play in the state tournament.

Despite their ups and downs throughout the year, they found themselves in the PIAA 4A state semifinals against a 26-0 Quaker Valley team. The Patriots fought valiantly, but to no avail, losing 67-60 on Friday night to end their season. 

While Archbishop Carroll lost, head coach Francis Bowe has a lot to look forward to with eight of 12 players returning next season, including some impressive young talent.


Moses Hipps (above, left) and Blake Deegan are two of eight players the Patriots are slated to return this fall. (Photo: Kyle J. Andrews/for CoBL)

“It’s youth to me,” Bowe said. “At the end of the day, (Quaker Valley’s) a senior-laden team. You see it – they’ve got one junior that starts and the rest are seniors. They took care of the ball at the end of the game and we didn’t. 

“Maybe it was the moment, maybe it was the nerves, maybe it was the crowd. At the end of the day, we just have to do a better job of taking care of it. But I’m proud of these guys. We’re in District 12 and traveling to three straight schools for six and a half hours [round-trip]. What else can you ask for from your kids?”

The Patriots (15-11) held a 51-48 lead over the Quakers (27-0) with just 4:28 left in the game, when senior wing Shawnn Smith fouled out. With time winding down in the game, Quaker Valley, the District 7 champs, took the lead for the first time following Jack Gardinier’s two made free throws for the tie, followed by Markus Frank taking a 55-53 lead with a tip-in and then Adou Thiero scored a layup for the 57-53 advantage. 

From that point forward, the Quakers never looked back. Frank, a 6-6 forward, led Quaker Valley with 28 points and Thiero, a 6-6 wing with a Duquesne offer, added 20 from the other side of the paint. They’ll play Neumann-Goretti, 77-50 winners over Dallas High School, in the championship, Thursday at 7:30 PM.

Moses Hipps and Blake Deegan were the high-point scorers for Archbishop Carroll with 14 points each, followed by Dean Coleman-Newsome’s 13. 

Hipps, a sophomore, has received offers from Fordham, La Salle and Temple. His teammate Jake West, a freshman, has an offer from St. Francis (N.Y.). Deegan, a junior, is a 6-foot-5 shooter and sophomore Coleman-Newsome can slice through the paint. With the talent that is returning to the team, Hipps vowed that his team will be back in the hunt for a state title next season.

They'll also have eyes on moving up the PCL ladder after finishing tied with Bonner for 9th place in the 14-team league. Carroll hasn't won a league title since 1995, though they won a state title in 2009.

“We can definitely win a state championship,” Hipps said. “I feel like we could’ve won this year. It’s just unfortunate what happened today, but I think we can win the state championship next year and the PCL [Philadelphia Catholic League] for sure. We’re a good team and I think that we have experience now. I think that we had experience this year, but we have even more of it now. We’re young and hungry and this is going to fuel us for next year.”

The team is set to add a number of talented freshmen next season. Some of the current players just moved up to varsity this season. Deegan was one of those players and he’s willing to grind during the offseason to continue to improve with the rest of his returning teammates.

“Obviously we lost, but last year, I was a JV guy and didn’t have any varsity experience,” Deegan said. “Getting to play with the rest of the team is fun. We’ve got to use this win to fuel us next year and it’s [the loss] not fun, but any time we get on the court together is fun.”

By Quarter
Quaker Valley: 6 | 17 | 18 | 26 || 67
Arch. Carroll: 15 | 14 | 20 | 11 || 60

Scoring
Quaker Valley: Markus Frank 28, Adou Thiero 20, Jack Gardinier 10, Wil Dunda 9

Carroll: Moses Hipps 14, Blake Deegan 14, Dean Coleman-Newsome 13, Shawnn Smith 8, Jake West 8, Khahir Dixon 3, Harold Ivery 2


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