City of Basketball Love

By Chad Graham (@CGraham_Sports)
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EAST FALLS — The Post & Pivot Spring League concluded at Jefferson University on Wednesday night with its semifinal and championship rounds. West Catholic defeated Dobbins Tech, 56-49, in one semifinal, while St. Joe’s Prep outlasted Cristo Rey in the other semifinal contest, 52-49. In a rematch of last year’s title bout, St. Joe’s Prep used a dominant first quarter to propel itself to a 58-48 championship win over the Burrs. Was in attendance for the night’s three contests. Here are the standouts from the action:

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Devin Booker (2025 | Cristo Rey)

Gaining the lion’s share of the defense’s attention, Booker scored just 6 first half points as the Blue Pride were down 35-17. They came out with a sense of urgency after halftime, powered by his defense and assertiveness. In that stretch, he blocked two shots and got a steal while helping contain SJP’s center. Booker came out firing on all cylinders from deep too. After pulling up for 1 three, he converted his second and third on catch-and-shoot attempts. And if he couldn’t get the look he wanted, he drove to the cup and got to the charity stripe. Despite coming up just short, the emerging wing finished with 20 points on the night. 

Tristen Guillouette (2024 | St. Joe's Prep)

The Prep’s man in the middle earned Playoff MVP honors due to how he controlled the paint. Guillouette plugged leaks in the defense with the drives he deterred and the shots he altered (3 blk/g). He leaned into his size advantage on offense too, cleaning up misses and going straight up whenever he got a paint touch. And when the defense started to double or trap him in the final game, Guillouette made excellent passes to cutters and open shooters. He put up 14-point double-doubles in both games as St. Joe’s Prep won the P&P Spring League title for the second year in a row.

Matt Gorman (2024 | St. Joe's Prep)

Gorman’s off-ball movement was pivotal to Prep's success. Sinking 2 threes in each game, he ran off screens and found open space on the perimeter to get clean looks at the basket. His quick release made it impossible for defenders to contest his shots. And when Guillouette was getting extra attention, Gorman flashed and cut backdoor to get easy buckets at the rim. The 6’2 shooting guard scored 10 points versus Cristo Rey, then 12 versus West Catholic.

Saleem Hudson (2024 | Dobbins)

The 6’1 point guard picked up where he left off from the team’s quarterfinal victory and brought the fight to West Catholic. More of a facilitator, Hudson canned 2 trey-balls on his way to 8 first half points. Dobbins got down big in the second until they surged back with Hudson’s help. He attacked the basket off the bounce to finish out with 17 points total. The pressure he put on the rim collapsed the defense, forcing them to either send him to the free throw line where he made 4 shots or help off of his teammate Zach Campbell - who scored 15 points of his own.

Jaron McKie (2025 | St. Joe's Prep)

Known for his high volume shooting, McKie only made one three in his two games. And yet, he contributed to winning in so many other ways. He pulled down 8 boards in the title game and several more in the semifinal. He forced turnovers at the defensive point of attack and had a couple emphatic chase-down blocks. Then, once it was time to close the final game, McKie hit a corner three, a lay up and two free throws to help secure the dub.

Isaiah Muhammad (2025 | West Catholic)

The Burrs got down by double digits early in the championship against Prep and they needed a spark off the bench, so they turned to Muhammad. His initial contribution came on the lowpost, where he slowed SJP’s big man and helped his team on the glass. Coach Boc turned to him again in the second half, only this time, Muhammad gave them a boost from the perimeter. He cashed in 4 of his 5 total threes during that stretch. Whether he was spotting up or setting a screen then popping, Muhammad’s shooting helped the Burrs get within arms reach of the win.

Naseem Perez (2025 | West Catholic)

In West’s semifinals matchup with Dobbins, the 5’9 point guard pushed them to the win with his play off of the ball. Perez generated early offense by sprinting on the wing in transition. He also relocated after each pass, to knock down 3 threes in the first half. Dobbins mounted a comeback in the second, but Perez delivered again. He kept his guys together, played aggressive defense, rebounded and made 3 more from behind the arc, finishing with a team-high 20 points.

Honorable Mention

Zach Campbell (2024 | Dobbins), Olin Chamberlain Jr (2025 | St. Joe's Prep), Amari Dow (2024 | Cristo Rey), Jordan Ellerbee (2025 | St. Joe's Prep), Jalen Harper (2024 | St. Joe's Prep), Saige Henderson (2025 | Cristo Rey), Saaid Lee (2025 | West Catholic), Tyler Tolbert (2026 | Cristo Rey), Jasir Tyler (2026 | West Catholic), Micah Waters (2025 | West Catholic)