City of Basketball Love

Justin Procope (@1procope)
––

Shareef Jackson knows not to get ahead of himself.

Whether it’s picking out a pass from the high post or navigating a long season, Jackson, now the go-to guy on a Roman Catholic boys basketball team looking to repeat as Catholic League champion, knows the importance of staying the course. 

The 6-foot-8 junior returned to the floor after missing the last five games with an ankle injury and made his presence felt immediately, leading Roman to a 67-55 win Friday night over St. Joseph’s Prep. His 18 points led the team and moved the Cahillites to 11-1 in the league, guaranteeing at least a tie for first place in the PCL.

“The No. 1 spot in the PCL is definitely high stakes, but nothing was going to change because we were all always giving our best throughout the year,” Jackson said. “So it was about getting that No. 1 spot, but also just coming out as hungry as we’ve ever been."

Breathing room is hard to come by in the Catholic League this year. Archbishop Ryan, Neumann-Goretti and St. Joseph’s Prep all entered Friday night with a 9-2 record, just a game behind Roman. When the field is this strong, a high seed is important if you want to make a deep run in the league tournament, but Roman head coach Chris McNesby knows it will be a challenge regardless of who they face. 

“We got some guys who are hungry, I think they’re going to be focused,” McNesby said. “It's pretty much anybody's league, so we're not going to feel too good or feel too high. 

“Our goal is down the road, so we want to stay hungry.”

With former star center Tristan Gouillette watching from the sidelines, the Hawks could not deal with Jackson in the middle. He was dominant on the glass and was surgical working out of the high post, combining with his younger brother Sammy (10 points) for several baskets. Whenever he wasn’t being double teamed, Jackson would do his damage in the low block where Prep didn’t have anyone who could match his physicality.

Backing up the Jackson brothers on the perimeter was Travis Reed, who finished with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. 

Jordan Ellerbee finished with a game-high 21 points and seemed to be the only player who had it going for the Hawks. Senior Jaron McKie, who celebrated his 1,000th-career point Friday night, struggled from the floor. After a 27-point outing in their last game against Archbishop Carroll, the 6-3 guard finished with just 11. 

The Hawks were able to keep the game close in the first half, only trailing by five points at the break. When the second half began, the contested shots that fell earlier were nowhere to be found. Prep rolled out a full-court pressure late in the third quarter with no success. The play of the game came as a result as Roman was able to easily break it and leak out to Hunter Johnson for a violent poster dunk over Jalen Harper. The fourth quarter came down to clock management for the Cahillites. 

The loss is a missed opportunity for St. Joseph’s. Its core of talented guards has been on the rise for years but still have not made it to a semifinal game at the Palestra for six years. Securing a top seed would’ve gone a long way towards achieving that goal, but head coach Jason Harrigan doesn’t want his players' focus to change. 

“The goal stays the same,” Harrigan said. “We want to win a PCL championship, that’s still our goal, so I want them to stay focused on the goal, not get too caught up on one game.”

Prep now sits at 9-3 with a chance to make it 10 against Conwell-Egan on Sunday, a game it’s expected to win. The Cahillites, meanwhile, will be playing for a 12-1 finish and sole ownership of that No. 1 spot against Archbishop Ryan and Georgetown-bound center Thomas Sorber. 

The reigning PCL champs and PIAA runners-up have so far shown they’re capable of duplicating last year’s feats. But much like when he’s going to work in the post, Jackson is not getting ahead of himself. 

“I get making your own path, putting your name on a pavement is good, but I feel like more important than anything is winning,” Jackson said.

“I feel like just by trying to win, going all out, doing all I can to win, I think that's a lot more impactful for the team. In the end, if you win and you try your hardest to win, you'll eventually get your name up there. So I'm not truly worried about getting my own personal brand out there, but just trying and getting those wins and success will follow afterwards.”