City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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ROYERSFORD — With each picture-perfect shot, Omar Davis’ confidence continued to build and, in turn, so did the rest of the Overbrook Panthers boys basketball roster.

The First Team All-Public League selection had an abysmal opening half, going 2 for 9 from the floor, and what seemed to be a long evening ahead turned into a monumental win. Davis showed the maturity that has developed over the course of three whirlwind seasons at a program that has seen the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Malik Rose transcend into NBA talent.

Davis poured in 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as Overbrook fended off Pope John Paul II to leave with a 53-49 overtime win in the opening round of the PIAA Class 4A Tournament. The victory marked the second straight in the PIAA first round for Davis and the 2024 class and the third in Overbook history. 

Two seasons ago, Overbrook finished 1-16, then last year former head coach Bo Kimble — the former Loyola Marymount star and 1990 NBA Draft choice — stepped away after one season. Arlen Carnard stepped in and kept things rolling after the Panthers won a state tournament game a season ago.

What made Friday night so spectacular was how Davis used this long and winding road to his advantage to spearhead a career-defining victory by hoisting one smooth jumper after the next.

“I work on what I’m best at, and that’s shooting,” Davis said. “I work on catch-and-shoot and get shots up every day.”

Despite the early struggles, the 6-foot-3 senior guard took some momentum into halftime by hitting a jumper from just inside the arc before the buzzer. He then sank a transition jumper from the foul line to tie the game at 26-26 with 58.3 seconds left in the third quarter. Fellow senior Tahmiere Manning (17 points, eight rebounds, two blocks) stepped to the line on the ensuing possession and hit 1 of 2 to give Overbrook (13-13) its first lead of the night.

Davis hit the opening 3-pointer of the fourth off a great find from Manning then added two more 3s to push the lead to 38-31 with 4:22 left in regulation. Davis is in the midst of the best season of his career, and, as has been the case throughout the year, he got stronger as the game wore on while Pope John Paul II (12-12) ran out of gas.

“For us, it means everything because two years back, we only won one game,” Davis said. “The following year, we made things better, but this is our best year so far.”

Carnard was Davis’ English teacher during his junior year and served as an assistant alongside Kimble. He has been part of two PIAA state tournament victories, including his first as a head coach, and was instrumental in preparing this group for its resurgence in this one.

“We lost in the state tournament last year, and I remember the feeling, disappointment and sadness in the locker room,” Carnard said. “To see these boys come back and do it in a resilient way, it’s all about finishing and staying together. It means a lot to me to see them persevere.”

Caleb Zavertnik, who led Pope John Paul II with 14 points, hit a pair of free throws, then Denny Owens made his lone basket of the night on a floater in the lane and finally Chase Mondillo hit the biggest of his three 3-pointers to tie the game at 40-40 with 1:28 left in the fourth.

Both teams traded strong defensive possessions to force overtime, then Davis took over. He came off a screen and knocked down a trey while moving to his right, then another deep 3 put Overbrook up 46-43 with 1:07 remaining. Another senior, Charlie Belcher, hit his lone 3 of the night, but Donny DeMito, who had six of his nine points in the extra period and also grabbed 12 rebounds, kept Pope John Paul II within striking distance with a left-handed layup to cut the deficit to 49-47 with 34.2 seconds left.

Carnard has seen Davis, who will play at Delaware County Community College next season, grow into an unflappable leader who is always even keeled.

“I talk to him a lot about leadership and tell him, ‘Omar, you’re the type of leader people are going to follow without saying anything. You should always put your best foot forward,’” Carnard said.

It was no surprise Davis was ahead of the Pope John Paul II defense on the final Overbrook basket of the night to clinch the win.

Pope John Paul II led by as many as nine points in the opening quarter. Zavertnik controlled things at the high post as Mondillo, Ayden Wise and Braden Reed took advantage of a collapsing Overbrook defense by getting into open seams on the perimeter and baseline. Zavertnik drove right by Manning to put Pope John Paul II up 22-17 to begin the second half and then hit a pair of free throws later in the third.

Overbrook advances to face District 2 champion Scranton Prep, which defeated Fleetwood 79-53, in the next round hoping to make more history. The Panthers have never advanced past the second round of the state tournament, and Carnard sees players like Davis carrying the mantle of a historic program.

“I told these guys that we’re charged with restoring the prestige of Overbrook,” Carnard said. “The school and building are very historic, and when you walk through the hallways you see monumental people with Wilt being one of the main people that those outside know about. To get a state tournament win is huge, and I hope the boys understand the magnitude of what they accomplished.”

By Quarter

Overbrook: 3 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 13 || 53

Pope John Paul II: 7 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 9 || 49

Scoring

Overbrook: Omar Davis 24, Tahmiere Manning 17, Charlie Belcher 5, Omar Warring 5, Shafir Hall 2.

Pope John Paul II: Caleb Zavertnik 15, Chase Mondillo 10, Dom DeMito 9, Ayden Wise 4, Bradey Bass 4, Braden Bass 3, Denny Owens 2, Jason Green 2.

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PIAA 4A Boys (local games)

First Round (Fri., March 8)
12-1 Neumann-Goretti 86, 3-6 Littlestown 63
12-4 Overbrook 53, 1-1 Pope John Paul II 49 (OT)
12-2 Engineering & Science 51, 11-3 Pottsville 44
12-3 Archbishop Carroll 66, 3-2 Big Spring 59
11-1 Allentown Central Catholic 68, 12-5 School of Future 33

Second Round (Tue., March 12)
12-1 Neumann-Goretti vs. 3-3 Berks Catholic
12-4 Overbrook vs. 2-1 Scranton Prep
12-2 Engineering & Science vs. 4-1 Danville
11-1 Allentown Central Catholic vs. 12-3 Archbishop Carroll