City of Basketball Love

Justin Procope (@1procope)
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Roman Catholic boys basketball has been riding high. 

Less than two weeks ago the Cahillites were celebrating on the famous hardwood of the Palestra, having won their second straight Philadelphia Catholic League championship thanks to a buzzer-beating shot from Kabe Goss in a game that will live in Philly lore for generations.

Three days later, they picked up another piece of hardware, trouncing Lincoln 63-29 to win the District 12 Class 6A championship. 

The good times kept rolling Saturday afternoon at Kelly Fieldhouse, as Roman took its first step towards a state championship with a dominating 63-37 win over Downingtown West in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs. 

The Cahillites did it without Goss, one of three players ineligible to play in this year’s state tournament due to PIAA transfer rules along with senior guard Travis Reed and 6-foot-5 senior wing C.J. Miller. For most teams, losing three key pieces of your rotation would mean trouble, but for a team as talented as Roman, it means opportunity. 

“One thing about Roman is it’s always next man up,” senior guard Hunter Johnson said. “We always got somebody ready to step up whether it’s me, Bob [Cottrell], [Sebastian Edwards], down to the last people on the bench, everybody’s ready to go and I feel like we’ve all been stepping up lately to that spot.”

While the bruising All-PCL first-teamer Shareef Jackson is the offensive centerpiece for the Cahillites, players like Johnson have no choice but to step up if the Cahillites hope to return to the state championship game, where they fell in overtime to Reading last season. 

“Seeing them lose and seeing how much it meant to some of the players on the team, I don't want that this year, and I don't wanna lose this year either,” Johnson said. “So I think that brings a different hunger to this team.”

The early results are promising, as Johnson backed up Jackson’s game-high 25 points with 10 of his own while providing his usual suffocating on-ball defense, collecting several steals that led to easy scores. Johnson’s ability to impact the game outside of scoring is something head coach Chris McNesby said will be invaluable the deeper they go in the playoffs. 

“I’m so happy for him, that’s exactly what we’re going to need if we’re going to advance this time of year,” McNesby said. “It’s not so much always making the highlight plays or scoring, it’s just being there for the little things and taking care of us out there.”

Sophomore Sammy Jackson poured in 11 points including a trio of 3-pointers. The 6-5 Jackson, younger brother to Shareef, has blossomed this season, typically in a reserve role off the bench. Now in the starting lineup, the sweet-shooting and versatile guard/forward has the chance to take another leap in his development. 

Rounding out the bulk of the scoring was Edwards, a junior wing who tallied nine points before he had to be helped off the floor following a turned ankle late in the third quarter. 

From the opening tip, it was business as usual for the PCL champs. Sammy Jackson opened the scoring after a turnover led to a breakaway dunk, foreshadowing what was to come. From there, the Cahillites faced little resistance from the Whippets, rattling off a 10-1 run in the first few minutes of the game that led to a 22-10 lead after the first period. 

It would not get any easier for Downingtown West in the second, with Roman’s ball pressure and defensive schemes too much. Johnson’s fingerprints were all over the first half that saw him finish with seven points. Steals, rebounds and gritty defense allowed Roman to push the ball and get easy baskets, extending its lead to 35-18 heading into the break. 

“We just got the ball out and pushed,” Johnson said. “We didn't really play it slow, we kept the tempo fast, and that really helped us out because they couldn't stop us. It was getting open shots, getting layups and we just did that the whole entire time.”

After an 8-0 run from Downingtown West to start the fourth quarter cut a 52-29 lead down to 15, it was Johnson again who stepped up. As sophomore Brady Moore made his move to the basket, Johnson stepped in front to take a charge before taking his man off the dribble for a layup on the other end, changing the momentum and securing a victory for the Cahillites. 

The loss ends a solid year for the Whippets, who got strong play from standout juniors Zeke Stahz (13 points) and Donovan Fromhartz (11 points).

Roman is back in action Wednesday when it will take on West Chester Henderson at a site and time to be announced with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

There may be a few faces missing, but Johnson is confident there is more than enough talent on this roster to get the job done. 

“Losing Kabe and Trav and C.J., that was really big on us because that's three people who gave us good minutes this year,” Johnson said. “But do I think we still have a chance to do it? Obviously, yeah. Because … it's Roman. Next guy up. Always the next guy up”

“We have a great core of guys that all play their role and do what they’ve got to do.

As long as we keep doing that and we stay as a team, ain’t nobody going to stop us.”

By Quarter

Roman Catholic: 22 | 13 | 17 | 11 || 63

Downingtown West: 10 | 8 | 11 | 8 || 37

Scoring

Roman Catholic: Shareef Jackson 25, Sammy Jackson 11, Hunter Johnson 10, Sebastian Edwards 9, Malik Hughes 4, Robert Spruill IV 2, Robert Cottrell 2

Downingtown West: Zeke Stahz 13, Donovan Fromhartz 11, Jase Lasher 3, Alex Neuhaus 2, Brady Moore 2

~~~

PIAA 6A Boys (local games)

First Round (Sat., March 9)
12-3 Archbishop Wood 81, 1-5 Methacton 73
1-1 Lower Merion 85, 3-6 Cedar Crest 55
1-3 West Chester Henderson 80, 2-2 Hazleton Area 73
3-4 Reading 65, 1-4 Chester 63
3-5 Central York 69, 1-2 Garnet Valley 60
12-1 Roman Catholic 63, 1-11 Downingtown West 37
1-6 Coatesville 57, 11-2 Liberty 46 (2OT)
1-8 Springfield (Delco) 59, 12-2 Lincoln 43
11-1 Parkland 65, 1-10 Plymouth Whitemarsh 35
3-1 Cumberland Valley 84, 1-12 Bensalem 59
1-9 Spring-Ford 55, 2-1 Scranton 52
3-2 Chambersburg 72, 1-7 Central Bucks East 41

Second Round (Wed., March 13)
1-1 Lower Merion vs. 12-3 Archbishop Wood
1-8 Springfield (Delco) vs. 1-9 Spring-Ford
1-3 West Chester Henderson vs. 12-1 Roman Catholic
3-1 Cumberland Valley vs. 1-6 Coatesville