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Coolahan's big shots lift Holy Ghost Prep past Father Judge

12/11/2015, 1:00am EST
By Andrew O'Connor

Jack Coolahan (above, in July) hit the game-winning foul shots to lift Holy Ghost past Father Judge. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Andrew O’Connor (@andrewoconnor23)
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At the end of both halves of Holy Ghost Prep’s game against Father Judge on Thursday night, Jack Coolahan came up clutch.

The 6-foot-4 Holy Ghost senior wing knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half, then two free throws that ultimately proved to be the game-winners as Prep downed Judge, 62-61.

“It was no problem,” Coolahan said in regards to the shots. “I’ve been in a lot of situations like that and I was working on my confidence all summer, so it was no problem.”

Father Judge led by four with one minute left in a battle between the two Northeast Philadelphia programs, but two misses from the line and a 3-pointer on the other end from Coolahan allowed Holy Ghost to pull within one. Ghost would get a defensive stop and the ball back with 5.1 seconds remaining.

Ghost quickly used this opportunity to drive towards the basket, missing their first shot but an offensive board by Coolahan and a foul put him at the line with the opportunity to gain the lead.

Holy Ghost coach Tony Chapman had confidence in his player, even as Father Judge called a timeout to gain a mental edge.

“I actually thought the timeout gave him an extra minute rest after all the minutes he played,” Chapman said, “He’s shooting 90 percent or whatever from the line, so I had no doubts.”

Coolahan’s free throws gave Holy Ghost (4-0) a one-point lead with 3.5 seconds left and Judge could not respond, throwing up a deep two from the corner that missed.

Coolahan had a great game overall, finishing with 16 points, and was dominant on the glass.

“He’s a really good player. He’s without question our go-to-guy,” Chapman said. “He takes a lot of shot because he has to, but if somebody’s open open, he’s getting the ball to them and he defends and rebounds. He’s going to be a college player.”

The first half saw six lead changes and four ties as it proved to be tightly contested. No team held more than a one-possession lead until the final minutes of the second quarter.

Judge (1-2) held a lead late in the half, getting up by as many as four, before Coolahan’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer brought Holy Ghost within one. Father Judge missed a mid-range jumper the play before and Coolahan quickly rebounded and darted down court before hoisting up a contested triple.

“I was trying to get as close to the basket as possible,” Coolahan said, “I was trying to go all the way, but I looked up and there was two seconds left so I just threw it up.”

Coolahan is attracting interest from multiple Division III schools, including Ursinus, Babson, Bates, Colby, and Oberson.

Chapman notes that Coolahan’s journey to become the man on his team was not without hurdles.

“He’s overcome some injuries these past couple years,” said Chapman, “He’s worked really hard to become the player he is. He’s been determined since the end of last year to improve.”

The Crusaders on the other side fought hard and were carried by a monster game by senior guard Justin Fleming, who ran the offense with 23 points and three assists.

Fleming, along with the rest of the team, let loose a barrage of threes, hitting 12 throughout the game--eight in the first half--with Fleming responsible for five of them.

As the second half began, senior guard Mike McFadden went on a 6-0 run that put Holy Ghost up by two. McFadden, a 6-2 junior guard who missed last year with a torn ACL, was a key contributor for Holy Ghost, posting a team-leading 18 points.

Coolahan took a supporting role for much of the second half as senior guard Brandon Peters took over, scoring eight consecutive points early in the fourth quarter. This run set Coolahan up for his late-game heroics and gave Holy Ghost the win.


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