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PCL Playoffs: Cosby-Roundtree goes for 20-20 as N-G advances

02/18/2017, 9:15am EST
By Austin Petollilo

Austin Petolillo (@AustinPSports)
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For the ninth straight season, Carl Arrigale and the rest of the Neumann-Goretti basketball team is heading to the Palestra to play in the Philadelphia Catholic League semi-finals.

In other news: grass is green, the sky is blue, and water is wet.

“You never get tired of playing at the Palestra,” Arrigale said. “If it wasn’t for that part of it, I don’t know how much fun it would be.”

Thanks to a monster game from senior forward and Villanova signee Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Neumann-Goretti beat Archbishop Carroll by a final score of 73-55 on its home court at 10th and Moore Friday night.

After winning six straight PCL titles, Neumann-Goretti is in a bit of a title drought losing the previous two title games to Roman Catholic.

For the bouncy 6-foot-8 Cosby-Roundtree, playing in the historic arena on the University of Penn campus never loses its luster.

“It never gets old,” he said.

Cosby-Roundtree’s 22-point and 21-rebound night was the first time he has ever had a 20-20 game.

Early on in the game, it looked like Neumann-Goretti point guard and Kentucky signee Quade Green was going to have a 20-20 game of his own. He had seven points and four assists at the end of the first quarter and went on to finish with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.

It’s arguable that the duo of Cosby-Roundtree and Green is a better Neumann-Goretti pair than the duo of Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine, who both went to Syracuse in 2007.

“I get an energy from him, I feel like I can read his mind sometimes so I know that when Quade and I are playing together, we can do anything.” Cosby-Roundtree said.

Nothing can make a coach prouder than taking a player under his wing, maturing him for four years and then see him go on to play at some of the best Division I college basketball teams in the nation.

“I’m most proud of how they grew as people.” Arrigale said. “Dhamir is one of the best people I’ve ever been around in my life and Quade is a great player and a great leader, he’s evolved a lot as person.”

“Coach never gave up on me. Cosby-Roundtree said. He always pushed me, always expected more out of me so I just wanted to give it to him.”

For Arrigale, going to the Palestra and the Catholic League semis isn’t so much for his pleasure, but for his players.

“I do this for the kids and for creating memories and giving them experience and there is nothing better than the experience of going to the Palestra and playing in that building with everything on the line.” Arrigale said.

Cosby-Roundtree though on the other-hand, says differently.

For coach, it’s like a credit for him for how he coaches everyone that comes in here.” Cosby-Roundtree said. “I’m proud to be apart of something like that.”

Archbishop Carroll was led by senior wing Khari Williams who finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists. Justin Anderson also scored 14 points as well.

Up next for Neumann-Goretti is their arch-rival Roman Catholic.The team they play on Wednesday night though, is a much different Roman Catholic team than the team they played the previous two years that beat them in the PCL title game. A team without Penn State freshmen Nazeer Bostick, Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens.

This is the same Roman team that lost to Neumann-Goretti earlier in the year by 30 points.

“It’s a whole different animal.” Arrigale said. “I’m going to relax tonight and I’ll start worrying about Roman tomorrow and moving forward. I tend to worry about my team at this time of year than the other team.”

Arrigale also added this.

“If we can keep it going and keep it balanced and getting those contributions from the other guys, I like our chances.”

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In other Philadelphia Catholic League quarterfinal action:

Archbishop Wood 65, Bonner-Prendergast 43 >> Collin Gillespie scored 21 points including 11 in the second half to go along with six assists to lift the Vikings over the Friars. The Vikings took a 31-20 lead into the locker room at halftime and rolled to their first PCL semifinal appearance since 2005. Junior center Seth Pinkney added 10 points, senior guard Matt Cerutti had four points, seven rebound and four assists, and junior combo guard Tyree Pickron had eight points and six boards.

Archbishop Ryan 68, Father Judge 55

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Roman Catholic 56, St. Joe’s Prep 55

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