Photos/Video: Lou Rabito, Dan Hilferty & Rich Flanagan
By: Rich Flanagan
RADNOR, PA – Despite two consecutive Philadelphia Catholic League championship game appearances, Xzayvier Brown is the lone member of the Roman Catholic roster that has played at the Palestra. As a freshman starter, the Cahillites not only won a semifinal matchup but advanced to the title game in the 2019-20 season.
Last season, the combination of Brown, University of Cincinnati commit Daniel Skillings Jr. and Hofstra commit Khalil Farmer put the Cahillites in position to secure another title but fell short against Archbishop Wood at Cardinal O’Hara. The three returned with one goal in mind and put themselves on a direct path to the Palestra and potential history.
Brown accounted for 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals in leading Roman Catholic to a resounding 80-49 victory over Archbishop Carroll to close out the regular season. The victory secured the top seed in the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs for Roman Catholic (17-3, 11-1), which won double-digit league games for the 10th time in 11 years. Overseeing an offense that has scored at least 80 points four times during league play, Brown scored nine points in the opening quarter as the Cahillites ran out to a 22-8 lead.
Roman Catholic vs. Archbishop Carroll - Highlights by Rich Flanagan
The 6-foot-1 junior guard has excelled as a facilitator, but his scoring ability can sometimes be shadowed behind dynamic scorers in Skillings and Farmer. Brown and Roman Catholic are playing their best basketball at the perfect time of the season.
“It’s always good to be the No. 1 seed,” Brown said. “Coach [Chris] McNesby has told us he wants us to be playing our best basketball in February. We looked at this game and saw there was always something to prove.”
Skillings put together his traditional stat line hitting three three-pointers on his way to 13 points to go along with six rebounds and Farmer was equally impressive with 14 points and nine boards. The Cahillites look to their big three to supply the majority of the scoring output, but Sunday saw a breakout performance from 6-7 freshman forward Shareef Jackson.
The starting big man has been Roman Catholic’s best shot blocker and a capable rebounder in year one, but he was assertive against the Patriots (12-9, 5-8) with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. The complement of Jackson scoring inside and finding open teammates from the high post in a lineup with a wealth of offensive talent gives the Cahillites another option as the schedule turns to the postseason.
For Jackson, he has played his role beautifully throughout the season and when he sees opportunities to convert in the post, he has shown he can deliver.
Roman Catholic Freshman Shareef Jackson (#44) in 54-43 victory vs. Devon Prep - PDS Photo by Lou Rabito
“Obviously this team has great players who play specific roles, but my role right now is to be the man who is rebounding, getting dirty and working hard down in the post,” Jackson said. “I’m trying to get to that basket and get other opportunities for people like Dan and Khalil. This way we can hopefully get more points in the end.”
Jackson, the son of former Temple standout Marc Jackson, caught the ball at the high post, turned and drove strong with his left hand and finished through contact for an and-one to put the Cahillites up 33-15 then on the ensuing possession he scored on another tough finish to push the lead to 20 with 2:58 left before halftime.
The maturation of Jackson in a lineup with three upperclassmen and sophomore Toby Ojukwu (nine points) has been a welcomed addition for McNesby but his development doesn’t come as a surprise.
“When our guys go to Shareef, it’s a nice asset for us to use him in that way,” McNesby said. “It gives Dan and everyone else a break, and he’s effective down there, not just as a scorer but also as a passer. He has really matured as a freshman, and I don’t even look at him in that way anymore because he’s playing like a veteran.”
The Patriots struggled to find their way back into the game. Leading scorer Moses Hipps began the half with a deep three-pointer to cut the deficit to 16 but the Cahillites answered with a layup from Quadir Brown then a three from the wing from Xzayvier Brown pushed the lead to 46-25. Archbishop Carroll was led by junior guard Dean Coleman-Newsome, who poured in 16 points. He scored four straight points, including a gorgeous spin move into a left-handed layup as the Patriots trailed, 57-38 late in the third, then Xzayvier hit two free throws to put the Cahillites in front by 21 heading into the fourth.
Roman Catholic put the finishing touches on a solid win as Ojukwu scored the first layup of the quarter then Farmer hit two free throws followed by a pull-up jumper from just inside the arc to push the lead to 65-40.
The Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs will begin with the Cahillites in the top spot for first time since 2019, the last time they won the title. Finishing off the regular season with a complete game like they put together against Archbishop Carroll bodes well heading to the biggest portion of the season and Jackson felt the Cahillites worked out a few kinks that needed correcting.
Roman Catholic sophomore Toby Ojukwu #11 - PSD Photo by Lou Rabito
Archbishop Carroll junior guard Dean Coleman-Newsome (#4) scored 16 points for the Patriots - PSD Photo by Dan Hilferty
“That was the main goal, but we always have things we’re looking to improve on,” Jackson said. “We’re a great team but not a perfect one. While that was our plan to come in and get in a good position before the playoffs, we still had to work out a few things and get primed for Friday.”
McNesby begins his first postseason as Cahillites head coach since leading Roman Catholic to the 2016 Philadelphia Catholic League title and he knows as well as anyone that a top seed doesn’t mean much as a brand-new season begins.
“It shows momentum to end off our regular season and we want to carry that into the postseason,” McNesby said. “Now, it’s a brand-new season and it’s like a bracket. We’re in the dance and we want to keep it going.”