Devon Prep (19-8, 7-6 Philadelphia Catholic League) completed its deepest run ever by closing out its season with a 76-58 win over Aliquippa in the PIAA Class 3A Tournament title game in Hershey to secure the program’s first state championship. Fisher, the Pa. All-State 3A Coach of the Year, has pushed his team to focus on preparation for the league season but the state tournament added a new dimension and changed his view of this group’s expectations.

“We never set out to win a state championship,” Fisher said. “We set out to continue to work on things we’ve been working on before. As far as results go, I think you’d have to say it was the most successful, but I don’t know if a coach can say it was the most successful until they allow it to sink in and see how the kids grow.”

Pettit, a First Team All-State selection, became the first Devon Prep player ever to be named first team following a season where he averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals. The 6-foot-2 senior guard, who began his career at West Chester Rustin and was named All-State Second Team a season ago, shot 40 percent from the field and made 56 three-pointers, 15 of which were made during the state tournament. He scored 29 points in the second round against Columbia then added 20 points in a win over West Catholic in the quarterfinals, a league rival that had beaten the Tide handedly in two previous matchups that season. He poured in 16 points to help Devon Prep complete a dramatic come-from-behind win over Holy Redeemer in overtime in the semifinals then capped off his career with four treys and 15 points in the state final. He finished with 1,437 career points.

Orchard, a Second Team All-State pick, has been a member of Fisher’s rotation since his freshman season and came on as a sophomore for a team that made its first appearance in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals. The 6-4 junior guard avg. 15.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assist and 2.2 steals while shooting 49.4 percent from the floor. He posted 17 points, including three three-pointers, and five rebounds in the 3A title game. He had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Columbia then 18 vs. Holy Redeemer. As Fisher notes, “He does everything on the floor but his ability to shoot from three-point line vastly improved. He put in a lot of work in the offseason, and you saw it. He has stuff to work on, but you saw the results of that work.”

He may have also been the best player on the floor against Aliquippa with 16 points and 12 boards. He became a potent outside threat as evidenced by his 42 made three-pointers. Fisher stressed, “he has always gotten away with being physically stronger than other players and one of the things he realized playing in the Catholic League was you can’t do that” and “it’s remarkable to see him shoot the way he has and play off the ball.”

The way in which the Tide made their run to Hershey was through a five-out, motion offense where mismatches tended to arise and open looks on the outside abounded. The Tide were the only Philadelphia Catholic League team to have four players who made at least 40 three-pointers this season: Susquehanna University commit Allen Cieslak (56), Pettit, Holloway, and Orchard (41).

West Catholic (21-6, 12-1) also completed its deepest run in program history but they achieved a number of impressive feats along the way under fourth-year head coach and Philadelphia Catholic League Coach of the Year Miguel Bocachica. The Burrs finished as the No. 2 seed in the Philadelphia Catholic League and their 12 league wins were the most since 1976. They advanced to the league semifinals at the Palestra for the first time since 1999 and made their first state quarterfinal appearance in program history before falling to the Tide, 60-53.

Zion Stanford and Adam “Budd” Clark were two of the catalysts for the Burrs’ unprecedented success this season and both will return next season. Stanford, the 6-5 versatile junior forward and Second Team All-State pick, avg. 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks while shooting 60 percent from the field. He scored 31 points against St. Joe’s Prep, becoming the first Burrs to player to score 30 in a game since Imere Harris scored 36 points vs. Hackensack Prep (N.J.) on Jan. 2, 2017, and he was also the first West Catholic player to be named First Team All-Catholic since Rob Hollomon in 2009. Stanford is the first Second Team All-State selection since Aquil Younger, who played two seasons at Drexel, in 2010. He had 24 points against the Tide in the Philadelphia Catholic League quarterfinals and holds offers from St. Joe’s, Drexel, Albany, and Bryant. “He found himself more than anything” and “he’s a kid that always plays hard, rebounds, blocks shots and stays engaged. I do think maturity is a major factor, too,” according to Bocachica.

Clark, who transferred in from Boys’ Latin prior to his sophomore season, recently earned his first Division I offer from Lafayette following an unofficial visit on May 4 to add to an already impressive junior season. The 5-9 point guard and Third Team All-State choice avg. 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.5 steals, and shot 50.2 percent from the field. He had 16 points and 10 steals in the opening round of the state tournament vs. Tulpehocken, the Burrs first state victory since 2014. 

The piece that brought everything together for West Catholic was Sankofa Freedom transfer Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui. The 6-3 junior lefty was ruled ineligible for the district/state playoffs due to PIAA transfer rules but still put together a phenomenal season in helping the Burrs reach the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals. He avg. 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and making 20 three-pointers. He chipped in 12 points against Archbishop Ryan in the league semifinals and gave the Burrs a lethal scoring option off the bench. “There are a number of games that we probably don’t win unless we have Shemar. I definitely think he was a missing piece and him coming off the bench the entire season shows his character,” as Bocachica stated.