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BOYS BASKETBALL: Archbishop Ryan Shows Consistency in More Ways Than One Against Devon Prep

By Rich Flanagan Photos: Krystal Williams, 02/06/23, 10:00AM EST

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RAIDERS ARE POISED TO RETURN TO THE PALESTRA

Highlights by: Rich Flanagan

Story by: Rich Flanagan

DEVON, PA - Sunday’s result was the latest chapter in Archbishop Ryan’s steady transition into a team that has made getting to the Palestra a rite of passage for current and future players.

After five trips to the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals in seven seasons, head coach Joe Zeglinski and the Raiders finally broke through last season and advanced to the title game before losing to Neumann-Goretti. Despite the loss, it represented a significant shift for a program still seeking its first league title in program history and one that also made a name for itself across Pa. with deep runs in the PIAA Tournament, most notably an appearance in the 2021 Class 5A final.

What Zeglinski wanted to cement when his tenure at his alma mater began was not only a consistency of winning but winning on the biggest stage and in the most difficult environments.

“We established the culture early on when I started that we’re looking to get to the top of the league,” Zeglinski said. “We’re looking to get the first PCL championship in school history, and we want to get to the Palestra every year. We expect to win and have established a mindset that we’re going to be there.”


Archbishop Ryan junior Darren Williams #2 - PSD Photo by Krystal Williams

The Raiders had to replace two starters in Luke Boyd (West Chester University) and Jalen Snead (Gwynedd Mercy) and David Wise (Rosemont College), all of whom were instrumental to the team’s success over the last few seasons and helped put Archbishop Ryan on the brink of successes it had not experienced in its long history.

Yet, starters like Darren Williams and Thomas Sorber returned and with how both performed as sophomores, the Raiders are thinking more success in the cards this season.

Williams drilled four three-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points while Sorber posted 16 points and eight rebounds as Archbishop Ryan handled Devon Prep, 65-50.

This day belonged to Williams, the 6-foot-4 junior lefty who has taken not only his scoring up to another level but his overall game.

After being looked to as solely a go-to scorer as a sophomore, Williams is now tasked with being the voice of the Raiders (13-7, 9-2 Philadelphia Catholic League) and he has fully embraced that role.

“The biggest thing has been communicating to my teammates,” Williams said. “We’re good friends but we’ve been working to establish more of a bond when on the court, especially when things aren’t going our way. We still stay together and know we have to stick to our principles. I’m taking more of that leadership role and using my voice.”

He sank a three-pointer to begin his day then Rocco Morabito recorded a steal and found Williams up ahead for an easy layup and Archbishop Ryan led, 11-3 with 3:49 left in the opening quarter. Michael Paris (six points) was another bright spot at the Palestra last season, and he has carried that into his senior year. He took a feed from Sorber and converted inside to give the Raiders a 10-point advantage in the first. Shortly after, Williams took a steal and turned it into a dunk at the other end then Sorber converted one of his two baskets in the first and the lead grew to 17-10.

Williams put together a stretch in the second quarter where he hit two three-pointers and scored eight points to help Archbishop Ryan run out to a 29-17 lead with 2:51 left before halftime. Williams – who boasts offers from Drexel, Southern Mississippi, Florida Gulf Coast and NJIT -  has become one of the elite scorers in the Philadelphia Catholic League in his first year with the offense at his command.

While much attention is given to Sorber and deservedly so, Zeglinski has seen the maturation in Williams to assert himself on a much more consistent basis.

“This usually happens for great players,” Zeglinski said. “The game has slowed down and he’s playing at a different pace while letting the game come to him more. He’s doing a great job playing off Thomas and knowing how to attack or when to get the ball moving. He has a bright future and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do moving forward.”

Williams was in a scoring dual with Devon Prep senior and Army West Point commit Jacen Holloway, who hit six straight free throws in that second quarter to cut the deficit to eight and finished with 22 points. Lucas Orchard got on the board with a three-pointer, but the Raiders’ Mark Gallagher scored his only five points of the game during this run and the Tide trailed 34-24 heading into the locker room.

The Raiders never wavered in what they were trying to do against Devon Prep (10-10, 3-8), even with Sorber having a relatively quiet first half. The 6-9 junior big man was running the baseline against the Tide’s matchup zone and Williams took advantage by getting into spots where he could score, most notably the corners where he did the majority of his damage. Archbishop Ryan’s adaptability this season is a big reason why they have rattled off seven consecutive victories after starting 2-2 in Philadelphia Catholic League play.

DEVON PREP VS. ARCHBISHOP RYAN - HIGHLIGHTS BY RICH FLANAGAN

With early losses to contenders like St. Joe’s Prep and Roman Catholic, Zeglinski stressed that the Raiders were learning to play without Boyd and Snead, and their loaded nonleague schedule provided plenty of opportunities to gain valuable experience.

“We were learning how to win at that time with a tough nonleague schedule and that’s what we want to do is challenge them for late in the season,” Zeglinski said. “We want to play our best ball late in the season and I think we’re doing that now.”

Sorber got going in the third with four quick points by converting on high-low chances and getting free behind the Tide’s front line. He finished inside and the Raiders led 41-24 at the 6:06 mark of the quarter. Ty Mishock answered with one of his four treys, but Sorber stopped that with another finish as he scored 10 points after halftime. Archbishop Ryan put the finishing touches on a strong performance as Williams scored on an and-one then Sorber corralled an offensive rebound and put it back to give his side a 50-39 advantage with 5:54 left to play. Holloway hit two three-pointers and a layup in the Tide’s final push but Williams matched him with six of the Raiders’ final 11 points on the day.

Advancing to the Palestra in the frequency Archbishop Ryan has under Zeglinski is nothing short of historic but only one of those trips has yielded a berth in the coveted title game. Getting to the Palestra is an expectation and that is the vantage point of the Raiders’ season every season.

Williams - like former Raiders standouts in Andrew Rogers, Izaiah Brockington, and Aaron Lemon-Warren - hopes his past experience of playing at the Palestra will be instrumental in helping this program that has won at least eight Philadelphia Catholic League games in a single season five times during Zeglinski’s tenure achieve something with “a bigger purpose than themselves,” as his head coach framed it.

“Embracing it and embracing the competitiveness of fighting back and taking it on,” Williams said. “We want to embrace the moment and keep fighting. From a competitive standpoint, it’s about talking, staying together, and having the whole team as one. I feel we will respond much more as one rather than forcing stuff, trying to do everything on our own and sticking to our principles.”


Archbishop Ryan junior Thomas Sorber #35 - PSD Photo by Krystal Williams