Photos/Videos: Kathy Leister & Rich Flanagan
By: Rich Flanagan
WARMINSTER, PA – Over the last two seasons, Kevair Kennedy has been as comfortable as anyone when playing at Richard “R” Kelly Gymnasium.
Not the Bill Fox Jr. Gymnasium that he calls home as a member of the Father Judge Crusaders but instead the gym on the campus of Archbishop Wood where he has played four times over the last two years and put together some of his most memorable, individual performances. He hit the game-winning three-pointer to beat Central York in the 2023 Diane Mosco Shootout then played well in the ensuing matchup with the Vikings a few weeks later. Earlier this season, the Crusaders were back in the Mosco Shootout with Kennedy helping lead the way in another win over Central York.
Friday night brought his next opportunity to play on a court where Archbishop Wood greats have graced the hardwood with historic accomplishments but on this night, it was Kennedy who authored a win that inscribed his name in the Father Judge record book while lifting the program to a place it hasn’t been in a quarter century.
Kennedy shot 17-18 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter alone and finished with 33 points as Father Judge upset Archbishop Wood, 78-71 in the Philadelphia Catholic League quarterfinals to advance to the league semifinals for the first time since 1999.
Father Judge junior Kevair Kennedy #5 finished with 33 points, leading the Crusaders past the Vikings and into the PCL semifinals at the Palestra - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
Kennedy had a game for the ages when adding in his 11 rebounds and eight assists, but his 33 points broke a Father Judge postseason record, surpassing the previous high of 32 set by Marc Rodriguez – the first 1,000-point scorer in program history – against Archbishop Ryan in the 2017 quarterfinals.
Clutch doesn’t begin to describe Kennedy’s night as he hit three three-pointers, including his last one that gave Father Judge a 39-31 lead late in the second quarter, and scored 14 points in the opening half, and he was adequately prepared to perform in this spot. After all, he has had a lot of success in that gym and the way he brought everything together to extend one of the best seasons in Father Judge history was an expectation.
“I put the work in to deserve this,” Kennedy said. “It wasn’t just given to me.”
Kennedy and Father Judge (16-7) certainly took what was theirs, and they never seemed fazed by a team with two First Team All-Catholic selections and Division I commits who had been nearly unstoppable coming in. Jalil Bethea, the Philadelphia Catholic League Co-MVP and Archbishop Wood all-time leading scorer bound for Miami (Fla.), never found a rhythm as he shot 4-15 from the field and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Crusaders switched every time he came off a screen and doubled when he tried to turn the corner. Bethea had to resort to contested stepback jumpers from well behind the three-point line and on shots that he is accustomed to swishing with regularity, they simply weren’t dropping.
PCL Co-MVP, Jalil Bethea, finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Vikings - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
Josh Reed, the Drexel commit, had 19 points and 10 rebounds in front of his future head coach, Zach Spiker, but he truly had to work to get those totals as Father Judge threw multiple defenders at him such as 6-3 sophomore Derrick Morton-Rivera, 6-9 junior big man Everett Barnes and 6-6 senior forward Anthony Lilley to try and push him out of the lane.
Reed converted a tough finish inside then Milan Dean put home an and-one to cut the deficit to 47-44, but Morton-Rivera, who finished with 19 points, hit one of his five three-pointers then Kennedy finished with his right hand on the left side of the rim to push the lead back to eight.
Archbishop Wood (14-8) continually tried to close the gap, but they never tied the game in the second half. Dean recorded one of his three blocks then sprinted out in transition and Reed found him for the easy finish as the Vikings were within two at the 6:14 mark of the fourth. Nazir Tyler hit his only shot of the game on a trey from the corner then Kennedy began his onslaught of free throws as Archbishop Wood went over the foul limit early in the quarter.
2024 PCL Quarterfinal Highlights - Judge vs. Wood - PSD Video by Rich Flanagan
The postseason brings on additional and immense pressure, but Kennedy and the Crusaders were unflappable from the opening tip.
“We were prepared for this and when we lost to them last time, I felt it was my fault,” Kennedy said. “I made sure I prepared for this battle.”
The Vikings had handled the Crusaders on the road in the regular season matchup but even with the home crowd at its back, they shot 6-21 from behind the arc. Mike Green hit three of those and scored 11 points while Deuce Maxey had 10 points, but the gap appeared to be too great one year after the team cruised to a quarterfinal win over St. Joe’s Prep on this same floor. Maxey hit a layup then Bethea hit his only three-pointer of the second half and Archbishop Wood trailed, 67-61 with 1:38 left to play. Six consecutive free throws from Kennedy and three empty possessions saw Father Judge increase its lead to 73-61 with under a minute left.
John Mosco led Archbishop Wood to the No. 3 seed in the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs with an 11-2 record and the combination of Bethea and Reed proved to be the recipe for success, but Father Judge responded every time the Vikings needed a stop. Furthermore, their defense on Bethea was as good as any opponent this season.
“We tried to isolate on the one side with Milan throwing the pass to Josh or throwing back to Jalil off a screen, but we kept holding the ball or not making the pass quick enough,” Mosco said. “We also wanted a screen on Milan’s guy so he can attack the basket. Jalil settled in the first three quarters then he moved around in the fourth. He chose to shoot it more before the double came.”
The game had added intrigue as Roantree was facing off against his good friend in Mosco in the postseason for the first time.
Father Judge vs. Archbishop Wood - 2024 PCL Quarterfinal Gallery by PSD's Kathy Leister
Roantree helped make Archbishop Wood a program that consistently competes for league and state titles during his time as an assistant on Mosco’s staff and now he has his first win over someone he has great respect and admiration for. Roantree took the job at his alma mater three years ago and now he’s taking them back to the Palestra.
“It's a great feeling and an emotional feeling,” Roantree said. “We haven’t been there in 25 years and it’s something we’ve talked about from the time I took over the program. Even before the game, we talked about culture-changing wins and that’s what we did tonight.”
That 1999 season was head coach Chris Roantree’s senior season and since taking the helm at his alma mater, he has constructed the team’s framework around returning to a place of prominence. Roantree was a starter of that 1999 team under the late Bill Fox that fell to Roman Catholic and coincidentally, the Crusaders will meet the Cahillites once again at the Palestra on Wednesday night. Roantree has been part of victories there and if Father Judge’s recent track record of playing in hostile environments is any indication, Kennedy and Co. will be ready from the tip.