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BOYS BASKETBALL: An Exciting End to the Regular Season as PCL Playoffs Commence

By Rich Flanagan, 02/12/25, 10:15PM EST

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Photos/Videos: Donna Eckert, Mike Livingston, Justin Maldonado, Lennie Malmgren, Krystal Williams & Mark Zimmaro

By: Rich Flanagan

In a city in the midst of celebrating perhaps the greatest sporting event in its illustrious history, the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs will precede the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl parade on Friday. The premier high school basketball league in Pa. will take center stage as the quarterfinals will be played on Thursday instead of Friday night to accommodate the parade and allow fans to take in four electric games with a trip to the fabled Palestra on the line.

Before delving into the quarterfinal matchups, let’s take a look back at the regular season that just came to an end.

St. Joe’s Prep secured the No. 1 seed in the postseason and finished with its best league record since finishing 13-1 in 2005 behind Reggie Redding (Villanova), Corey O'Rourke (Carnegie Mellon) and Joe Fox under the direction of William “Speedy” Morris. This iteration of the Hawks, led by Coach of the Year Jason Harrigan, has the chance to do something it hasn’t done since 2004 behind the stellar play of Philadelphia Catholic League MVP Jordan Ellerbee, Jaron McKie, Olin Chamberlain Jr. and Mekhi Robertson. St. Joe’s Prep suffered its only setback in the regular season finale against Father Judge, 72-64 at home.

The Crusaders bring some momentum into the postseason after that win and it also accrued victories over Roman Catholic, Neumann-Goretti, Bonner-Prendergast and Archbishop Wood. 

Chris Roantree’s team made the league semifinals for the first time since 1999, his senior season, last year and the return of First Team All-Catholic guards Kevair Kennedy and Derrick Morton-Rivera and the inside presence of 6-10 big man Everett Barnes give Father Judge a legitimate shot to cut the nets down for the first time in 27 years.

Roman Catholic has won double-digit league games for the 12th time since 2012, winning six titles in that span and the Cahillites have an exceptional opportunity to become the first three-peat champion since Neumann-Goretti won six straight from 2009-14. Head coach Chris McNesby has Lafayette commit Shareef Jackson, his brother Sammy Jackson, Tyler Sutton running the point and a host of options on the perimeter.

Then there’s the upstart, if you can call it that considering it has won two PIAA state titles in three seasons, in Devon Prep, which recorded its best league finish since joining the Philadelphia Catholic League in 2018. Zane Conlon, Reece Craft, Shane Doyle, Mason Thear and Calvin Smith have the Tide rolling and the program will host a quarterfinal game for the first time.

Neumann-Goretti, while slotted as the No. 5 seed is always dangerous with Carl Arrigale at the helm and a new corps of talented prospects starting with 6-6 junior forward Alassan N’Diaye, Kody Colson, Keon Long-Mtume, DeShawn Yates and Stephon Ashley-Wright. 

Miguel Bocachica has West Catholic back in the mix after missing the postseason a year ago following two consecutive semifinal appearances and his group is led by 6-7 junior forward Kingston Wheatley, 6-2 senior floor general Saaid Lee and 5-10 sharpshooting sophomore Jayvon Byrd.

Teams were certainly beating up on each other this season which opens the door for an unpredictable postseason filled with intrigue and the possibility of a deep run from a team that may have not been seen as a threat for portions of the season but is ready to meet the moment.

Father Judge took down St. Joe’s Prep as Kennedy, a Merrimack commit, went for 23 points and 11 assists and Barnes, a Loyola (Maryland) commit, dominated inside with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Crusaders also took down the Cahillites, 55-51 at Holy Family University on January 23 as Morton-Rivera poured in 15 points and six boards and Kennedy nearly finished with a triple-double (14 points, eight rebounds, nine assists). Devon Prep got the best of Father Judge in a 69-64 win on January 15, led by Conlon’s 24 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks and Craft’s 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Roman Catholic needed double overtime to down Devon Prep, 70-67 at Holy Family on January 26 with Sutton hitting four three-pointers and scoring 23 points then Shareef and Sammy combining for 29 points.

There also have been letdowns, as Archbishop Carroll upset Father Judge, 83-79 on the road with Munir Greig finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Luca Foster adding 18 points and 10 boards of his own. The Patriots dealt with a rash of injuries (and sicknesses) throughout the season and things never materialized for them, particularly when accounting for 2023-24 All-State selection Ian Williams missing the entire year.

Father Judge vs. Devon Prep - PSD game highlights by Lennie Malmgren

Nick Parisi started the league season off by going for 16 points and Joey O’Brien had a breakout game with 18 points to lift La Salle over Neumann-Goretti, 80-70. Archbishop Wood nearly took down St. Joe’s Prep, but the Hawks outscored the Vikings, 15-4 in the extra period to win, 76-65 in overtime. Mike Green hit six three-pointers and finished with 22 points and rising star Brady MacAdams went for 19 points. Ellerbee played like the MVP in that game with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

It was yet another remarkable season in the Philadelphia Catholic League and now the league gets to showcase what makes it so spectacular by grabbing the attention of southeastern Pa. before leading fans to the Cathedral of College Basketball to crown a champion on Sunday, February 23. The quarterfinals are here and let’s preview the matchups:

No. 10 Archbishop Wood vs. No. 1 St. Joe’s Prep

Last time they met: St. Joe’s Prep won, 76-65 (OT)

Last time they met in the playoffs: Archbishop Wood won, 84-73 in the 2023 quarterfinals

Jalil Bethea, now playing at Miami (Fla.), scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half, including 4 in the fourth quarter, and added 10 rebounds and four assists to lift the Vikings past the Hawks in the postseason two years ago. Bethea is gone as are the vast majority of players from that Archbishop Wood squad but on the other side, much of the corps for St. Joe’s Prep remains.

Ellerbee (Florida Gulf Coast), McKie (Dayton) and Chamberlain combined for 44 points in that loss and the trio is looking to make its first trip to the Palestra. Ellerbee is avg. 17 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 5.2 apg and sits only 19 points away from surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his career. Ellerbee was superb in the first matchup between these teams and received help from McKie (16 points, seven rebounds, four assists), Robertson (13 points, nine rebounds, three assists), and 6-4 junior guard Will Lesovitz, who made three three-pointers and chipped in 11 points. The Hawks have the deepest group of guards in the Philadelphia Catholic League and when their offense is clicking, it can turn into a long night for the opposition.

The Vikings went into Bonner-Prendergast and came away with a 71-59 victory as MacAdams shot 8-14 from the field and finished with 22 points and six rebounds and Caleb Lundy added 21 points and six assists. Freshman guard Rowan Phillips had a strong outing with 14 points as Archbishop Wood picked up its first league playoff victory since defeating the Hawks in 2023. What makes this Vikings team so dangerous at times (see wins over West Catholic, Archbishop Carroll) is its ability to incorporate the inside-out game with its flurry of guards in MacAdams, Lundy, Green and Phillips dumping the ball into 6-9 sophomore forward Jaydn Jenkins.

Archbishop Wood vs. St. Joseph's Prep Overtime Clash - PSD Video by Donna Eckert

Jenkins is an evolving big who can step out on the wing and in the corner to hit a three. However, Jenkins has asserted himself inside at times this year such as his 12-point, 6-block game against La Salle, and 11-point, 10-rebound, 3-block performance against Roman Catholic. He had eight points, seven boards, three steals and two blocks in the first game against St. Joe’s Prep and those numbers could improve if the Hawks cannot keep the Vikings out of the lane.

No. 5 Neumann-Goretti vs. No. 4 Father Judge

Last time they met: Father Judge won, 93-81

Last time they met in the playoffs: Father Judge won, 88-57 in the 2015 quarterfinals

The last time these two programs met in the postseason, the Saints were at the tail end of their run of six straight league championships yet still won playoff games with ease. Zane Martin poured in 20 points and nine rebounds and Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble had a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Marc Rodriguez, Father Judge’s first 1,000-point scorer in program history, had 14 points as a sophomore.

A decade later, the Crusaders are the team on the rise and the Saints finished with single digit league wins for the first time since 2004 (not counting the 2021 season where wins were vacated due to PIAA transfer rule violations). Kennedy and Morton-Rivera are the first pair of Father Judge players to be named First Team All-Catholic in the same season since Rich Schmidt and Brian Mooney in 2001. There’s a unique aspect to this matchup as Morton-Rivera’s father, DJ Rivera scored 1,122 points at Neumann-Goretti and helped lead the program to league titles in 2005 and 2006.

Morton-Rivera had one of his best performances of the season against the Saints in the regular season, shooting 10-14 from the floor and 10-12 from the free throw line and finishing with 34 points. Kennedy was also stellar with 20 points, five rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Morton-Rivera is more than a shooter this season and Kennedy is an improved shooter who gets to the rim with tremendous speed. If those two can get going and feed Barnes inside, the Crusaders should be back in the semifinals for a second consecutive year.

N’Diaye is perhaps the most impactful transfer of the season after helping the Saints close out the year with two straight wins following his 25-point, 14-rebound performance on the road at St. Joe’s Prep. He posted 23 points and 12 boards against West Catholic in the ensuing game.

Father Judge vs. Neumann-Goretti - PSD highlights by Mark Zimmaro

N’Diaye was limited to eight points in the first matchup with the Crusaders but Ashley-Wright had a career day with 34 points on 12-27 shooting with four three-pointers and Colson (16 points) also hit four shots from the outside. The Saints have multiple options to deploy on the opposition and when this offense is flourishing, it has been a nightmare for this league for the better part of two decades with Arrigale on the sideline. If the Saints keep the Crusaders vaunted backcourt from penetrating and play at their pace offensively, this game has the makings for the most likely upset bid of the quarterfinal round.

No. 6 West Catholic vs. No. 3 Devon Prep

Last time they met: Devon Prep won, 64-56

Last time they met in the playoffs: West Catholic won, 68-56 in the 2022 quarterfinals

Things seem to have taken off since that postseason matchup three years ago and these two teams have been the class of PIAA Class 3A having won the last three titles at the GIANT Center in Hershey. The Burrs and Tide have been battling for state tournament success, including a matchup in the state quarterfinals in 2022, and now there’s a trip to the Palestra on the line to add to the intrigue.

Conlon is the second Devon Prep player to be named First Team All-Catholic, joining IV Pettit (Chestnut Hill College) in 2021. The 6-6 senior had 24 points on 10-15 from the floor to go along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals in the regular season matchup with the Burrs. Thear hit a pair of threes and shot 7-8 from the foul line to finish with 17 points and Doyle was a stat-sheet stuffer with 10 points, five assists and three steals. This group is coming off a state championship a season ago and it wants nothing more than to add a Philadelphia Catholic League championship to its résumé. It would be the first Devon Prep team to achieve that goal in the program’s seven season in the revered league.

Lee plays in the same mold as Adam “Budd” Clark, the point guard who propelled West Catholic to the 2023 PIAA 3A crown, and his ability to get into the paint and control the pace allows the Burrs to find success offensively. Wheatley gave the Tide fits inside in its last matchup as he poured in 18 points and 10 rebounds and Eric Scott added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. This version of the Burrs isn’t as deep as the 2022 team, but it resembles the 2023 team with Lee playing the role of Clark and Wheatley doing much of what Zion Stanford (Temple) did that year. The Tide have a plethora of options and the experience in the postseason, and that bodes well for them.

No. 9 Archbishop Ryan vs. No. 2 Roman Catholic

Last time they met: Roman Catholic won, 58-47

Last time they met in the playoffs: Roman Catholic won, 46-45 (OT) in the 2024 Philadelphia Catholic League Championship Game

These two programs met on the final day of the regular season and will do battle again less than a week after. Roman Catholic and Archbishop Ryan played one of the most memorable league title games just last season as Ryan Everett hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 8.5 seconds left in overtime but was bested as Kabe Goss drilled the game winner at the buzzer to give the Cahillites their second straight title.

The Raiders lost Everett, Rocco Morabito, Jaden Murray, all-time leading scorer Thomas Sorber, now starring at Georgetown, and Darren Williams, who is playing at Florida Gulf Coast, yet once again find themselves one win away from the Palestra, a place head coach Joe Zeglinski and his team have grown quite familiar with over his tenure. Archbishop Ryan captured wins over Archbishop Wood and Neumann-Goretti in the regular season then took down La Salle, 52-48 on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Mark Gallagher hit four three-pointers and scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half while 6-6 junior wing Malik Hughes, who was a member of Roman Catholic’s Philadelphia Catholic League title team last season, chipped in 14 points and five blocks against the Explorers. 

Sophomore guard Semaj Stone contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Raiders, who are looking to advance to the league semifinals for the seventh time under Zeglinski.

The Cahillites are trying to do what the Kansas City Chiefs could not and that’s win three championships in a row. While the City of Brotherly Love will bask in end to the Chiefs’ pursuit of a three-peat on Friday, Roman Catholic will look to continue its run of historic and unprecedented excellence on Broad Street – the same street the Eagles will parade through – and become the first team to win three consecutive since the mid-2010s. Roman Catholic has several examples of three-or-more championships beginning with Billy Markward’s teams winning five in the 1920s then fast-forward to Speedy Morris winning three straight from 1978-80 and finally Dennis Seddon, now an assistant on McNesby’s staff, capturing six titles from 1989-94.

This is Roman Catholic basketball and one of its true stalwarts remains in Shareef Jackson. The son of former Cahillites standout Marc Jackson, Shareef is headed to play at Lafayette next season and is looking to win one last championship alongside his brother in 6-7 junior wing Sammy Jackson. This duo was dynamic last season, and it is even better this year.

Shareef went for 19 points and 13 rebounds and Sammy had eight points, seven assists and three steals in the first matchup with Archbishop Ryan. CJ Miller, the 6-7 senior wing who has been a nice surprise this season, chipped in 13 points and nine boards and newcomer Sutton, one of the premier point guards in the area and a heralded recruit with offers from Oregon, Villanova and St. John’s, to name a few, scored 10 points in that victory. Brandon Russell and Hughes contributed 13 points apiece for the Raiders and Gallagher had 11 in that regular season finale.

This Raiders team resembles the one led by Luke Boyd, Dominic Vazquez and Gediminas Mokseckas that upset Bishop McDevitt on the road in the 2020 quarterfinals. It has the same moxie and grit as that group with Russell, Hughes, Gallagher, Stone and point guard Matt Johnson, a returning starter from last season, and it’s hoping to spring another upset. The Cahillites are on the precipice of Philadelphia Catholic League history with a loaded roster and a focus on finishing the job.

2024-25 Philadelphia Catholic League All-Catholic Team

First Team

Jordan Ellerbee, St. Joe’s Prep

Jaron McKie, St. Joe’s Prep

Shareef Jackson, Roman Catholic

Kevair Kennedy, Father Judge

Zane Colon, Devon Prep

Nick Parisi, La Salle

Brady MacAdams, Archbishop Wood

Derrick Morton-Rivera, Father Judge

Tyler Sutton, Roman Catholic

Korey Francis, Bonner-Prendergast

Second Team

Stephon Ashley-Wright, Neumann-Goretti

Luca Foster, Archbishop Carroll

Brandon Russell, Archbishop Ryan

Reece Craft, Devon Prep

Alassan N’Diaye, Neumann-Goretti

Sammy Jackson, Roman Catholic

Olin Chamberlain, St. Joe’s Prep

Kingston Wheatley, West Catholic

Joey O’Brien, La Salle

Caleb Lundy, Archbishop Wood

Third Team

Christian Matos, Archbishop Carroll

Milak Myatt, Cardinal O’Hara

Mason Thear, Devon Prep

Rocco Westfield, Father Judge

Jayvon Byrd, West Catholic

Everett Barnes, Father Judge

MVP: Jordan Ellerbee, St. Joe’s Prep
 Coach of the Year: Jason Harrigan, St. Joe’s Prep

Philadelphia Catholic League Final Standings

St. Joe’s Prep (12-1)

Roman Catholic (11-2)

Devon Prep (11-2)

Father Judge (10-3)

Neumann-Goretti (7-6)

West Catholic (7-6)

Bonner-Prendergast (7-6)

La Salle (6-7)

Archbishop Ryan (5-8)

Archbishop Wood (5-8)

Archbishop Carroll (4-9)

Cardinal O’Hara (4-9)

Conwell-Egan (2-11)

Lansdale Catholic (0-13)

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