Ryan Defeats La Salle, Plays Neumann-Goretti In PCL Semi’s
GLENSIDE, PA - The show of hands that predicted Archbishop Ryan’s ascent to the Catholic League boys’ basketball Final Four? Outside of Raider Land, probably not many.
But, as the saying goes, that is why you play the game.
In a Friday night quarterfinal contest at LaSalle, the fifth-seeded Raiders steamrolled the fourth-seeded Explorers by a somewhat misleading 67-49. Ryan’s miserly defense, aided by a perfectly orchestrated 1-3-1 zone, supplied a 22-11 halftime lead. By the time the third quarter was over, the Raiders (16-7 overall) led by an astonishing 50-24. The Explorers (17-6) rebounded for a strong fourth quarter, and their 25-17 advantage helped temper the final score of 67-49.
“A great win,” said Ryan first-year coach Joe Zeglinski. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way our guys played, especially on defense.”
The victory propelled the Raiders into the league semifinals 7 PM Wednesday at the Palestra. It will mark Ryan’s first visit to arguably Philadelphia’s most sacred basketball venue in eight years, a season that ultimately ended in a championship loss to since-closed North Catholic.
Ryan vs. La Salle - photos by Zamani Feelings
To get another crack at winning their first-ever league title, the Raiders will have to do what no other Catholic League team has done thus far – defeat Neumann-Goretti. Ryan lost to the Saints, 91-75, on Jan. 31; only two other teams (Archbishop Wood and St. Joseph’s Prep) have lost to Neumann-Goretti by fewer than 16 points.
“Getting to the Palestra was our goal from the very beginning of the season,” said Zeglinski. “We talked about it during the summer. The players, especially our six seniors, bought in to what we wanted to accomplish. I’m very happy for everyone, but especially our seniors.”
The choice for star of the game was easy – Izaiah Brockington. The junior guard poured in a season-high 27 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field (one three-pointer) and 10-for-13 marksmanship from the free-throw line. Brockington had lots of help, especially from senior Austin Slawter (12 points, 6 steals, 5 assists), senior Austin Chabot (11 points), and senior defensive stalwart Freddie Killian (8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocked shots). Junior Matiss Kulackovkis added six points.
“We’re a confident team,” said Brockington. “I try to make plays and if I can’t, I’ll kick it back out to one of my teammates.”
For LaSalle, which is not eligible to compete in the state tournament, senior Ryan McTamney was the only player in double figures with 14 points, along with seven rebounds. Senior Dan Remolde netted a season-high eight points.
The opposite is true for Ryan, which joins Roman Catholic as the other District 12 Class AAAA team that qualified for districts after the Catholic League season is over.
“I believe it’s the first time we’ve done that, and it’s a great accomplishment to know that we will be still be playing regardless of how we do on Wednesday,” said Zeglinski. “But we’re not thinking like that. That’s not the approach we are taking.
“We are taking things one game at a time. We want to stay in the moment and put our best foot forward.”
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com.)