HERSHEY PA- It was 10-0 late in the first quarter Saturday night, and Roman Catholic was on the wrong side of the ledger.
The Cahillites’ opponent, Pittsburgh’s Allderdice High School, was displaying significant speed and athleticism, and inside the magnificent Giant Center in Hershey, the Dragon’s fan base was becoming increasingly loud with each possession, arguably to the point of obnoxiousness.
Was Roman head coach Chris McNesby scared? Concerned?
“We’ve done that a few times this year,” said McNesby. “Sometimes it takes us a little bit to settle in.”
Ya think?
From that point, Roman orchestrated a magnificent display of team basketball, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Cahillites celebrated their second consecutive PIAA Class AAAA state championship, a 73-62 victory over an Allderdice team that entered with a 28-1 record and a 24 game winning streak, all but one of them via blowout.
Allderdice, however, had never encountered a team with so much talent. The Dragons, as dominant as they had been, didn’t know what to do with the likes of Lamar Stevens, Nazeer Bostick and Tony Carr. The three Roman mainstays will all be teammates at Penn State University next season, and if they can muster the same moxie as they did in the state final, the Nittany Lions will be a force to be reckon with.
While playing all 32 minutes, Stevens was the unofficial Most Valuable Player. Aided by a steady diet of highlight-reel slam dunks that drew ooh’s and ahh’s from most of the announced 5,265 paying customers, Stevens finished with 27 points and 7 rebounds. He connected on 11 0f 12 shots from the free-throw line.
Roman coach Chris McNesby talks about Roman Catholic's performance during the homestretch of the season.
McNesby discusses the legacy left by Roman's graduating seniors
Bostick contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes. Carr added 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
But, as he had been in the Cahillites’ 72-65 Catholic League championship win over Neumann-Goretti, Stevens was the man of the hour. The 6-foot, 7 inch. Affable giant was asked about his penchant for coming through in the clutch.
Star of the game Lamar Stevens summarizes his amazing effort.
“I felt it was time for me to step up and carry my teammates,” said Stevens. “Do whatever I can to help get the team the win. I put that on my shoulders game in and game out to always s be there when it’s crunch time. I take a lot of pride in that. It’s something I want to keep carrying into college.”
Although Roman started the season with a 10-4 record, there were rumblings that the Callilites were underachieving. After a couple of close calls against La Salle (52-48 and Archbishop Ryan (55-52), Roman elevated its efforts.
“We got a little comfortable,” said McNesby. “We played a good schedule, but we became a little complacent. At the end of the season and in the Catholic League playoffs, you could see the hunger really amping up.”
After a forgettable 74-44 loss to Florida’s Monteverde Academy, the Callilites didn’t lose another game. They finished with a 27-4 record, a 17-game winning streak, and a second straight Catholic League and PIAA Class AAA titles.
“These seniors wanted to leave a legacy,” said McNesby.
Mission accomplished.
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebles@gmail.com)