PHILADELPHIA – This past week Roman Catholic’s basketball team has been on a tear. The Cahillites won their game on Wednesday against Bishop McDevitt with the final score being 88-55. Colin Flach led Roman on the floor totaling 17 points against the Lancers.
On Friday, the team faced off against West Catholic in front of a loud home crowd that was eager to see the Cahillites come out on top with a another win.
Roman improves to 3-0 in PCL play with 83-65 win vs. West Catholic - PSD photo by Dahmeer Duverney
In the first quarter, Roman came out strong against the Burrs with the score being 22 to 9 at the end of the first quarter. Da’Kquan Davis led the Cahillites in the opening quarter with 7 points. In the second quarter, the Burrs came back and put up a fight, cutting the Cahillites lead to 10 points.
However, the blatant push from West Catholic was not about to phase Roman. The Cahillites continued driving to the basket and increased their lead back to 20, leading to a halftime score of 43-20.
The Cahillites put themselves in a good position to win the game going into the third quarter. As the third quarter began, Roman picked up right where they left off offensively and continued to put points on the board. By the end of the third quarter, the score was 67 to 43. The Cahillites sustained their lead and cruised to victory in the fourth with a score of 83 to 65.
The win against the Burrs occurred due to the outstanding scoring from Da’Kquan Davis, who led the team with 20 points, and also from Seth Lundy, who recorded a double-double having 15 points and 11 rebounds.
This past Sunday Roman played Father Judge in a hard-fought low-scoring battle between two Catholic League teams. Father Judge held a slight lead, 22-15 heading into the second half. In the 3rd quarter, the Crusaders dominated the time of possession but were unable to find open lanes to the rim.
Roman senior, Chris Kuhar (#0), hit a 3-point buzzer beater to lift Roman over Father Judge 41-38 - PSD photo by Kevin Murphy
While Father Judge had trouble scoring, Roman clawed back into the game. In the 4th, both teams exchanged the lead and the game seemed destined for overtime.
With the game tied at 36, with 10 seconds left on the clock, Allen Betrand drove through the lane for a tough finish, in what should have been the game winner for Roman.
Judge passed on calling a timeout and inbounded quickly. Marc Rodriguez pushed it hard up the right end line and collided with a Roman defender. The whistle blew, and Roman was charged with a blocking foul. Rodriguez then went to the foul line for Father Judge to tie the game with around 2 seconds remaining - he sunk both free throws.
Roman's Allen Betrand (#2) & Judge's Marc Rodriguez (#14) scored crucial baskets in the final seconds play - PSD Photo by Kevin Murphy
With hardily any time left, Roman senior guard Chris Kuhar took the ball off the inbound and sprinted to half-court where he was met by Father Judge defenders. He dribbled to his right and pulled up for a three and the win. Splash. The roman bench and crowd erupted. Roman grabbed the win at Father Judge off a buzzer beater, 41-38.
Roman looks to continue their three game win streak in their upcoming game against the Neumann-Goretti Saints this Wednesday at Holy Family University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7PM. Father Judge will move on to play West Catholic away on Friday, Jan. 13th at 7:30PM.
