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BOYS' BASKETBALL: Roman Catholic Rallies to Hold Off Neumann-Goretti, Returning to Catholic League Championship Game

By Rich Flanagan - Photos: Kathy Leister - Videos: Angelise Stuhl, 02/22/19, 4:30PM EST

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By: Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33) 

Photos: Kathy Leister, Videos: Angelise Stuhl

PHILADELPHIA – What has set Roman Catholic apart from the rest of the Philadelphia Catholic League over the last two seasons has been its ability to make the crucial plays when the game is on the line. 

A year ago, Lynn Greer III found Hakim Hart to the seal the league title in the closing seconds. They had a one-point game with Abraham Lincoln heading into the fourth quarter of the PIAA Class 6A championship game and pulled out a 12-point victory.

2019 PCL Semifinal - Roman Catholic vs. Neumann-Goretti Highlights:

Having played in numerous games against quality non-league opponents, the Cahillites defeated every league opponent aside from Bonner-Prendergast in the regular season and squeaked out a five-point triumph over Saint Joe’s Prep in the quarterfinals. Playing in the Palestra is something head coach Matt Griffin and his team have become accustomed to but even he notes that there’s a reason this group has regularly made trips to the semifinals.

“At that point, it’s not necessarily about plays; it’s about players,” Griffin said. “Our guys have a warrior mindset. They don’t give up and they’re very resilient.”

Behind its accomplished senior class led by Seth Lundy and Hart, the Cahillites held off a late surge from Neumann-Goretti to take a 72-66 victory in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals on Thursday night. The defending league champion is making its third straight trip to the Palestra under Griffin and the attitude of his veteran players has been a pivotal reason they’ll have a shot to lift the championship plaque for the second consecutive season on Monday.

Hart (six points) and Lundy (six) combined to score 12 of the Cahillites’ 15 points in the opening quarter. Lundy had two put-backs including the second which gave his side a 10-2 advantage with 2:28 left in the first.

The Penn State commit finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in his fourth straight trip to the Cathedral of College Basketball.

“The atmosphere is always great playing at the Palestra,” Lundy said. “We knew coming into this game that it was going to be like this. We’ve been through this before and Roman has history here.”

Jalen Duren helped the Cahillites control the glass against the Saints, posting a double-double with 12 points and 18 rebounds to go along with three blocks. The 6-9 freshman forward had 11 boards at the break for Roman Catholic (20-4). His tough finish inside tied the game at 26-26 at the 2:24 mark of the second quarter. Neumann-Goretti countered Duren’s dominance inside by hitting seven three-pointers in the first 16 minutes with Chris Evans and Ja’Cor Smith nailing two apiece.

The second half belonged to Chris Ings. The Rider commit and 1,000-point scorer went off for 20 of his 28 game-high points in the second half including 14 straight during a stretch from the third into the fourth quarter. 

Roman seniors Hakim Hart & Seth Lundy talk about what they are hoping to accomplish in their last PCL game & note what it has meant to be part of Roman Catholic's basketball team:

Post game press conference will Roman seniors Hakim Hart, Louie Wild & Seth Lundy:

He finished through contact for a bucket and the foul then hit 1-2 from the free-throw line on the ensuing possession to give the Saints (17-7) a 47-44 lead heading into the final frame.

Later in the fourth, after Hart converted a clutch and-one, Ings finger-rolled in one of his own to tie the game at 54-54 with 4:04 left to play. On the next Neumann-Goretti possession, he converted his last one of the game to put the Saints in front by one with 3:28 remaining. Hart stepped in and halted any final run with a huge three-pointer from the wing off an assist from Greer, who quietly posted 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Finally, Hart put in a wild finish for another and-one to push the lead to 65-60 with 1:05 left.

The Saint Joseph’s commit showed on the biggest stage last year that performing in this situation has become rudimentary and he relishes that opportunity.

Roman vs. Neuman-Goretti - PSD Photos by Kathy Leister

“I didn’t feel any pressure,” Hart said. “I’ve been playing in games like this all of my life. It was a great moment for me and my team. I wish I could do it again.”

The Cahillites are trying to be the first team to repeat as league champions since they did it in 2015 and 2016 behind Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick, all of whom committed to Penn State where Lundy will be playing next season.

“It was just another game for us even under the bright lights,” Lundy said. “There was no pressure on us. We just went out there and did what we had to do.”

Roman Catholic and La Salle will face off in the Philadelphia Catholic League championship game on Monday night, the first time they’ll play each other in the league final since 1991. Griffin’s team has accomplished its fair share of history already and he understands that his players’ experience has carried them in moments like this.

“I think that pays dividends when you come into these types of games,” Griffin said. “Anybody can beat anybody on this floor. We rely on the experience of our other players and that guides us in these tight games.”

2019 PCL Basketball Championship

Date: Monday, Feb. 25

Location: The Palestra (University of Pennsylvania)

Game 1: Girls’ Championship No. 1 Archbishop Carroll vs. No. 3 Archbishop Wood

Time: 6:30 PM

Game 2: Boys’ Championship No. 1 Roman Catholic vs. No. 2 La Salle College HS

Time: 8:30 PM