Roman Catholic Defeats Devon Prep 70-67 in 2OT: Kehler on Hoops

Roman Catholic defeated Devon Prep 70 to 67 in two overtimes on Sunday afternoon at Holy Family U. in a matchup between two of the top teams in Pennsylvania.  The game was a strategic, competitive contest between well-coached, excellent Philadelphia Catholic League teams. It was Roman’s home game, played at Holy Family, as the gym at Roman has a floor sized smaller than regulation.

 

Roman’s height advantage posed a problem for Devon Prep.  In particular, Roman senior Shareef Jackson, a powerful 6′ 7″ inside player, was a difficult matchup.  Devon Prep opened in a man-to-man defense, and, in their first four possessions, Roman got the ball inside to Shareef Jackson.  Four minutes into the game, Shareef Jackson had tallied six points on three field goals, all on pivot moves.  However, Devon Prep crashed the defensive board hard in the first frame, out-rebounding Roman 12 to six in the first eight minutes, getting quickly to the ball against their taller opponent.  Devon also got up court quickly, trying to start their offense before Roman players established defensive positions.  Roman led by a point at the end of the first quarter.

 

Roman sophomore Tyler Sutton, 6′ 2″, entered the game in the second quarter and scored 11 points in the second period.  Normally a starter, Sutton is highly regarded and has a fistful of Division 1 college recruiting offers.  His four point play at the beginning of the second quarter gave Roman a 15-12 lead, and Devon Prep did not lead again until 5:21 was left in the fourth quarter.  Roman followed Sutton’s four point play with a 3-pointer by 6′ 7″ junior Sammy Jackson on their next possession.  A key Devon Prep player got in foul trouble midway through the second quarter and had to go to the bench, and the team then switched from man-to-man defense to a 3-2 zone.  The zone didn’t work well for Devon Prep, as they surrendered outside shots and had great difficulty on the glass. Roman had four offensive rebounds in the second quarter, and they led 30-21 at halftime.

 

 

Still in a 3-2 zone at the outset of the third quarter, Devon Prep’s defensive rebounding woes continued.  Consecutive 3-pointers by Roman’s Sutton gave his team a 40-28 lead.  With about four minutes left in the third quarter, Devon Prep went back to their starting lineup, went back to playing man-to-man defense, and roared back into contention.  Devon Prep ended the third quarter with a 10-0 scoring run on a twisting drive by 6′ 5″ senior Zane Conlon (who had a terrific all-around game), a hoop inside by 6′ 6″ senior Reese Craft on a sensational assist by Conlon, a 3-pointer by 6′ 3″ senior Calvin Smith, and a three-point play on a tipin by 6′ 3″ senior Shane Doyle.  That made it 44-42 in favor of Roman at the end of the third quarter.

 

Devon Prep’s scoring run continued at the outset of the fourth quarter, when they tied the game at 44 on a hoop inside by Doyle.  The teams then went back and forth until Devon Prep finally regained the lead at 48-46 on a steal and breakaway layup by Doyle.  After see-saw play, Roman then regained the lead at 52-51 on a couple of free throws by Sammy Jackson with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter.  Roman added to their lead with two free throws by Sutton and then two more free throws by Sutton.  With 1:48 left in the fourth quarter and trailing 56-51, Devon Prep struck back on a twisting drive by the superb Conlon.  With seconds left, a clutch 3-pointer by Devon Prep’s Doyle tied the game at 56 and sent the contest to overtime.

 

Roman scored first in the extra session on a three-point play on a fast break layup by Sammy Jackson.  With 1:40 left in the extra session, Conlon cut Roman’s lead to 59-58 on yet another twisting drive.  Roman then extended their lead with a hoop inside by 5′ 9″ junior Semaj Robinson, and, after a Devon Prep turnover, a couple of free throws by 6′ 2″ senior Sebastian Edwards.  There were 31 seconds left in overtime, and Devon Prep trailed 63-58, when they tied the game on a hoop by Doyle and a 3-pointer by 6′ 1″ senior Mason Thear.  Thear’s shot went in the hoop with 3 seconds left in OT and sent the game into a second overtime tied at 63.

 

Roman scored first in the second extra period on a jumper by Sammy Jackson, then Devon Prep recaptured the lead at 66-65 on a free throw by Conlon and a jumper by Thear.  Roman tied the game at 66 on a free throw by Shareef Jackson, but Devon Prep went up by a point with 1:01 left in the second overtime on a free throw by Thear.  Roman regained the lead for good on a hoop inside by Robinson and closed out the scoring with a fast break layup by Sammy Jackson.

 

It was such a good game that neither team deserved to lose.  Devon Prep played with great poise, in coming back from a 12 point third quarter deficit, in hitting a clutch 3-pointer at the end of the fourth quarter, and in hitting another clutch 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime.  Time and again, when Devon was in peril, they came up big.  Roman countered every Devon Prep surge, and made clutch plays of their own down the stretch.  A  testament of the competitiveness of the game: there were nine ties and eight lead changes.

 

For the game, Roman Catholic had a 31 to 27 rebounding edge.  Roman committed 10 turnovers, while Devon had 14 miscues.  Roman was 16 of 21 from the free throw line, and Devon Prep was seven of 15 from the stripe.  Roman made six 3-pointers, and Devon scored four times from beyond the arc.

 

Roman Catholic scoring: Tyler Sutton 21, Sammy Jackson 16, Shareef Jackson 13, Sebastian Edwards 9, CJ Miller 5, Semaj Robinson 4, and Dwayne Ruffin Jr. 2

 

Devon Prep scoring: Zane Conlon 20, Shane Doyle 17, Reese Craft 14, Mason Thear 8, Calvin Smith 6, and Mike Pergolis 2.

 

Devon Prep 10 11 21 14 7 4-67

Roman Catholic 11 19 14 12 7 7-70

 

These teams are leading contenders for the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, which is the most difficult Pennsylvania boys basketball title to capture.  They are also leading contenders for PIAA state championships–Devon Prep in Class 4A and Roman Catholic in Class 6A

 

On X (formerly Twitter): @david_kehler