Roman Catholic Defeats Bonner-Prendergast 66-39: Kehler on Hoops

Written by: Dell Jackson on January 8, 2023

Roman Catholic Defeats Bonner-Prendergast 66-39

Defending PIAA Class 6A state champion Roman Catholic comprehensively defeated Bonner-Prerdergast 66 to 39 in a Philadelphia Catholic League game played at Holy Family U. on Sunday afternoon. The contest was a Roman Catholic home game.

The game was competitive in the first quarter. Roman Catholic took a 6 to 0 lead on 3-pointers by 6’ 6” senior Anthony Finkley and 6’ 2” senior Xzayvier Brown, both of whom will be playing college basketball at St. Joseph’s next season. Bonner responded with a 3-pointer and also a hoop inside by 6’ 7” junior Deuce Ketner, and a couple of free throws by his teammate, 6’ 6” junior Kevin Rucker, Jr., to tie the game at 8. The teams traded baskets until a three point play by Rucker tied the game at 14. At that point, Roman launched a 13 to 2 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and the early stages of the second frame. Roman’s 13 point run came from a 3-pointer from Brown, a hoop inside by 6’ 4” senior Jermai Stewart-Herring, a basket inside by Finkley, a putback by 6’ 7” sophomore Shareef Jackson, another field goal by Stewart-Herring, and a score inside by 6’ 2” sophomore Will Felder. That made it 27 to 16 in favor of Roman, and Bonner never threatened from that point.

Roman substantially outplayed Bonner in the second quarter, out-rebounding them 12 to one in the second frame. Bonner’s shot selection was not ideal in this contest, and their defense was too passive to counter Roman’s firepower. Roman, on the other hand, had outstanding ball movement on offense, and they rebounded vigorously.

For the game, Roman out-rebounded Bonner 33 to 21. (6’ 8” Bonner junior Nelson Lamizana had 13 of his team’s 21 rebounds.). Roman had seven turnovers, one more than Bonner. Both teams were five of seven from the free throw line. Roman made seven 3-pointers, four by Finkley, two by Brown, and one by 6’ junior Bobby Cottrell. Bonner made four 3-pointers, two by 6’ 1” junior Jamal Hicks and one each by Ketner and Rucker. There were two ties and two lead changes.

Roman Catholic scoring: Anthony Finkley 18, Shareef Jackson 14, Xzayvier Brown 10, Jermai Stewart-Herring 9, Eric Oliver-Bush 8, Bobby Cottrell 5, and Will Felder 2. (Jackson also had 10 rebounds and two assists, and Finkley had 11 rebounds and five assists.)

Bonner-Prendergast scoring: Nelson Lamizana 12; Kevin Rucker, Jr., 12; Deuce Ketner 7; Jamal Hicks 6; and Reggie Selden 2.

Bonner-Prendergast 16 7 9 7-39
Roman Catholic 21 19 18 8-66

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