Roman Catholic Defeats Archbishop Ryan 46-45 for the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship on Kabe Goss’s Buzzer Beater in OT

Written by: Dell Jackson on February 27, 2024

Roman Catholic Defeats Archbishop Ryan 46-45 for the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship on Kabe Goss’s Buzzer Beater in OT
Article by David Kehler

In the game of the year in southeastern Pennsylvania, Roman Catholic defeated Archbishop Ryan 46 to 45 for the Philadelphia Catholic League championship before a sold out crowd of about 9,000 at the Palestra on Monday night on a dramatic buzzer beater in overtime by 5’ 8” senior Kabrien Goss. Goss’s game winner followed a clutch 3-pointer from the right corner by Archbishop Ryan’s Ryan Everett, a 6’ 1” senior, with eight seconds left in overtime that gave his squad a 45 to 44 lead. Roman then inbounded the ball to Goss, who dribbled to the top of the key and hit the game winning jumper.

The game was played at a high level of skill and great intensity by two teams whose primary goal this season, as in every season, was to win the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, a feat much more difficult than winning a PIAA state championship. The teams played deliberately and both were very attentive to defense.

While Roman deserved to win, Ryan didn’t deserve to lose.

Many in the huge crowd looked forward to the matchup between Ryan’s Thomas Sorber, a 6’ 10” senior committed to Georgetown, and Roman’s Shareef Jackson, a 6’ 7” junior. These players guarded each other for much of the game, and neither had a decisive advantage, but both played well.

Ryan drew first blood, on a hoop inside by Sorber, followed by a free throw by his teammate Darren Williams, a 6’ 3” senior committed to Florida Gulf Coast. Shareef Jackson countered with a power move, then Ryan went up 6 to 2 on a 3-pointer by the sharpshooting Williams. Shareef Jackson then scored on a pivot move, and Roman took their first lead of the game at 7 to 6 on a 3-pointer by 6’ 2” senior Travis Reed. The outstanding Sorber responded with a power move, and Ryan was up 8 to 7. That would prove to be Ryan’s last lead in the game until the last minute of the fourth quarter, as Roman captured the momentum with an 11 to 0 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second frame. Roman’s run consisted of a 3-pointer by Shareef Jackson; a hoop by his brother, 6’ 5” sophomore Sammy Jackson; a 3-pointer by Goss; and another 3-pointer by Shareef Jackson. That made it 18 to 8, Roman. Ryan stemmed the tide with a hoop inside by Sorber, then Roman went up by 11 points on a three point play by 5’ 10” senior Bobby Cottrell. Ryan’s Sorber made a couple of free throws, then 6’ Roman senior Hunter Johnson hit a baseline jumper to put his squad up 23-12, the largest lead of the game. Ryan cut Roman’s lead to six points late in the first half on a drive by Sorber and a 3-pointer by Everett. Throughout the first half—and the entire game— Roman switched defenses between man-to-man and 1-3-1 zone, while Ryan played very little zone.

Ryan had a strong third quarter, nearly recapturing the lead, largely attributable to ferocious rebounding. Ryan out-rebounded Roman 11 to four in the third quarter, and six of those Ryan rebounds were on the offensive glass. Trailing 33 to 25 midway through the third quarter, Ryan went on a 6 to 0 run on a putback by Everett, a putback by Sorber, and a putback by 6’ 6” senior Jaden Murray. The third quarter scoring ended with a hoop inside by Roman’s Cottrell from a nifty assist by Sammy Jackson. Roman led 35 to 31 at the end of the third frame, but Ryan had the momentum.

Ryan opened the scoring in the final frame with a spectacular ally-oop dunk by Sorber, then they tied the game at 35 with two free throws by Murray. Roman responded with two free throws by Goss and a free throw by Reed, then Ryan’s Sorber scored to cut Roman’s lead to 38 to 37 with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter. A minute later, Roman missed on a couple of free throw attempts, leading to a 3-pointer by Ryan’s Williams. That made it 40 to 38, Ryan, with 31 seconds left in the fourth period. Roman tied the game at 40 with a hoop inside by Shareef Jackson on a clever assist by Goss, sending the game to overtime, as the huge crowd roared.

In the high pressure atmosphere, both teams played with terrific composure. Ryan scored first in overtime on a jumper by Williams, then Roman tied the game at 42 on a hoop by Shareef Jackson and took the lead at 44 to 42 on two free throws by Reed with 52 seconds left in OT. In the waning seconds of the game, Ryan worked the ball looking for a good shot. Sorber fired a pass to Everett on the right side of the court, and Everett hit a clutch 3-pointer with eight seconds left in overtime, giving Ryan a 45 to 44 lead. Roman inbounded the ball to Goss, and he dribbled to the top of the key and sank a jumper as time expired. What a heartbreaking loss for Ryan! What a clutch win for Roman! What a thrilling contest!

The view from here is that Goss was the game’s outstanding player. In addition to scoring the winning basket, he repeatedly drove fearlessly against much taller Ryan players, grabbed six rebounds in spite of being the shortest player on the court, and dished four assists. A good student, so far Goss has no scholarship offers. Also for Roman, Bobby Cottrell was terrific on defense.

Both coaching staffs did a great job in preparing the teams for this high profile pressure-filled game, and the in-game management was terrific by both benches. An internet broadcast of the game is archived on YouTube’s Bob Long Sports Channel.

Befitting a game this close, the key statistics were very even. Ryan out-rebounded Roman 31 to 27. Roman committed 11 turnovers, and Ryan had 12 miscues. Roman was eight of 11 from the free throw line, while Ryan was six of seven. Roman made six 3-pointers, and Ryan scored five times from beyond the arc. There were three ties and seven lead changes.

Roman Catholic scoring: Shareef Jackson 16, Kabrien Goss 10, Sammy Jackson 7, Travis Reed 6, Bobby Cottrell 5, and Hunter Johnson 2.

Archbishop Ryan scoring: Thomas Sorber 16, Darren Williams 12, Jaden Murray 9, and Ryan Everett 8.

Some other statistics: for Roman, Shareef Jackson had six rebounds, three blocks, and two assists; Sammy Jackson had five rebounds, four assists, and two steals; Bobby Cottrell had three rebounds, an assist, and a steal; and Hunter Johnson had four rebounds. For Ryan, Thomas Sorber had seven rebounds, three blocks, and an assist; Darren Williams had seven rebounds, two steals, and an assist; Jaden Murray had five rebounds and four assists; Matt Johnson had five assists and a rebound; and Ryan Everett had two rebounds and two steals.

Archbishop Ryan     8      9      14      9     5 – 45
Roman Catholic     12     13      10     5      6 – 46

Roman Catholic has qualified for the PIAA Class 6A state championship tournament, while Archbishop Ryan will compete for the PIAA Class 5A state title.

On Twitter: @david_kehler

Tweet from our good friend Bob Long (@boblongsports) who called the game and the last few seconds made it on @espn

Pretty darn cool that Scott Van Pelt selected the @AOPS_Schools Philadelphia Catholic League Championship finish as the “Best Thing I Saw Today” on @SportsCenter

The experience of a lifetime for me to broadcast this game pic.twitter.com/nzb2YuB1SS

— Bob Long (@boblongsports) February 27, 2024

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