Kehler on Hoops: Roman Catholic Defeats Haverford 59-49

Written by: Dell Jackson on March 10, 2022

ROMAN CATHOLIC DEFEATS HAVERFORD 59-49

Roman Catholic defeated Haverford 59-49 on Wednesday night in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A state championship tournament. The game was played at Archbishop Ryan, in Philadelphia, one of the few first round games in this year’s PIAA tournament to be played on a neutral site.

Roman Catholic had a height advantage over Haverford at all five positions, but Roman’s sloppy ball handling gave Haverford many opportunities to stay in contention. Scrappy Haverford hit both boards hard throughout the game, but Roman’s defensive pressure kept Haverford’s shooters off balance throughout the contest.

Roman Catholic scored first on a couple of hoops inside by senior Quadir Brown, then Haverford responded with a jumper by 5′ 10″ junior Googie Seidman. The pace of the game quickened, and late in the first frame Haverford took a 9-8 lead on a three pointer by 6′ 2″ senior Nick Colucci followed by a drive by Colucci. Roman recaptured the lead, 10-9, on an ally-oop by 6′ 6″ senior Daniel Skillings. Haverford committed five fouls in the first quarter and, for a time, switched to a 1-2-2 zone defense.

The second quarter began with the teams combining for five turnovers in the first couple of minutes, then Haverford took their second lead of the game, 12-11, on a three pointer by Seidman. Roman went up 13-12 on a drive by Quadir Brown, then a drive by junior Brian Wiener gave Haverford their third and final lead of the game, 14-13. Roman Catholic responded with a 15-2 run to conclude the first half on a three pointer by 6′ 3″ senior Khalil Farmer, a free throw by Farmer, another three pointer by Farmer, two free throws by 6′ 1″ junior Xzayvier Brown, a fast break dunk by Skillings, two more free thaws by Xzayvier Brown, and two free throws by 6′ sophomore Toby Ojukwu. That made it 28-16, Roman, at halftime. During the first half of the game, Roman took 11 free throws, making eight of them, while Haverford did not get to the foul line. Roman’s perimeter defenders markedly hampered Haverford’s outside shooting. Haverford’s shots were typically rushed, or turnaround jumpers, or fall away jumpers, or some combination of the three. Haverford couldn’t match up inside with Roman, so outside shooting was the focus of their offense. Haverford players were in constant motion when they had the ball in half court, and they passed the ball unselfishly, but there was very little done to set screens for shooters.

Still, Haverford was able to chip away at Roman’s lead in the third stanza, primarily due to the outstanding play of senior J. R. Newman, who scored nine points in the third quarter. Haverford spread the court a bit more in the third frame than they had in the first half, and that made it more difficult for Roman defenders to collapse on the ball. Haverford also out rebounded the taller Roman, 9 to 7, in the third frame, and Haverford had more offensive rebounds than Roman had defensive rebounds in the third stanza. A three pointer by Seidman cut Roman’s lead to 34-30 about five minutes into the third quarter, but Roman responded with a hoop inside by Quadir Brown and a putback by Skillings. At the end of the third quarter, Roman’s Ojukwu hit a three pointer to give his team a 41-33 lead. Haverford never threatened from that point, although they continued to try hard.

Roman out rebounded Haverford 33 to 30. Roman committed 18 turnovers to 13 miscues by Haverford. Roman was 16 of 21 from the free throw line, while Haverford was seven of eight from the stirpe. Relying so much on jump shots, Haverford did not attempt a free throw until the last minute of the third quarter. Roman made three three pointers in the game, two by Farmer and one by Ojukwu. Haverford scored six times from beyond the arc, three by Seidman, two by Newman, and one by Colucci. There were no ties and six lead changes.

Roman Catholic scoring: Daniel Skillings 19, Quadir Brown 12, Khalil Farmer 12, Xzayvier Brown 9, and Toby Ojukwu 7.

Haverford scoring Googie Seidman 15, J. R. Newman 12, Nick Colucci 11, Brian Wiener 7, Tommy Wright 2, and Colin Reynolds 2.

For Roman, Sillings had 12 rebounds, Farmer had seven boards, and Xzayvier Brown had nine assists. For Haverford, Colucci had seven rebounds and three assists and Seidman had five rebounds and two assists.

Haverford 9 7 17 16-49
Roman Catholic 11 17 13 18-59

Roman Catholic, now 20-4, the District 12 champion, advances to the second round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament where they will play Central Dauphin on Saturday at a place and time to be determined. Haverford’s season concludes with an 18-7 record.

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